Making Configuration Decisions for Ignite-UX Servers

Configuring an Ignite-UX server requires you to make some decisions as to how you would like your server to manage clients. This section provides an overview of network booting to help in making some of those decisions.

Network Booting and IP Addresses

When a system boots HP-UX from an Ignite-UX server, it needs an IP address to get the operating system kernel. This first IP address is not necessarily the same IP address the system will be assigned for networking when its kernel is up and running. The mechanisms for distributing the first and second IP addresses are sometimes different.

PA-RISC Systems

When a PA-RISC system boots from an Ignite-UX server, the first IP address request is answered by the instl_bootd daemon. This communication uses ports 1067 and 1068. The file /etc/opt/ignite/instl_boottab is referenced to assign the first IP address to the booting system whether it is registered or anonymous.

After HP-UX is running on a PA-RISC system, it requests a second IP address for networking. This request is answered by bootpd using ports 67 and 68. The /etc/bootptab file is referenced for registered clients; DHCP services are used for anonymous clients.

Itanium-Based Systems

When an Itanium-based system boots from an Ignite-UX server, the first IP address request is answered by the bootpd daemon. This communication uses ports 67 and 68. The file /etc/bootptab is referenced to assign the first IP address to a registered booting system. If the system is not registered, and you are running HP-UX 11i v2 or HP-UX 11i v3 on the Ignite-UX server, DHCP services are used to assign the booting IP address.

When Itanium-based systems request a second IP address for networking, it uses the same daemon, file and ports described above. Configuring DHCP services for booting is separate from configuring DHCP for assigning network IP addresses. See “Considerations For Booting Anonymous Itanium-Based Clients” for information about how to configure DHCP for assigning first and second IP addresses without conflict.

Sorting Through the Options

Questions you will have to answer as an Ignite-UX system administrator are:

Decision trees for reaching booting decisions follow. Do not treat them as strictly yes-or-no exercises. Your environment may require choosing multiple methods from the decision trees, and although you may be able to use an option, you may reject it because it is not the best answer for your environment. Also, keep in mind that these decision trees cover booting, so only the first IP address is affected.

A decision tree for network booting PA-RISC systems is shown in Figure 2-6. A decision tree for network booting Itanium-based systems is shown in Figure 2-7. The decision trees assume the network boot clients are on the same subnet as the Ignite-UX server, and that you will always use the install option to the boot console handler (BCH) boot command. Further, the decision tree for network booting Itanium-based systems assumes there is only one DHCP server on your subnet configured to answer boot requests, and that it is running HP-UX.

If you want to boot a system without using the network and your Ignite-UX server, see the decision tree shown in Figure 7-2 “Decision Tree for Booting Stand Alone Systems From Local Device and Installing HP-UX From the Server ”.

	NOTE: A lot of clients can only be booted using their built-in LAN interfaces. Other LAN interfaces might not be supported for boot. For more information about LAN interface boot support, consult the hardware documentation for the system or the add-in LAN card.

Use the following decision tree when configuring an Ignite-UX server for PA-RISC clients:

Figure 2-6 Decision Tree When Configuring a Server for Booting PA-RISC Systems

Configure instl_boottab for registered clients - To network boot registered PA-RISC clients, the server uses the instl_bootd daemon to answer boot requests, and has clients’ IP addresses and LAN addresses registered in /etc/opt/ignite/instl_boottab. The process of configuring an Ignite-UX server for registered PA-RISC clients is described in “Configuring the Ignite-UX Server for PA-RISC Clients”.

Configure instl_boottab for anonymous clients - Network booting anonymous PA-RISC clients is similar to booting registered PA-RISC clients; the difference is that some IPs in the /etc/opt/ignite/instl_boottab file are not associated with any clients’ MAC addresses, and so may be assigned to clients as requests come in. See “Configuring a Server to Boot Anonymous PA-RISC Clients” for more information.

See the decision tree for booting stand alone systems - This decision tree can be found in Figure 7-2.

Use the decision tree below when configuring an Ignite-UX server for Itanium-based clients.

Figure 2-7 Decision Tree When Configuring a Server for Booting Itanium-Based Systems

Configure individual entries in bootptab — To network boot registered Itanium-based clients, the server uses the bootpd daemon to answer boot requests, and has clients’ IP addresses and LAN addresses registered in /etc/bootptab. One drawback to this option is that you must configure an entry for every system that needs to boot. The advantage of this method is that it works on all versions of HP-UX. See “Configuring the Ignite-UX Server for Itanium-Based Clients” for details.

Configure a DHCP device group for anonymous clients - Configuring an Ignite-UX server to boot anonymous Itanium-based clients requires sophisticated considerations; see “Considerations For Booting Anonymous Itanium-Based Clients”. This option is only available for HP-UX 11i v2 and later.

Consider replacing bootpd with instl_bootd- The instl_bootd daemon can support anonymous Itanium-based clients and provide enough information for them to boot. The instl_bootd daemon can also be configured for registered clients. You might consider running instl_bootd if you have PA-RISC and Itanium-based clients on one subnet, since this would allow you to manage client IP addresses in one place: /etc/opt/ignite/instl_boottab. The drawback to this arrangement is that an Ignite-UX server configured this way cannot provide DHCP services. This method is not recommended for an environment that consists mainly of Itanium-based systems - use DHCP or bootpd in that case. See “Replacing bootpd with instl_bootd” for more information.

See the decision tree for booting stand alone systems - This decision tree can be found in Figure 7-2.