Introduction to Sun HPC ClusterTools 8 Software

C H A P T E R 1

This chapter provides an overview of the software installation utilities. It contains the following topics:

Overview

Summary of Tasks Performed by Sun HPC ClusterTools Software Utilities

Recommendations for Installing Sun HPC ClusterTools 8 Software on Large Cluster Installations

Overview

This manual explains how to use the Sun HPC ClusterTools software installation utilities to install, activate, deactivate, and remove Sun HPC ClusterTools software on one or more cluster nodes. See TABLE 1-1 for a summary of the Solaris OS interfaces.

TABLE 1-1 Sun HPC ClusterTools Software Installation Utilities
Utility	Description
ctinstall	Installs software on cluster nodes.
ctremove	Removes software from cluster nodes.
ctnfssvr	Sets up Sun HPC ClusterTools software on an NFS server.
ctact	Sets up symbolic links to the installation location.
ctdeact	Removes the symbolic links.

The tools install a complete copy of the Sun HPC ClusterTools software, locally on each node in the cluster.

For Linux-based installations, RPM packages are provided. Chapter 6 contains the information about how to install and configure RPM packages for Red Hat and SuSe Linux.

Non-NFS and NFS Configurations

You can install Sun HPC ClusterTools software locally on the cluster nodes, or in an NFS client/server configuration.

Non-NFS Configuration

In a non-NFS cluster configuration, the tools install a complete copy of the Sun HPC ClusterTools software locally on each node in the cluster. Chapter 3 explains how to install the software on the local nodes.

NFS Configuration

In an NFS-based cluster, the tools install the packages on the NFS server using the CLI ctnfssvr command. The tools also mount the exported directory and create version-specific links. Chapter 4 explains how to set up the software in an NFS configuration.

The NFS server can, but need not be, one of the NFS client nodes in the cluster. When a Sun HPC ClusterTools software NFS server is also a cluster node, the packages are installed on the NFS server with ctnfssvr.

Centralized and Local Command Initiation

You can choose between two methods of initiating operations on the cluster nodes:

Local - Initiate commands directly on the node you are logged in to. The effects of the command are restricted to the local node.

Centralized - Initiate commands from a central host, specifying the nodes on which the command is to take effect. The initiating host establishes remote connections to the target nodes and broadcasts the commands to them over an rsh, ssh, or telnet connection. The central (initiating) host can be part of the cluster or it can be an administrative system external to the cluster.

Note - Centralized operations are performed on the specified nodes in parallel. That is, when a command is specified on the central host, the operation is initiated on all the specified nodes at the same time.

Support for centralized command initiation is built into the Sun HPC ClusterTools software installation utilities. Issuing these commands from a central host has the equivalent effect as invoking the commands locally using one of the Cluster Console tools, cconsole, ctelnet, or crlogin.

The Sun HPC ClusterTools software CLI utilities provide several options that are specific to the centralized command initiation mode and are intended to simplify management of parallel installation of the software from a central host. These options support:

Creating corresponding versions of local log files on the central host for easier access

Generating a list of nodes that had successful operations and another list of nodes that were unsuccessful. These pass/fail node lists can then be used in subsequent operations, such as software activation, deactivation, and removal.

The initiating system can be one of the cluster nodes or it can be external to the cluster. It must be a Sun system running the Solaris 9 or Solaris 10 Operating System (Solaris OS). Compute nodes must run the Solaris 10 OS.

Support for Other Installation Contexts

The Sun HPC ClusterTools software installation utilities are completely self-contained and are fully capable of scaling from single node installations to installing very large clusters. However, if you customarily use Custom JumpStart trademark and/or Solaris Web Start Flash methods for installing software on your servers, you can easily integrate the CLI installation tool ctinstall into those contexts.

The following variations on a basic Sun HPC ClusterTools software installation are described briefly below. More detailed descriptions are provided later in the manual.

Custom JumpStart installation

Custom JumpStart installation, using Web Start Flash archives

Custom JumpStart Installation

For this context, you must set up a Custom JumpStart environment in advance of the installation. Next, you invoke local installation of Sun HPC ClusterTools software on the cluster nodes by integrating the ctinstall command in the Custom JumpStart finish script, using the -l and -R switches.

Custom JumpStart installations are initiated from the console of each Custom JumpStart client. The cconsole tool that is included in the Cluster Console software allows you to access multiple consoles through a single common window.

Web Start Flash Installation

The first step for this type of installation is to perform a local installation of the Sun HPC ClusterTools software on a node that will serve as the flash master. You can use ctinstall -l for this step. Once the flash master is fully installed and activated, you create a flash archive and apply it to the target nodes, usually in a Custom JumpStart environment.

This flash archive-based approach creates clones of the flash master, which includes reinstalling the Solaris operating environment on each clone.

Note - Web Start Flash installations are restricted to cluster environments where all the systems have identical hardware and software configurations.

Sun HPC ClusterTools 8 Installation Log Files

The Sun HPC ClusterTools 8 installation tools log information about installation-related tasks locally on the nodes where installation tasks are performed. The default location for the log files is /var/sadm/system/logs/hpc. If installation tasks are initiated from a central host, a summary log file is also created on the central host.

