HP XC System Software Hardware Preparation Guide Version 3.0

About This Document
This document describes how to prepare the nodes in your HP cluster platform before installing HP XC System
Software.
An HP XC system is integrated with several open source software components. Some open source software
components are being used for underlying technology, and their deployment is transparent. Some open
source software components require user-level documentation specific to HP XC systems, and that kind of
information is included in this document, if required.
HP relies on the documentation provided by the open source developers to supply the information you need
to use their product. For links to open source software documentation for products that are integrated with
your HP XC system, see "Supplementary Information" .
Documentation for third-party hardware and software components that are supported on the HP XC system
is supplied by the third-party vendor. However, information about the operation of third-party software is
included in this document if the functionality of the third-party component differs from standard behavior
when used in the HP XC environment. In this case, HP XC documentation supersedes information supplied
by the third-party vendor. For links to related third-party Web sites, see "Supplementary Information" .
Standard Linux® administrative tasks or the functions provided by standard Linux tools and commands are
documented in commercially available Linux reference manuals and on various Web sites. For more
information about obtaining documentation for standard Linux administrative tasks and associated topics,
see the list of Web sites and additional publications provided in "Related Information" .
Intended Audience
The information in this document is written for technicians or administrators who have the task of preparing
the hardware on which the HP XC System Software will be installed.
Before beginning, you must meet the following requirements:
• You are familiar with accessing BIOS and consoles with either Ethernet or serial port connections and
terminal emulators.
• You have access to the hardware documentation.
• You have previous experience with a Linux operating system.
Document Organization
This document is organized as follows:
• Chapter 1: Hardware and Network Overview (page 15) provides an overview of the hardware
supported on an HP XC system and describes the HP XC networks.
• Chapter 2: Making Node and Switch Connections (page 19) describes the hardware connections that
must be made before installing the HP XC System Software.
• Chapter 3: Preparing Individual Nodes (page 31) describes the steps required to prepare all nodes
before installing the HP XC System Software.
• The Glossary provides definitions of the terms used in this document.
HP XC Information
The HP XC System Software Documentation Set includes the following core documents. All HP XC documents
except the HP XC System Software Release Notes are shipped on the HP XC Documentation CD. All HP XC
documents including the HP XC System Software Release Notes are available on line at:
http://www.hp.com/techservers/clusters/xc_clusters.html
Contains important, last-minute information about firmware, software, or
hardware that might affect your system. This document is available only
on line.
HP XC System Software Release Notes
Intended Audience 9