HP XC System Software Administration Guide Version 3.0

1. HP XC Administration Environment
This chapter introduces the HP XC Administration Environment and discusses key components. This chapter
addresses the following topics:
• Determining the Installation Type (page 23)
• Understanding Nodes, Roles, and Services (page 23)
• Administrator Passwords (page 25)
• Secure Shell (ssh) (page 25)
• Understanding the HP XC Command Environment (page 25)
• Understanding the Configuration and Management Database (page 29)
• Networking (page 29)
• Local Storage (page 31)
• Understanding and Maintaining the File System (page 31)
• Log Files (page 33)
• Modulefiles (page 34)
• Software Distribution (page 35)
• Recommended Administrative Tasks (page 35)
Determining the Installation Type
Use any of the following methods to determine whether the HP XC system is a new installation or whether
it was upgraded from a previous version:
• Run the shownode command to determine the existence of the xc_prev_version parameter.
The following example indicates that the HP XC system was upgraded from Version V2.1:
# shownode config sysparams | grep prev
xc_prev_version: V2.1
•
• The absence of output in following example indicates that the HP XC system is a new installation:
# shownode config sysparams | grep prev
• You can check for the existence of the /var/log/upgrade directory. If this directory exists, the HP
XC system was upgraded from a previous release. Otherwise, the system is a new installation.
• You can check for the existence of the /root/upgrade.log file. This file is created during a system
upgrade. If this file exists, the HP XC system was upgraded from a previous release. Otherwise, the
system is a new installation.
Understanding Nodes, Roles, and Services
The HP XC system consists of individual nodes that supply various services.
In this document, a node is described based on the service it provides. Thus, management services are
hosted on a management hub node. Usually a node provides multiple services, so it can be known by multiple
names. A role is defined as an aggregate of related services.
The head node is the node that is installed first. The head node is established with the alias nh during
installation. You can use this alias in command lines when you want to designate the head node.
Note
Perform all system administration from the node that provides the appropriate service, usually the head node.
In some configurations, the management hub may be the head node; in other configurations, the head node
and the management hub are two different nodes.
Determining the Installation Type 23