Chapter 8 Target Hosts for OS Provisioning

When you provision the operating system, you have to know something about the hardware that you are provisioning. To simplify this process, the OS provisioning plug-in provides a set of target host definitions. The OS provisioning plug-in uses this information to remotely manage the target servers and perform functions such as power off, power on, getting console capability, and setting boot mode of the target.

This chapter explains the types of target hosts that you can easily provision and provides several detailed examples. The chapter contains the following information:

• Target Host Types

• Example Tasks for Defining Target Hosts

• Password Encryption

Target Host Types

Different mechanisms are used to remotely manage different hardware types. As a result, you need to know some specific information before you can effectively configure the operating system for that kind of hardware. The OS provisioning plug-in provides the following hardware groups for you to use for your OS provisioning targets:

• Sun Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) Targets

• Sun Advanced Light Out Management (ALOM) Targets

• Sun Light Out Management (LOM) Targets

• Sun Mid Range Domain Controller Targets

• Hewlett-Packard Integrated Light Out Management (ILO) Targets

• Other IPMI Targets

• Other Remotely Managed Targets (not belonging to any of the above categories, such as B100s and B100x)

• Generic target hosts with no remote management support

Each target host type has a specific set of variables that apply to that host type. For detailed information about the variables that apply to each target host type, see Appendix A, Target Host Variables.

Target Host Types by Platform

The following table lists some of the platforms and targets that the OS provisioning plug-in supports. For each hardware platform, the table shows the following information:

• The firmware or service processor versions that have been tested

• The configuration that needs to be performed on these platforms

• The information that needs to be gathered for the OS provisioning variables

• The target host type that applies

Example Tasks for Defining Target Hosts

The general process that you follow to define a target host is similar for all target host types. However, the details differ for each type. This section contains sample tasks for some, but not all, target host types.

Defining a Sun ALOM Target Host

Before you can install the image onto a system, often referred to as provisioning, you must inform the OS provisioning server about that system.

How to Create a Sun ALOM Target Host (Browser Interface)

Steps

1. In the Common Tasks section of the N1 SPS browser interface, select OS Provisioning.

2. On the OS Provisioning Common Tasks page, click Create in the Sun ALOM section of the Target Hosts section.

3. On the Plans Details page, click Run.

4. Choose variables to use for this plan.

   • To use an existing variables set, select a name from the drop-down menu in the SunALOM component row of the Plan Parameters table.

   • To create a new variables set, click Select from List in the SunALOM component row of the Plan Parameters table.

     1. Click Create Set.

     2. Type a name for the variables set.

     3. Verify variable values and change them, if needed.

        If you need more information that is provided by the prompts in the component variables table, see the detailed list of variables, along with default values and examples, in Sun ALOM Target Host Variables.

     4. Decide whether to enter passwords in the variables set or in the plan prompts.

        There are two methods for entering the passwords:

        • Type appropriate values in the following variables:

          • alom_access_userid
          • alom_access_password
          • terminal_server_userid
          • terminal_server_password

          For information about encrypting the passwords, see Password Encryption.

        • Leave the component variables blank and enter the password in the plan prompts provided in the Plan Details Run page.

     5. Save the variables set.

     6. Select the variables set that you just saved from the drop-down menu in the SunALOM component row of the Plan Parameters table.

5. From the Plan Details Run page, select the provisioning server on which to define the target host.

   ---

   Tip –

   The host name of the OS provisioning server ends in -osp.

   ---

6. To encrypt the passwords from the plan, follow these steps on the Plan Details Run page.

   1. Click the checkbox next to “If you are specifying the ALOM password below.”

   2. Type the password in the Password to Access ALOM field.

      The password encrypts as you type.

   3. Click the checkbox next to “If you are specifying the terminal server password below.”

   4. Type the terminal server password in the Terminal Server Password field.

      The password encrypts as you type.

7. Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

8. To verify that the target host is created successfully, click the Hosts link in the left side of the N1 SPS browser interface.

