OS Configuration: Linux
Intended for use with Cassatt Active Response Premium Edition and Data Center Edition V5.1.
This document describes generic steps to install Linux on the image host prior to creating and capturing an image using a Cassatt Active Response blueprint. If you haven't read Understanding Blueprints for Deploying Applications, read that first for background and context. If you want to know how to customize your installation, read Understanding Image Creation and Capture.
Prerequisites
Before starting tasks in this article:
- Make sure you have a supported processor architecture
| Linux version |
Supported processor architectures and configurations |
| Red Hat ELAS 3 |
32-bit mode only |
| Red Hat ELAS 4 |
32-bit mode, and 64-bit mode excluding IA64 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Update 1 * |
32-bit mode, and 64-bit mode excluding IA64 |
* There is a known issue with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, so 5 Update 1 is the first version supported on Cassatt Active Response application nodes.
- Check your application blueprint requirements and understand any steps that must be performed before or after installing the OS.
- Get the appropriate Red Hat Linux installation manual
Step 2: Install the OS
Follow these steps to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Kickstart is not supported for installing the OS on the image host.
- Configure Linux to work with Cassatt Active Response as follows:
| For this setting... |
Configure as follows... |
| Configure using DCHP |
Deselect. Instead, configure an IP address using the IP address you noted in the Controller during the inventory step, or when you reserved the image host from the free pool. Use the same netmask you configured when installing the operating system on the control node. |
| If a firewall is configured... |
Select SSH service. |
| Package defaults |
See the following table for packages required by Cassatt Active Response. |
Linux version |
Required packages |
Note |
| All Red Hat Enterprise Linux |
vconfig |
Required for NVS. |
Red Hat ELAS 3 |
- openssh
- net-snmp
- net-snmp-utils
|
|
Red Hat ELAS 4 and
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Update 1 |
- openssh
- net-snmp
- net-snmp-utils
- tftp
|
If you are installing Red Hat ELAS 4 update 2 on Dell 1850 nodes, either 1) apply the Red Hat patch for panic, or 2) upgrade to Red Hat ELAS 4 update 4.
If you are installing Red Hat ELAS 4 as a guest OS on a virtual machine, review these instructions: http://www.vmware.com/ download/esx/esx2-rhel4-update.html. |
- Verify that required packages are installed. For example:
rpm -q -a | grep ssh
rpm -q -a | grep snm
top
Step 2: Configure the OS
Follow these steps to configure Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
- Add any required device drivers (see table below) or replace any device drivers on the image host. Driver vendors generally provide patches or instructions to edit the /usr/share/hwdata/pcitable file with the required driver information; make sure verify that any drivers you add or replace are properly recorded in the file.
| For this hardware and OS... |
Install these drivers... |
| IBM BladeCenters with Red Hat ELAS 3 |
Broadcom NetXtreme BCM57xx-based Ethernet NIC driver for Linux (i386, IA64, and x86_64), version 8.3.14.
Go to the Broadcom web site archive page and complete the task “Patching PCI Files (Red Hat - Optional),” from the distrib.txt file that accompanies the driver download. Although this step is labeled optional, it is required for Cassatt Active Response in case a switch module is removed and reinserted; the Ethernet driver in the Red Hat distribution does not correctly renegotiate the link. |
| DRAC5 integrated power controller on a Red Hat release prior to Red Hat ELAS 4 update 4 |
Intel Pro 1000 NIC drivers
Download the Intel Pro 1000 NIC drivers for your hardware from the vendor site. |
- Configure the OS using the following table.
| For this OS... |
Required Task |
Steps |
| All Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions |
Configure SNMP so Cassatt Active Response can monitor the nodes |
- Replace the file /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf with a new file containing only the following line:
rocommunity public
Configuring SNMP by this method sets all values to the defaults, which are in accordance with Cassatt’s requirement to provide access to the following MIBs:
- SNMPv2-MIB/RFC1213-MIB (1.3.6.1.2.1)
- UCD-SNMP-MIB (.1.3.6.1.4.1.2021)
- If necessary, make other additions to snmpd.conf to support your site policies.
- Configure the snmpd service so that it will start on reboot, as follows:
chkconfig --level 345 snmpd on
- Check that the SNMP daemon is configured properly by starting the snmpd service on the image host, then verifying the functionality from the active control node.
- On the image host, start the snmpd service:
service snmpd start
- On the control node, use snmpwalk to check that the SNMP daemon is correctly configured on the image host:
snmpwalk -v2c -c public IP_Address .1.3.6.1
In this command, IP_Address is the IP address of the image host.
For more information on the net-snmp utilities, see the NET-SNMP v5.x Tutorial.
|
| Red Hat ELAS 4 |
Disable Security-Enhanced Linux (not supported in Cassatt Active Response) |
- Edit /etc/selinux/config.
- Change the line SELINUX=enforcing to SELINUX=disabled.
- Reboot the Red Hat ELAS 4 server.
|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Update 1 |
If the firewall is enabled, open additional SNMP ports |
- Go to /etc/sysconfig and run system-config-securitylevel to view the setting.
- Add the following TCP/IP ports: 161/udp, 161/tcp, and 162/udp.
|
| Disable Security-Enhanced Linux (not supported in Cassatt Active Response) |
Cassatt Active Response disables SELinux for you; nothing needs to be done. |
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