HP XC System Software Administration Guide Version 3.0

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Updating the Golden Image
Before you can deploy your software and configuration updates throughout the HP XC system, you must
update the golden image to synchronize with these changes. The golden image that is created during the
initial HP XC system configuration process is named base_image, and it exists in the file system hierarchy
under the directory /var/lib/systemimager/images.
You can update the golden image by using either of two utilities:
• The cluster_config utility
• The updateimage utility
This section describes both methods.
Note
Do not update the golden image file system directly. The golden image is a tar file that is compressed for
delivery during the multicast imaging operation. The cluster_config and updateimage utilities ensure
that the golden image file structure and tar file remain synchronized.
The rsync command is the underlying mechanism used by the cluster_config and updateimage
utilities to update the golden image. The rsync command provides an efficient method to update an existing
fileset because it transfers only the differences between those two sets of files. As a result, the update of the
golden image is significantly quicker than its initial creation.
Whichever method you use to update the golden image, you can protect the golden image from contamination
with golden client (head node) specific personality by using an exclusion file. This exclusion file is passed
to the rsync command as a list of exclude patterns. For a detailed description of exclusion files, and how
to use exclusion files to manage software updates, see “Exclusion Files” (page 85).
Note
Before updating the golden image, make a copy in case you need to revert back. Use the SystemImager
si_cpimage command to perform this task. Ensure that you have enough disk space in the target directory
where the image will be saved; image sizes are typically 3–6 GB and the size of a compressed tar file of
an image is generally 1–3 GB.
The following command makes a copy of the default golden image, base_image, in the
/var/lib/systemimager/images directory. The saved image name in this example is
base_image.orig. You must run this command on the image server node, which is the head node.
# si_cpimage --verbose --directory /var/lib/systemimager/images \
base_image base_image.orig
If you are preserving multiple images, save earlier versions as compressed archives using your favorite
compression utility to preserve disk space on the image server.
The cluster_config Utility
If you have added your own services to be deployed throughout the HP XC system by using the per-node
service configuration method described in “Using Per-Node Service Configuration” (page 82), in conjunction
with the information in “Adding a Service” (page 47), you must run the cluster_config utility on the
head node again to ensure the Configuration and management database (cmdb) is updated with the latest
per-node service configuration and the necessary configuration files updated on the head node. You must
be the superuser (root) to run this utility. The cluster_config utility performs the following tasks:
• Executes the global service configuration scripts.
• Updates the golden image automatically.
• Executes the node-specific configuration scripts on the head node.
84 Distributing Software Throughout the System