   You should see the name of the virtual host appended with -target. For example, if you defined a provisioning target for host test240, the virtual host is test240-target.

How to Create a Sun ALOM Target Host (Command-Line Interface)

Steps

1. To create a variable set for the SunALOM component, type a command similar to the following example:

   # cr_cli -cmd cdb.vs.add -comp NM:/com/sun/n1osp/targets/SunALOM \ -name "testv240" -u admin -p admin -vars "installPath=testv240; \ description=To test v240;ethernet_mac_address=0:3:ba:53:5b:5d; \ ethernet_ip_address=10.42.42.100;ethernet_netmask=255.255.255.0;architecture=sun4u; \ kernel_arch=sun4u;disk_size=20GB;alom_ip_address=10.5.133.150;alom_access_userid=admin; \ alom_access_password="

   For more information about the variables, see Sun ALOM Target Host Variables.

2. To set up the appropriate password access, create a file that contains the following entries:

   true
   root       
   false
   root

   Where:

   • The first line in the file corresponds to checking the “If you are specifying the ALOM password below” box in the plan variables section of the browser interface.

   • The second line in the file is the password to access ALOM.

   • The third line in the file corresponds to checking the “If you are specifying the terminal password below” box in the plan variables section of the browser interface.

   • The fourth line in the file is the password to access the terminal.

   Make sure to name the file something useful so that you can remember it for the next step. For example, you might name the file /tmp/testv240-target.

3. To run the plan and create the target, type a command similar to the following example:

   # cat /tmp/ALOM-target | cr_cli -cmd pe.p.run -u admin -p admin \ -PID NM:/com/sun/n1osp/targets/SunALOM-create -tar H:NM:masterserver-osp \ -comp + -vs testv240 -pto 30 -nto 10 -f /tmp/testv240-target

Defining a Sun IPMI Target Host

The Sun IPMI target host type is used for systems such as a Sun Fire^TM V20z or V60z system.

How to Create a Sun IPMI Target Host (Browser Interface)

For this task, the target host is a Sun Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) system. Specifically, the example defines a V20z target host.

Steps

1. In the Common Tasks section of the N1 SPS browser interface, select OS Provisioning.

2. On the OS Provisioning Common Tasks page, click Create in the Sun IPMI Targets sub-section of the Target Hosts section.

3. On the Plans Details page, click Run.

4. Choose variables to use for this plan.

   • To use an existing variables set, select a name from the drop-down menu in the SunIPMI component row of the Plan Parameters table.

   • To create a new variables set, click Select from List in the SunIPMI component row of the Plan Parameters table.

     1. Click Create Set.

     2. Type a name for the variables set.

     3. Verify variables and change them, if needed.

        The prompts in the component variables table are mostly self-explanatory. However, if you need more information, see the detailed list of variables, along with default values and examples in Sun IPMI Target Host Variables.

     4. Decide whether to enter passwords in the variables set or in the plan prompts.

        There are two methods for entering the passwords:

        • Type appropriate values in the following variables:

          • ipmi_access_userid
          • ipmi_access_password
          • ssh_access_userid
          • ssh_access_password

          For information about encrypting the passwords, see Password Encryption.

        • Leave the component variables blank and enter the password in the plan prompts provided in the plan run page.

     5. Save the variables set.

     6. Select the variables set that you just saved from the drop-down menu in the SunIPMI component row of the Plan Parameters table.

5. From the Plan Details Run page, select the provisioning server on which to define the target host.

   ---

   Tip –

   The host name of the OS provisioning server ends in -osp.

   ---

6. To encrypt the password from the plan, follow these steps on the Plan Details Run page.

   1. Click the checkbox next to “If you are specifying the IPMI password below.”

   2. Type the password in the Password to Access IPMI field.

      The password encrypts as you type.

   3. Click the checkbox next to “If you are specifying the SSH password below.”

   4. Type the password in the SSH Password to Access the Remote Management Interface field.

      The password encrypts as you type.

7. Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

8. To verify that the target host is created successfully, click the Hosts link in the left side of the N1 SPS browser interface.