Local, Node-Specific Log Files

Two types of log files are created locally on each cluster node where installation operations take place.

Task-specific logs - Separate log files are created for each installation-related task. They are:

ct_install.log

ct_remove.log

ct_act.log

ct_deact.log

ct_startd.log

ct_stopd.log

These log files contain detailed logging information for the most recent associated task. Each time a task is repeated, its log file is overwritten.

History log - A ct_history.log file is created to store all installation-related tasks performed on the local node. This provides a convenient record of the Sun HPC ClusterTools 8 software installation history on the local node. Each time a new installation task is performed on the node, a new log entry is appended to the history log.

These node specific installation log files are created regardless of the installation method used, local or centralized.

Central Node Summary Log

When installation tasks are initiated from a central host, a summary log file named ct_summary.log is created on the central host. This log file records the final summary report that is generated by the CLI. The ct_summary.log is not overwritten when a new task is performed. As with the ct_history.log file, new entries are appended to the summary log file.

Summary of Tasks Performed by Sun HPC ClusterTools Software Utilities

FIGURE 1-1 shows an overview of the installation-related tasks you can perform.

Note - The CLI tools require superuser privileges to execute.

FIGURE 1-1 Sun HPC ClusterTools Software Installation Tasks

Figure depicting a flow diagram of installation activities

Select an Activity

The various installation-related operations are independent of each other. With the CLI, you simply start the applicable utility: ctinstall, ctact, ctdeact, or ctremove. The operations these tools control are described below.

Install the Software

The installation activity loads the Sun HPC ClusterTools software onto cluster nodes.

With the CLI command ctinstall, you can install individual Sun HPC ClusterTools 8 software packages as well as install the entire software suite.

A complete copy of the Sun HPC ClusterTools software is installed locally on each node in the cluster.

The next sections describe the installation and activation choices you can make when you install Sun HPC ClusterTools software.

NFS Installation

In an NFS installation, all Sun HPC ClusterTools software packages are installed on a Sun NFS server and remotely mounted on the NFS client nodes in the cluster. The NFS server can be one of the NFS client nodes in the cluster, but need not be.

Non-NFS Installation

In non-NFS configurations, a complete copy of the Sun HPC ClusterTools software is installed locally on each node in the cluster.

Install With Automatic Activation

When you initiate a software installation operation, you can specify to have the nodes activated automatically as soon as the installation process completes. The activation process sets up symbolic links on the nodes.

Install Without Activating

As stated above, Sun HPC ClusterTools 8 software does not need to be activated after installation. If it is not activated, then you can run all commands from the /opt/SUNWhpc/HPC8.0/bin directory.

Activate the Sun HPC ClusterTools Software

Sun HPC ClusterTools 8 software does not need to be activated; once it is installed, it is ready for use. The node activation step sets up symbolic links that point to the Sun HPC ClusterTools software. If you plan to run the software from its installed location (by default, /opt/SUNWhpc/HPC8.0/bin), you do not need to activate the ClusterTools software.

Deactivate the Sun HPC ClusterTools Software

Node deactivation removes the symbolic links that point to the Sun HPC ClusterTools software. Note that you can still run the software from /opt/SUNWhpc/HPC8.0/bin (or the directory in which you installed it) after the software has been deactivated.

Remove the Sun HPC ClusterTools Software

This operation deletes Sun HPC ClusterTools software packages from the cluster nodes on which it is executed. If a node is active at the time you initiate the removal operation, it will be deactivated automatically before the software is removed.

With the CLI command ctremove, you can remove individual Sun HPC ClusterTools software packages as well as remove the entire software suite.

Recommendations for Installing Sun HPC ClusterTools 8 Software on Large Cluster Installations

The following are tips for installing Sun HPC ClusterTools 8 software on clusters containing hundreds of nodes using the centralized method:

Minimize other system activity during installation - Invoking installation of Sun HPC ClusterTools 8 software on hundreds of nodes from a central host imposes high demands on system resources. Avoid system resource exhaustion by keeping the cluster nodes as quiescent as possible during the installation.

Use a node list file - For various centralized installation tasks, you specify the nodes on which the task is to be invoked. You have the choice of specifying the nodes either on the command line, using the -n option or by referencing a node list file using the -N option. If you reference a node list file, you only enter the node names once when you create the file.

Reduce system resource consumption on the central host - You can avoid overtaxing system resources on a single central host by using more than one central host. Simply divide the total list of nodes to be installed on into separate node lists, and initiate the installation commands on the various central hosts, with each host using a different node list.

Use the -g option with CLI-initiated tasks - Use the -g option with CLI commands to obtain a list of nodes that successfully executed the command and a separate list of nodes that failed. You can then reference the list of failed nodes with the -N option in a later retry of the command.

Use the -k option with CLI-initiated tasks - Use the -k option with CLI commands to have all logs saved on the central node where the command was initiated. This option makes it unnecessary to go to each node to examine local logs.

Note - When using the telnet connection method, all nodes specified in a given centralized invocation must share the same password. If you have more than one password for the nodes in the cluster, separate the nodes into installation groups in which all nodes share the same password, and perform separate command invocations for each node group.