DotschUX-Diskless_Installation

For a diskless server installation a hard disk installation is required. For a installation guide look at 2.2 Hard disk installation.

After the hard disk installation was successful the diskless server must been setup. After the diskless server installation you can add diskless clients on the diskless server.

The hard disk installation requires about 2,5 GB space, the diskless server about 1.5..1.7 GB for each architecture, and each diskless client system about 1.5..1.7 GB plus the space for BOINC science project data.

It‘s strongly recommended to use a separate partition or lvol for /diskless.

Please have also a look at Skip‘s great Dotsch/UX AID documentation for a diskless server : Dotsch_UX-RAID.pdf

If you would be prompted for a password for the User „boinc“, this would results from the usage of the sudo tool, which requires the user password for authentication to issue commands as root. The password for the User boinc is boinc. Please change the boinc user password after the installation is finished.

2.3.1 Server Configuration

• Firstly you must edit the diskless server configuration by hand and adjust your settings there. Open a terminal
window, at the console, or connect remotely to the diskless server system via ssh.
Edit the config file with your favourite editor. For example „sudo gedit /etc/opt/dotsch_ux/diskless.conf“ for a
graphical editor, or „sudo nano /etc/opt/dotsch_ux/diskless.conf“ or „sudo vi /etc/opt/dotsch_ux/diskless.conf“ for a
text based editor.

• A example of the configuration file, without any changes :

###########################################################################

#

#diskless.conf 

#

#Configuration file for the Dotsch/UX diskless server setup

#

###########################################################################

###########################################################################

#

#1. Main config parameters

#

###########################################################################

#DISKLESS_SERVER is the IP of the diskless server in the subnet the server 

#should. 

#For example : DISKLESS_SERVER=192.168.1.10

#

DISKLESS_SERVER=

#DISKLESS_SERVER_SUBNET is the subnet of the diskless server subnet

#For example : DISKLESS_SERVER_NET=192.168.1.0

DISKLESS_SERVER_SUBNET=

#DISKLESS_SERVER_NETMASK is the netmask of the diskless server subnet

#For example : DISKLESS_SERVER_SUBNET=255.255.255.0

#

DISKLESS_SERVER_NETMASK=

#DISKLESS_SERVER_BROADCAST is the broadcast address of diskless server

#subnet. 

#For example DISKLESS_SERVER_BROADCAST=192.168.1.255

#

DISKLESS_SERVER_BROADCAST=

#DISKLESS_SERVER_DOMAIN is the domainname of the diskless server

#For example DISKLESS_SERVER_DOMAINNAME=dotsch.de

#

DISKLESS_SERVER_DOMAINNAME=

#DISKLESS_ROOT describes the location of the diskless data for the server and 

#the client data is located.

#For example : DISKLESS_ROOT=/diskless

#

DISKLESS_ROOT=/diskless

#IP address of the DNS Server

#Hint : if you have a DSL/Internet router, very often the router acts as DNS

#server

#For example : DNS_SERVER=192.168.1.2

#

DNS_SERVER=

#IP addresses of the default gateway.

#Hint : Mostly your DSL/Internet router

#If you have no gateway and would like to use and http proxy on the diskless

#server, add the IP address of the diskless server (DISKLESS_SERVER)

#For example : DEFAULT_GW=192.168.1.1

#

DEFAULT_GW=

###########################################################################

#

#2. DHCP Configuration

#

###########################################################################

#DHCP Server is on the same host per default. 

#The range from which the DHCP server should assign IP's to the clients

#For example :  DHCP_RANGE_START="192.168.1.100"

#        DHCP_RANGE_END="192.168.1.200"

#

DHCP_RANGE_START=""

DHCP_RANGE_END=""

• The Dotsch/UX CD/DVD must be insert in the CD-/DVD-drive and mounted.

• Since Dotsch/UX 1.1 it‘s possible to mix i386 (32 bit) and x64(64 bit) clients at one single diskless server. The
install script will installs the master for the architecture of the CD which was actually mounted !

If you would like to add a additional platform, please have a look at chapter 2.3.3 „Add additional architectures“.

Due the additional architectures, the output from the install_diskles_server.sh script differs now from the output
in Dotsch/UX 1.0.

• After the parameters for your diskless server setup has been adjusted the configuration, the new configuration
must be applied via „sudo /opt/dotsch_ux/bin/install_diskless_server.sh“ or on the graphical desktop via
„Applications / „Dotsch/UX NFS Diskless Tools“ / „Install Diskless Server“

  This script would now automatically setup the diskless server, including the NFS-, DHCP- and, TFT Server from
  the setup you have made in the configuration file. It copies also the master image to /diskless/master, which would
  be later used as master image for the diskless system.

Diskless server installation with Dotsch/UX 1.1 or 1.2

Diskless server installation with Dotsch/UX 1.0

2.3.2 Diskless Client Configuration

Each diskless system requires about 1.5..1.7 GB plus the disk space for the BOINC projects on the hard disk space.

• Enter „sudo /opt/dotsch_ux/bin/add_diskless_client.sh“ or „Applications / „Dotsch/UX NFS Diskless Tools“ / „Add
Diskless Client“ from the GNOME menu to add a new client.

The script would ask you for the hostname of the new system. The IP address would be taken from the pre
defined pool of the DHCP configuration.

The MAC address of the diskless client system could be entered manually or been automatically detected :

• After powering on the diskless system, the PXE boot will print out the MAC address.

• The auto detection would analyse the DHCP requests for 2 minutes and look, if there is a new client requesting
the next free (=unused) IP address.

So you can power on the system and the script would analyse the DHCP requests and print out all MAC
addresses which has tried to get an IP address.

• Since Dotsch/UX 1.1 it‘s possible to mix i386 (32 bit) and x64(64 bit) clients at one single diskless server. If you
would like to add a additional platform, please have a look at chapter 2.3.3 „Add additional architectures“.

Due the additional architectures, the output from the add_diskless_client.sh script differs now from the output in
Dotsch/UX 1.0.

• After the client was added, you can now boot the new diskless client from the network..

Diskless client installation at Dotsch/UX 1.1 without automatic MAC address detection

Diskless client installation at Dotsch/UX 1.0 with automatic MAC address detection

2.3.3 Add a additional architecture

Since Dotsch/UX 1.1 it‘s possible to use mixed i386 (32 bit) and x64 (64 bit) diskless clients on one diskless server. Or a 32 bit diskless server can serve 64 bit diskless clients or vice versa.

At the initial installation, the add_diskless_client.sh script adds the master for the architecture which is used on the Dotsch/UX CD for installing the diskless server. If you now would add a additional architecture - i386 clients on a x64 diskless server or vice versa, the architecture must be added manually.

To add the additional architecture, you need to download the Dotsch/UX CD for the target architecture of the diskless client system, mount the CD on the diskless server and start the installation with „sudo /opt/dotsch_ux/bin/add_arch.sh“ .

After the additional architecture was added, you can now install a diskless client for the new architecture via „sudo add_diskless_client.sh“.

2.3 Diskless server and client installation