   You should see the name of the virtual host appended with -target. For example, if you defined a provisioning target for host sunfire-v60x, the virtual host is sunfire-v20z-target.

How to Create a Sun IPMI Target Host (Command-Line Interface)

Steps

1. To create a variable set for the SunIPMI component, type a command similar to the following example:

   # cr_cli -cmd cdb.vs.add -comp NM:/com/sun/n1osp/targets/SunIPMI -name "v20z" \ -u admin -p admin -vars "installPath=v20zhost;description=test v20z host; \ ethernet_mac_address=00:09:3d:10:94:a6;ethernet_ip_address=10.42.42.110; \ ethernet_netmask=255.255.255.0;architecture=x86;kernel_arch=i86pc; \ guid={3AE45192-159D-11D8-AEF3-001083FDFE90};disk_size=20GB;ipmi_ip_address=10.5.133.134; \ ipmi_access_userid;ipmi_access_password=;ssh_access_userid=admin;ssh_access_password="

   For more information about the variables, see Sun IPMI Target Host Variables.

2. To set up the appropriate password access, create a file that contains the following entries:

   true
   admin
   true
   admin

   Where:

   • The first line in the file corresponds to checking the “If you are specifying the IPMI password below” box in plan variables section of the browser interface.

   • The second line in the file is the password to access IPMI.

   • The third line in the file corresponds to checking the “If you are specifying the SSH password below” box in plan variables section of the browser interface.

   • The fourth line in the file is the SSH password to access the remote management interface.

   Make sure to name the file something useful so that you can remember it for the next step. For example, you might name the file /tmp/testv20z-target.

3. To run the plan and create the V20z target, type a command similar to the following example:

   # cat /tmp/testv20z-target | cr_cli -cmd pe.p.run -u admin -p admin \ -PID NM:/com/sun/n1osp/targets/SunIPMI-create -tar H:NM:masterserver-osp \ -comp + -vs v20z -pto 30 -nto 10 -f /tmp/test-v20z

Defining an HP ILO Target Host

The following tasks show how to define an HP ILO host, for example an HP ProLiant series system.

How to Create an HP ILO Target Host (Browser Interface)

Steps

1. In the Common Tasks section of the N1 SPS browser interface, select OS Provisioning.

2. On the OS Provisioning Common Tasks page, click Create in the HP ILO Targets sub-section of the Target Hosts section.

3. On the Plans Details page, click Run.

4. Choose variables to use for this plan.

   • To use an existing variables set, select a name from the drop-down menu in the HPILO component row of the Plan Parameters table.

   • To create a new variables set, click Select from List in the HPILO component row of the Plan Parameters table.

     1. Click Create Set.

     2. Type a name for the variables set.

     3. Verify variables and change them, if needed.

        The prompts in the component variables table are mostly self-explanatory. However, if you need more information, see the detailed list of variables, along with default values and examples in HP ILO Target Host Variables.

     4. Decide whether to provide passwords in the variables set or in the plan prompts.

        There are two methods for providing the passwords:

        • Type appropriate encrypted values in the following variables:

          • ilo_access_userid
          • ilo_access_password

          For information about encrypting the passwords, see Password Encryption.

        • Leave the component variables blank and enter the password in the plan prompts provided in the plan run page.

     5. Save the variables set.

     6. Select the variables set that you just saved from the drop-down menu in the HPILO component row of the Plan Parameters table.

5. On the Plan Details Run page, select the provisioning server on which to define the target host.

   ---

   Tip –

   The host name of the OS provisioning server ends in -osp.

   ---

6. To encrypt the password from the plan, follow these steps on the Plan Details Run page.

   1. Click the checkbox next to “If you are specifying the ILO password below.”

   2. Type the password in the Password to Access ILO field.

      The password encrypts as you type.

7. Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

8. To verify that the target host is created successfully, click the Hosts link in the left side of the N1 SPS browser interface.

   You should see the name of the virtual host appended with -target. For example, if you defined a provisioning target for host hp-proliant-1, the virtual host is hp-proliant-1-target.

