Task 1: Prepare for the System Configuration

Node name prefix

During the system discovery process, each node is automatically assigned a name. This name consists of a user-defined prefix and a number based on the node's topographical location in the system. The default node prefix is the letter n; a 6-character maximum is allowed in the node prefix.

You have the option to change the node naming prefix before the system is configured. For example, you may want to be able to differentiate easily between nodes in two different systems, or you may want to customize your node names according to corporate policy.

Maximum number of nodes in the system

Enter the maximum number of nodes you expect to have in your system, taking future expansion into consideration.

For flexibility, consider entering the maximum number of nodes allowed by the interconnect. For instance, the interconnect might allow a maximum of 128 nodes, but your system contains only 64 nodes. In this case, enter the number 128 when prompted.

Database administrator's password

Define and set a password to protect the MySQL database. Make this password different from the root password.

You will be prompted for this password any time you log into the database.

See “Setting Strong Passwords” for recommendations on choosing strong passwords.

Ethernet device to use as the external network device

Configuring an Ethernet device on the head node connects the node directly to your public network. The most likely Ethernet device to use as the external network device is presented to you by default. You can use this value or provide a different value.

If you need more information to verify that you are selecting the correct Ethernet device on the head node, open a new terminal window and use the ethtool ethernet-device-name command to provide more information about the Ethernet devices on the node.

IP address for the external network connection

Provide the IP address in dotted quad format that identifies the head node's connection to the external network. This is the address assigned by your site's network administrator. The IP address must be in your site's Domain Name Service (DNS) configuration.

Network mask

Provide the network mask (netmask) for your site.

The network mask is used for each of the addresses in the address range and is specified in dotted quad format (for example, 255.255.252.0).

IP address for the network gateway

Provide the network gateway IP address for your site.

The network gateway is the next-hop router that the system uses to direct any traffic to a host that is not directly on your site's local network. This address is specified as a dotted quad address (for example, 192.0.2.51) rather than a name.

IP address for the DNS name server

Provide the IP address for your site's DNS server. This address is specified in dotted quad format (for example, 192.0.2.50).

Domains to search to resolve names

When the following prompt is displayed, provide a list of name server domains to search to resolve host names:

Enter your Name Server search paths, one per line,
and enter a dot (.) on a line by itself after the last one,
or enter just a carriage return to accept the default.
Search path: 

The domain name is typically in the form my-domain.com (assuming that the head node is intended to be HeadNodeName.my-domain.com). Enter your search entry in the following format:

DomainName.something[.something....]

The search entry can have from one to six DomainName variables. The DomainName variable is the name of a domain that should be included in the search list. The first DomainName variable is interpreted as the default domain name.

Total number of nodes in this cluster

Enter the total number of nodes in your system configuration that are to be discovered at this time. Make sure the number you enter includes the head node and all compute nodes.

You will not be prompted for this information if you are discovering a multi-region, large-scale system.

You can include the node= keyword and value on the discover command line to bypass this question during the discovery process.

Number of nodes that are workstations

Enter the number of nodes that are workstations, that is, nodes that do not have console ports.

There is no default response. Enter 0 (zero) if your system does not contain workstations.

You will not be prompted for this information if you are discovering a multi-region, large-scale system.

You can include the ws= keyword on the discover command line to bypass this question during the discovery process.

MAC address of the root administration switch or super root switch

Look on the back panel of the ProCurve Root Administration Switch near the 9-pin console port and write down the MAC address. Use the switch management serial console with a terminal connected if you cannot read the MAC address.

See “ProCurve Switches Do Not Obtain Their IP Addresses”, which describes how you can identify which switch is the Root Administration Switch or the Super Root Switch (for a multi-region, large-scale system).

You can include the switchmac= keyword on the discover command line to bypass this question during the discovery process.

Administrator password for the ProCurve switch

Enter the common administrator password for the ProCurve switches if it was previously defined; setting this password was an optional task during the hardware preparation phase.

Press Enter if you did not set this password when you prepared the hardware.

You can include the switchpw= keyword and value on the discover command line to bypass this question during the discovery process.

User name and password for the console port devices

Enter the previously defined common user name and password that you set for the console management devices (that is, the MP, iLO and LO-100i devices) when you prepared the hardware. This task was performed on all server models except the HP ProLiant DL140 G2 and DL145 G2 servers.

All console management ports on the system should have been configured with the same user name and password; otherwise, the discovery process will not succeed.

You can include the cpuser= and consolepw= keywords and values on the discover command line to bypass these questions during the discovery process.

Number of nodes plugged into the Root Administration Switch

For Itanium-based systems only, you are asked to supply the number of nodes that are plugged into the Root Administration Switch.

Number of nodes plugged into application cabinets

For Itanium-based systems only, you are asked to supply the number of nodes plugged into application cabinets.

Number of NFS daemons

You are prompted to supply the number of NFS daemons to be run on the head node and on any other NFS server within the system to support the number of NFS clients in the system. A default is provided based on the number of nodes in your system.

Node role assignments and Ethernet connections

A text-based menu is displayed which enables you to change the default node role assignments and to add or remove an external Ethernet connection to any node.

See Chapter 8 for node role definitions and for more information about using the menu.

NTP server configuration

One node in an HP XC system acts as an NTP server for all other nodes. By default, this is the head node. All other nodes are NTP clients of this server, which is known as the internal NTP server. All nodes in the system are synchronized to the head node.

You have the option to specify up to four external time servers or to use the default NTP server on the head node.

QsNet^II network type

For systems with QsNet^II interconnects, you are asked to supply the type of network. The network type reflects the maximum number of ports the fabric topology can support, and it is used to create the qsnet diagnostics database. See Appendix G for information about how to determine the QsNet^II network type.

LVS alias

If you modified the default role assignments and assigned a login role to one or more nodes, you are prompted to enter an LVS alias. This is the name that users will use to log in to the HP XC system.

Nagios configuration

You have the option to enable Web access to the Nagios monitoring application. HP recommends that you enable Web access because it is the only mechanism with which you can view the data collected by Nagios.

You will have to supply a password for the Nagios admin user. This password does not have to match any other password you previously provided.

NIS configuration

If you modified the default role assignments and assigned a nis_server role to configure one or more nodes as a NIS slave server, you are prompted to enter the name of your NIS master server or its IP address as well as your NIS domain name.

SLURM configuration

You are prompted for the following information about your SLURM configuration:

LSF configuration

You are prompted for the following LSF configuration information (default responses are provided for each item):