But you can change the packages that are installed by changing the .pkglist file that is used for your profile or osimage. And you can use a postscript to disable services. Both of these can be done without modifying the kickstart template directly.
Bruce Potter STSM, Linux & AIX Cluster Development, IBM, Poughkeepsie, NY Email: [email protected] Phone: external: 845-433-7073, internal: TL 293-7073 From: Craig Finch <[email protected]> To: xCAT Users Mailing list <[email protected]>, Date: 10/10/2012 06:17 PM Subject: Re: [xcat-user] Node installation documentation added to Wiki; expert attention requested! Bruce, Sorry for the delay in my reply-I've been out of the office. We have an aging IBM x1350 cluster. Its xCAT configuration was created by IBM and nobody here fully understands it. Over the years, additional requirements have been placed on various nodes such that we need to make manual modifications to each node after installing or re-installing the OS. I want to make xCAT handle ALL of the node configuration: specifically, customize the packages that are installed and automatically disable services like CUPS and Bluetooth. I also want to build new configurations for our visualization nodes with updated versions of the OS and more recent Nvidia drivers. I'm using Virtualbox to test xCAT configurations without messing up the production system. So far, I have figured out how to customize the packages that are installed and disable the services. After I fill a few more gaps in my xCAT knowledge, I will start working on the visualization nodes. Craig On Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 11:09 AM, Bruce M Potter <[email protected]> wrote: Craig, The kickstart templates that xcat provides are parameterized so that the things you would commonly want to change are plugged in from the xcat db. What are some practical examples of when you would need to create your own template? I can add those examples to the advanced guide. Thx. Bruce Potter STSM, Linux & AIX Cluster Development, IBM, Poughkeepsie, NY Email: [email protected] Phone: external: 845-433-7073, internal: TL 293-7073 Inactive hide details for Craig Finch ---09/27/2012 03:58:36 PM---Lissa, There is a lot of good information in the iDataPlex AdCraig Finch ---09/27/2012 03:58:36 PM---Lissa, There is a lot of good information in the iDataPlex Advanced Setup page. From: Craig Finch <[email protected]> To: xCAT Users Mailing list <[email protected]>, Date: 09/27/2012 03:58 PM Subject: Re: [xcat-user] Node installation documentation added to Wiki; expert attention requested! Lissa, There is a lot of good information in the iDataPlex Advanced Setup page. However, it is missing some critical information that is only covered in the old Node Installation HOWTO. For example, the Advanced Setup page doesn't mention anything about how to write a template for a Kickstart file on a Redhat system, or the paths to these files. That's important if you're going to define your own nodes. Craig On Tue, Sep 25, 2012 at 12:41 PM, Lissa Valletta <[email protected]> wrote: I am confused by the statement "In fact, not a single page on the Wiki explains how xCAT knows what to install on a node." Did you look at the xCAT IDataplex Advanced Setup, it is all about defining, and creating images in the database and installing nodes. The QuickStart was suppose to give you an easy way to setup the database with the needed data, but the Advanced Setup goes into detail and allows you to do it manually. This process defines what xCAT installs on the nodes. http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/xcat/index.php?title=XCAT_iDataPlex_Advanced_Setup Lissa K. Valletta 2-3/T12 Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 (tie 293) 433-3102 Inactive hide details for Craig Finch ---09/25/2012 11:45:51 AM---Lissa, I agree that information from the Node Install HOWTO s Craig Finch ---09/25/2012 11:45:51 AM---Lissa, I agree that information from the Node Install HOWTO should be added to the From: Craig Finch <[email protected]> To: xCAT Users Mailing list <[email protected]> Date: 09/25/2012 11:45 AM Subject: Re: [xcat-user] Node installation documentation added to Wiki; expert attention requested! Lissa, I agree that information from the Node Install HOWTO should be added to the official xCAT documents. Despite the name, this document is not really a HOWTO. It is a reference document about how xCAT communicates with a new node and how xCAT determines what to install on that node. This information would be best placed in an official "reference" document rather than a "quickstart." Obvoiusly, the information should be reviewed by an expert before being placed in an official document. I am not using the official documentation right now because the information I need is not in the official documents. The iDataPlex Cluster QuickStart gives a high-level overview of how xCAT works. "Setting Up a Linux xCAT Mgmt Node" helped me get a management node up and running, but it does not explain how to set up the rest of the nodes. In fact, not a single page on the Wiki explains how xCAT knows what to install on a node. The only way I found this information was through a search engine, which pointed me to the outdated Node Installation HOWTO. This is my motivation for adding it to the Wiki. Craig On Tue, Sep 25, 2012 at 8:05 AM, Lissa Valletta <[email protected]> wrote: The document you updated is still a document not supported by the xCAT team. I would prefer you to request the information added to one of the official xCAT docs, that will be maintained and updated by the development team. You can do that by selecting the discussion button while in the document. You also should be using the official documentation for you cluster, so we can suppport you better. For example the first document we recommend for x-series is https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/xcat/index.php?title=XCAT_iDataPlex_Cluster_Quick_Start Or another one is https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/xcat/index.php?title=Setting_Up_a_Linux_xCAT_Mgmt_Node Lissa K. Valletta 2-3/T12 Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 (tie 293) 433-3102 Inactive hide details for Craig Finch ---09/24/2012 11:42:53 AM---I have found that many xCAT-related searches on Google land oCraig Finch ---09/24/2012 11:42:53 AM---I have found that many xCAT-related searches on Google land on the old node installation HOWTO at: From: Craig Finch <[email protected]> To: xCAT Users Mailing list <[email protected]> Date: 09/24/2012 11:42 AM Subject: [xcat-user] Node installation documentation added to Wiki; expert attention requested! I have found that many xCAT-related searches on Google land on the old node installation HOWTO at: http://www.xcat.org/doc/1.x/nodeinstall-HOWTO.html Since this document contains some information that is still relevant and cannot be found on the current Wiki, I added it to the Wiki: http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/xcat/index.php?title=Custom_Node_Installation I have made quite a bit of progress towards formatting the page and correcting outdated information, but I am a beginner to xCAT, and this page would benefit from some attention from an experienced xCAT user. Also, this document would probably be better if it were split into two separate pages. The first half is not really a HOWTO, but a description of how xCAT handles a new node, which should probably be part of the "official" documentation rather than being consigned to the list of user-contributed HOWTOs. The second half is really more of a HOWTO. What do you think? 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