How to Create an HP ILO Target Host (Command-Line Interface)

Steps

1. To create a variable set for the HPILO component, type a command similar to the following example:

   # cr_cli -cmd cdb.vs.add -comp NM:/com/sun/n1osp/targets/HPILO -name "hpProliant" \ -u admin -p admin -vars "installPath=HP-Proliant;description=Test description; \ ethernet_mac_address=00:0E:7F:FD:85:26;ethernet_ip_address=10.42.42.20; \ ethernet_netmask=255.255.255.0;architecture=x86;kernel_arch=i86pc; \ guid={4D303435-4C47-5037-3239-202020202020};disk_size=20GB;ilo_ip_address=10.5.133.166; \ ilo_version=1.6.4;ilo_access_userid=admin;ilo_access_password="

   For more information about the variables, see HP ILO Target Host Variables.

2. To set up the appropriate password access, create a file that contains the following entries:

   true
   admin123

   Where:

   • The first line in the file corresponds to checking the “If you are specifying the ILO password below” box in plan variables section of the browser interface.

   • The second line in the file is the password to access ILO.

   Make sure to name the file something useful so that you can remember it for the next step. For example, you might name the file /tmp/hp-proliant.

3. To run the plan and create the target host, type a command similar to the following example:

   # cat /tmp/hp-proliant | cr_cli -cmd pe.p.run -u admin -p admin \ -PID NM:/com/sun/n1osp/targets/HPILO-create -tar H:NM:masterserver-osp -comp + \ -vs hpProliant -pto 30 -nto 10 -f /tmp/hp-proliant

Defining an Other Remotely-Managed Target Host

Use the remotely-managed target host type to identify target hosts that do not match any of the predefined types but that have other forms of remote management, such as SunFire B100s and B100x blades. The option provides the greatest flexibility of providing information regarding a target but also requires several variables to be filled.

There are two sets of remote management information gathered for this type of target. The first set of remote management information ends with _1 suffix, and the second set ends with the _2 suffix. Each remote network management information set requires information about the type of network management and the associated JAR file that handles the remote network management. The JAR files are located at /opt/SUNWn1osp/drivers on the OS provisioning server. Each remote network management interface can have a terminal server connection, in which case the information about the terminal server also has to be entered. Depending on the type of network management, the network management might support power management, boot mode, and console support. See the example below for more information.

How to Create an Other Remotely-Managed Target Host (Browser Interface)

Steps

1. In the Common Tasks section of the N1 SPS browser interface, select OS Provisioning.

2. On the OS Provisioning Common Tasks page, click Create in the Other Remotely-Managed Targets sub-section of the Target Hosts section.

3. On the Plans Details page, click Run.

4. Choose variables to use for this plan.

   • To use an existing variables set, select a name from the drop-down menu in the Other component row of the Plan Parameters table.

   • To create a new variables set, click Select from List in the Other component row of the Plan Parameters table.

     1. Click Create Set.

     2. Type a name for the variables set.

     3. Verify variables and change them, if needed.

        The prompts in the component variables table are mostly self-explanatory. However, if you need more information, see the detailed list of variables, along with default values and examples in Other Remotely-Managed Target Host Variables.

     4. Decide whether to provide passwords in the variables set or in the plan prompts.

        There are two methods for providing the passwords:

        • Type appropriate encrypted values in the following variables:

          • netmgmt_password_1
          • terminal_server_access_password_1
          • netmgmt_password_2
          • terminal_server_access_password_2

          For information about encrypting the passwords, see Password Encryption.

        • Leave the component variables blank and enter the password in the plan prompts provided in the plan run page.

     5. Save the variables set.

     6. Select the variables set that you just saved from the drop-down menu in the Other component row of the Plan Parameters table.

5. From the Plan Details Run page, select the provisioning server on which to define the target host.

   ---

   Tip –

   The host name of the OS provisioning server ends in -osp.

