revamping our beowulf

[andreas boklund]

Hi Tintin,
Just a hint on the cloning issue, I have been using
SystemImager for a a few years and it works really 
great.

It works in the way that you install a client and the master. Then you install the SI server software on the master and the Client software on the client. After that you pull the clients image to the master. 

The image is saved as a directory tree so you can edit the image if you want.

Then you set up a few servers on the master (dhcp etc), SI have scripts for doing that so its just answering questions (almost). 

After that just boot your uninstalled nodes from a 
floppy or bootprom, and they will partition themselves and pull the image from the server.

When a upgrade is due, install the software on one client and pull that image the the master and then distribute it (only the new files will be distributed and old files removed) you do not even have to reboot (although it can handle kernel changes too)

This is the basic variant, if you want you only have to install one machine and pull its image to itself, but then you have to know what you are doing. (i have done it on out course machines).

http://systemimager.org/

Best regards
//Andreas

***************************************
* Andreas Boklund                     *
* Lecturer in Computer Science        *
* University of Trollhattan/Uddevalla *
* Sweden                              *
*                                     *
* andreas at boklund.nu                  *
***************************************

>>> "Tintin J Marapao" <cjereme at ucla.edu> 09/06/02 07:14 AM >>>
Hi All,

In the lab I work in, we have an 10 node suse linux cluster. its about 2-3
years old and has started to act really really funky. We are planning to
overhaul the whole thing, replacing the hard drive of the world node and
installing a newer version of suse 8.0. Does anyone have any tips before I
start thrashing it (aside from crossing my fingers?)
I am actually more concerned about how I can go about cloning the nodes
efficiently...with the least amount of anxiety

Any input is welcome :)

Thanks,

Tintin