HP XC System Software Installation Guide Version 3.1

3 Configuring and Imaging the System
This chapter contains an overview of the initial system configuration and imaging process and describes
system configuration tasks, which must be performed in the following order:
• “Task 1: Prepare for the System Configuration” (page 44)
• “Task 2: Change the Default IP Address Base (Optional)” (page 49)
• “Task 3: Run the cluster_prep Command to Prepare the System” (page 50)
• “Task 4: Install Patches or RPM Updates” (page 52)
• “Task 5: Run the discover Command to Discover System Components” (page 54)
• “Task 6: Set Up the System Environment” (page 58)
• “Task 7: Run the cluster_config Utility to Configure the System” (page 65)
• “Task 8: Configure Availability Sets” (page 66)
• “Task 9: Assign Node Roles” (page 68)
• “Task 10: Respond to Configuration Questions” (page 70)
• “Task 11: Run the startsys Utility to Start the System and Propagate the Golden Image” (page 80)
• “Task 12: Perform Postconfiguration Tasks for the InfiniBand Interconnect” (page 83)
• “Task 13: Create a Lock LUN Device File” (page 83)
• “Task 14: Start Availability Tools” (page 83)
• “Task 15: Configure SNMP Trap Destination for Enclosures” (page 85)
• “Task 16: Configure SNMP Trap Destination for Modular Cooling System Devices” (page 85)
• “Task 17: Finalize the Configuration of Compute Resources” (page 86)
3.1 System Configuration and Imaging Overview
This section provides an overview of the initial system configuration and imaging process.
3.1.1 System Configuration Process
The system configuration process is the method by which the topology of the system is automatically
discovered, applied, and stored in the configuration and management database after the installation of
the head node has been completed.
The system topology is defined based on the manner in which the head and client nodes are connected to
the administration network when the nodes are cabled into the appropriate switches.
The system configuration procedure described in this chapter consists of running the following HP XC
commands and utilities:
DescriptionCommand/Utility Name
Prepares the system for discovery and configuration and configures the external
Ethernet device on the head node, thus enabling network connectivity
cluster_prep
Automatically discovers and enables all hardware components and populates the
/etc/hosts and /etc/dhcp.conf files
discover
Populates the configuration and management database with node role assignments,
starts all services on the head node, and creates the golden system image
cluster_config
Turns on power to each node and downloads the SystemImager automatic
installation environment to install and configure each node from the golden image
startsys
3.1.2 System Imaging Process
The SystemImager, an open source software component of the HP XC system, provides a simplified method
for automating the installation of large Linux clusters. SystemImager provides the foundation for the
image replication and distribution environment used to install client nodes in HP XC system.
As part of the initial software installation, the head node is configured as the golden client, which is the
node that represents the configuration from which all other nodes are replicated. Next, a golden image
is created from the golden client, which is a replication of the local file system directories and files, starting
3.1 System Configuration and Imaging Overview 43