   ---

6. To encrypt the password from the plan, follow these steps on the Plan Details Run page.

   1. Click the checkbox next to the first “If you are specifying the password below.”

   2. Type the password to access the first network management interface in the Password to Access Management Interface 1 field.

      The password encrypts as you type.

   3. Click the checkbox next to the first “If you are specifying the terminal server password below.”

   4. Type the password to access the first terminal server in the Password to Access Terminal Server Password 1 field.

      The password encrypts as you type.

   5. Click the checkbox next to the second “If you are specifying the password below.”

   6. Type the password to access the second network management interface in the Password to Access Management Interface 2 field.

      The password encrypts as you type.

   7. Click the checkbox next to the second “If you are specifying the terminal server password below.”

   8. Type the password to access the second terminal server in the Password to Access Terminal Server Password 2 field.

      The password encrypts as you type.

7. Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

8. To verify that the target host is created successfully, click the Hosts link in the left side of the N1 SPS browser interface.

   You should see the name of the virtual host appended with -target. For example, if you defined a provisioning target for host sunfire-v60x, the virtual host is sunfire-v60x-target.

How to Create an Other Remotely-Managed Target Host (Command-Line Interface)

The following CLI example creates a target host for a SunFire B100s system.

Steps

1. To create a variable set for the Other component, type a command similar to the following example:

   # cr_cli -cmd cdb.vs.add -comp NM:/com/sun/n1osp/targets/Other -name "b100s10" \ -u admin -p admin -vars "installPath=Blade-S10;description=S10 b100s blade target; \ ethernet_mac_address=00:03:ba:29:e4:ea;ethernet_ip_address=10.216.0.11; \ ethernet_netmask=255.255.255.192;architecture=sun4u;kernel_arch=sun4u;disk_size=30GB; \ netmgmt_type_1=b1600sc;netmgmt_version_1=1.0; \ netmgmt_hal_jar_1="file:///opt/SUNWn1osp/drivers/sun/b1600sc.jar"; \ netmgmt_ip_address_1=10.216.0.60;netmgmt_protocol_1=telnet;netmgmt_port_1=s10; \ power_service_true_false_1=true;boot_service_true_false_1=true; \ console_service_true_false_1=true;netmgmt_userid_1=admin;netmgmt_password_1=Clz6pK2b6qw="

   For more information about the variables, see Other Remotely-Managed Target Host Variables.

2. To set up the appropriate password access, create a file that contains the following entries:

   false
   admin
   false
   admin
   false
   admin
   false
   admin

   Where:

   • The first line in the file corresponds to the first “If you are specifying the password below” box in the plan variables section of the browser interface.

   • The second line in the file is the password to the first management interface.

   • The third line in the file corresponds to the first “If you are specifying the terminal server password below” box in the plan variables section of the browser interface.

   • The fourth line in the file is the password to the first terminal server..

   • The fifth line in the file corresponds to the second “If you are specifying the password below” box in the plan variables section of the browser interface.

   • The sixth line in the file is the password to the second management interface.

   • The seventh line in the file corresponds to the second “If you are specifying the terminal server password below” box in the plan variables section of the browser interface.

   • The eighth line in the file is the password to the second terminal server..

   Make sure to name the file something useful so that you can remember it for the next step. For example, you might name the file /tmp/b100s.

3. To run the plan and create the target host, type a command similar to the following example:

   # cat /tmp/b100s | cr_cli -cmd pe.p.run -u admin -p admin \ -PID NM:/com/sun/n1osp/targets/Other-create -tar H:NM:masterserver-osp -comp + \ -vs b100s10 -pto 30 -nto 10 -f /tmp/b100s

Defining a Generic Target Host

You can manually power off and power on targets that do not have any remote management interfaces, such as workstations or desktop systems. To identify these targets for OS provisioning, use the Generic Target Host option.

How to Create a Generic Target Host (Browser Interface)

Steps

1. In the Common Tasks section of the N1 SPS browser interface, select OS Provisioning.

2. On the OS Provisioning Common Tasks page, click Create in the Generic Targets sub-section of the Target Hosts section.

