[Beowulf] kickstart install using NFS

[Robert G. Brown]

On Tue, 18 Jan 2005, Erik Paulson wrote:

> On Tue, Jan 18, 2005 at 12:30:57AM -0500, Robert G. Brown wrote:
> > 
> > This is even MORE useful than floppies in so many ways.  I have a nice
> > little list of what I can boot on a node.  A kickstart install.  A
> > "redhat install" where I can select packages.  In principle, a "rescue"
> > kernel and image, although the interactive install kernel and image can
> > be used for most rescue purposes if you know what you are doing.  A
> > choice of architectures and revisions.  A DOS floppy boot image for
> > doing certain chores.  memtest86.  All via PXE.
> > 
> > Most of how to do this is in HOWTOs on the web.  
> >
> 
> Can you give a pointer to a good memtest86/PXE setup? What I would love

I can probably just send it to you, but I've got to collect it and we
are weather-jammed here and I just spent six hours on the road to go 25
miles.  Remind me in a day or so if I forget.  It is pretty easy, and
I'm pretty sure I can send you an image and my tftp setup.

   rgb

> to have is a memtest86 (or something similar - maybe PC Doctor) that
> I could periodically have some of my nodes boot and go into diagonstic
> mode for a while. I've even got everything on serial console, so I 
> could screen scrape and watch for results. memtest spits out so much
> ANSI crap that it's kind of a mess to do, so I was hoping someone
> out there has already done it. Are there good alternatives to memtest -
> maybe something with an easier-to-parse output?
> 
> It'd also be nice if there was a way to say "Run for an hour", but if
> need be we've got Baytech PDUs with remote-control power, so I can
> script a hard reboot if need be. 
> 
> Right now we periodically run a set of scripts that reads and writes files 
> in /dev/shm to "test" memory - we've been able to find nodes with bad memory
> by using 'cmp' on those files.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> -Erik
> 
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-- 
Robert G. Brown	                       http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/
Duke University Dept. of Physics, Box 90305
Durham, N.C. 27708-0305
Phone: 1-919-660-2567  Fax: 919-660-2525     email:rgb at phy.duke.edu