IBM Books

Software Planning and Installation Guide


Understanding CSM installation

A CSM cluster consists of one node that acts as the management server, as well as other cluster nodes that are clients of the management server. All of these nodes must have both the operating system and the CSM software installed on them. For the management server, you will always install CSM only. For the nodes, you have a choice. You can either install CSM alone, or with the Linux operating system. For a CSM-only installation, it is assumed that the Red Hat Linux operating system has already been installed on the nodes. A full installation involves installing Red Hat Linux, using Red Hat Kickstart, along with CSM on both the nodes and the management server.

Estimating the time needed for node installation

The estimated length of time for installing CSM only on a node is a minimum of 2 minutes. The estimated length of time for doing a full install (installing both CSM and Linux on a node) is a minimum of 15 minutes. However, depending on the network traffic on your system, the number of packages you are installing, and the number of nodes you are installing simultaneously, the length of time it takes to install your system can vary greatly.

Overview of management server installation

The process of installing the management server involves basic tasks like establishing name service on the management server, and installing the CSM commands accessible on the management server. You will also need to install CSM on the management server, which you will do via the installms command. The installms command establishes the necessary CSM directories and files, and installs CSM, as well as the Open Source and Red Hat software that is required.

Management server installation also involves configuring the remote shell, for issuing commands from the management server to the nodes. Although rsh is the default remote shell, CSM also supports secure remote command. The DSH_REMOTE_CMD environment variable is provided by CSM to allow you to select which remote shell you wish to use.

Overview of CSM-only installation

A CSM-only installation refers to installing CSM on the nodes of your cluster alone (without the operating system). Among other tasks, a CSM-only installation involves defining the nodes of the cluster and then installing CSM on each node. You will use the definenode command to define your nodes, but before you can do this, you need to record the hardware and software attributes of each node on a set of node attribute templates. You will then refer to these templates when you actually define the nodes. Depending on the complexity of your system, you can put the information from the node attribute templates into a file (called a nodedef file), which you can supply to the definenode command. If your system is not so complex, you can simply enter the attributes on the command line with the definenode command.

Finally, to install CSM on the nodes of the cluster, you will use the updatenode command.

Overview of full installation

A full installation of CSM involves installing both CSM and the operating system on the nodes of the cluster. You will use the definenode command to define your nodes, but before you can do this, you need to record the hardware and software attributes of each node on a set of node attribute templates. You will then refer to these templates when you actually define the nodes. Depending on the complexity of your system, you can put the information from the node attribute templates into a file (called a nodedef file), which you can supply to the definenode command. If your system is not so complex, you can simply enter the attributes on the command line with the definenode command.

Next, you will need to create a Linux Kickstart configuration file to specify node configuration data. A Kickstart node configuration template is provided, which you can modify, if you wish. After you have prepared your Kickstart configuration template, you will use the csmsetupks command, in conjunction with the Kickstart configuration file, to generate a configuration file for each of the nodes in the cluster.

The last portion of the full install process involves installing the software on the nodes. You will use the installnode command to install both CSM and the operating system on the nodes.

Proceeding with the installation

The CSM installation instructions are contained in three separate chapters; one for installing the management server, another for installing CSM only on the nodes, and yet another for installing both CSM and the operating system on the nodes. There is also a chapter that contains information for migrating from one level of CSM to another. If you are migrating your system, you should start with that chapter.

You should read the procedures in these chapters carefully, and be familiar with them, before beginning the installation. It is also a good idea to have all the books in the CSM library close at hand, because the instructions ask you to refer to them from time to time. You also may want to know more about the commands used during installation, so the CSM for Linux: Administration Guide is essential. See Related information for a list of the other books in the CSM library.

Depending on the type of installation you want to perform, go to one of the following sections:


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