3. On the Plans Details page, click Run.

4. Choose variables to use for this plan.

   • To use an existing variables set, select a name from the drop-down menu in the Target component row of the Plan Parameters table.

   • To create a new variables set, click Select from List in the Target component row of the Plan Parameters table.

     1. Click Create Set.

     2. Type a name for the variables set.

     3. Determine whether to call the OSP Control Service.

        For a generic target host, pay special attention to the osp_control_service variable. If you set this variable to TRUE and the system has a manual HAL, the N1 SPS software stops and waits for you to perform the appropriate function. If you monitor the status of the installation through the status feature, the OS provisioning control service lets you know when to power off, reboot, and power on the target host.

        If the target host is on a private network and has no access to DHCP services, set this variable to FALSE.

     4. Verify other variables and change them, if needed.

        The other prompts in the component variables table are mostly self-explanatory. However, if you need more information, see the detailed list of variables, along with default values and examples in Generic Target Host Variables.

     5. Save the variables set.

     6. Select the variables set that you just saved from the drop-down menu in the Target component row of the Plan Parameters table.

5. On the Plan Details Run page, select the provisioning server on which to define the target host.

   ---

   Tip –

   The host name of the OS provisioning server ends in -osp.

   ---

6. Click Run Plan (includes preflight).

7. To verify that the target host is created successfully, click the Hosts link in the left side of the N1 SPS browser interface.

   You should see the name of the virtual host appended with -target. For example, if you defined a provisioning target for host sunfire-v60x, the virtual host is sunfire-v60x-target.

How to Create a Generic Target Host (Command-Line Interface)

Steps

1. To create a variable set for the Target component, type a command similar to the following example:

   # cr_cli -cmd cdb.vs.add -comp NM:/com/sun/n1osp/targets/Target -name "mysystem" \ -u admin -p admin -vars "installPath=Generic;target_host=:[installPath]-target; \ description=Test description;ethernet_mac_address=00:0E:7F:FD:85:26; \ ethernet_ip_address=10.42.42.20;ethernet_netmask=255.255.255.0;architecture=x86; \ kernel_arch=i86pc;disk_size=20GB"

   For more information about the variables, see Generic Target Host Variables.

2. To run the plan and create the target host, type a command similar to the following example:

   # cr_cli -cmd pe.p.run -u admin -p admin -PID \ NM:/com/sun/n1osp/targets/Target-create -tar H:NM:masterserver-osp -comp + \ -vs mysystem -pto 30 -nto 10

Password Encryption

To provide a password for root access on a Solaris or Linux system, you need to use the operating system tools, rather than the OS provisioning tools, to encrypt the password.

Encrypting Passwords for OS Provisioning Variables

There are 3 ways to encrypt the password for OS provisioning variables:

• On the OS provisioning server, run the following command: /opt/n1osp/sbin/n1osp_encrypter clear-text. The encrypted version of the clear-text displays on the screen.

• Using the N1 SPS browser interface, navigate to the plan /com/sun/n1osp/untyped/EncryptPassword. In that plan, type the password. To see the encrypted value, navigate through the progress details links and view the stdout.

• Type the following commands on the N1 SPS server:

  # cr_cli -cmd pe.p.run -u admin -p admin -PID NM:/com/sun/n1osp/untyped/EncryptPassword \ -tar H:NM:masterserver-osp -pto 30 -nto 10 # cr_cli -cmd pe.p.lo -u admin -p admin -ID id-from-the-EncryptPassword-command # cr_cli -cmd pe.p.en -u admin -p admin -ID last-id-from-the-pe.p.lo-command

Encrypting Passwords for OS Root Access

If you need to provide a password for root access on a Solaris or Linux system, you need to use the operating system tools, rather than the OS provisioning tools, to encrypt the password.

Tools differ by operating system and by specific version of the operating system. On a Solaris 9 system, for example, most users would simply copy the root password from the /etc/shadow file. Consult your operating system documentation for more information.