3.1.2 Matrix Server Installation Guide

Appendix A: Install the RHEL4 Operating System and Kernel 43
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4. Modify System Files
You may need to modify the following files on each server:
• /etc/hosts file. Red Hat Linux places both localhost and the server
name on the 127.0.0.1 entry in the /etc/hosts file:
127.0.0.1 localhost servername
Matrix Server requires that the server name appear on a separate line
with its real IP address, as in the following example. Be sure to move
the server name to its own line in the /etc/hosts file on each server. We
recommend that you specify the fully qualified name.
127.0.0.1 localhost
10.1.1.100 servername
• /etc/updatedb.conf file. We recommend that you add psfs to the
PRUNE_FS list contained in this file. Following is an example:
PRUNEFS="sysfs selinuxfs usbdevfs devpts NFS nfs afs sfs
proc smbfs cifs autofs auto iso9660 udf psfs"
• /etc/init.d/halt script. When a server is rebooted, the default /etc/init.d/
halt script may need to probe each disk partition to locate the root
filesystem. If a server has been excluded from the matrix, these probes
can generate SCSI disk errors or hangs when the server is rebooted.
To avoid this problem, you will need to modify the mount command
specified in the script to enable the root filesystem to be remounted
via its device path. Locate the following line in the /etc/init.d/halt script:
mount | awk '{ print $3 }' | while read line; do
On this line, change $3 to $1.
mount | awk '{ print $1 }' | while read line; do
• /etc/modprobe.conf file. Depending on your configuration, you may
need to modify this file:
– If you will be using a third-party MPIO solution or booting from
the SAN and want the HBA driver to be loaded during the initial
booting of the kernel, consult your vendor documentation for any
changes needed to this file.