HP XC System Software Administration Guide Version 4.0
Table Of Contents
- XC Administration Guide
- Table of Contents
- About This Document
- 1 HP XC Administration Environment
- 1.1 Understanding Nodes, Services, and Roles
- 1.2 File System
- 1.3 HP XC Command Environment
- 1.4 Configuration and Management Database
- 1.5 HP XC Configuration File Guidelines
- 1.6 Installation and Software Distribution
- 1.7 Improved Availability
- 1.8 Networking
- 1.9 Modulefiles
- 1.10 Security
- 1.11 Recommended Administrative Tasks
- 2 Improved Availability
- 3 Starting Up and Shutting Down the HP XC System
- 4 Managing and Customizing System Services
- 4.1 HP XC System Services
- 4.2 Displaying Services Information
- 4.3 Restarting a Service
- 4.4 Stopping a Service
- 4.5 Global System Services
- 4.6 Customizing Services and Roles
- 4.6.1 Overview of the HP XC Services Configuration
- 4.6.2 Service Configuration Sequence of Operation
- 4.6.3 Assigning Roles with the cluster_config Utility
- 4.6.4 The *config.d Directories
- 4.6.5 Configuration Scripts
- 4.6.6 Understanding Global Configuration Scripts
- 4.6.7 Advance Planning
- 4.6.8 Editing the roles_services.ini File
- 4.6.9 Creating a service.ini File
- 4.6.10 Adding a New Service
- 4.6.11 Verifying a New Service
- 5 Managing Licenses
- 6 Managing the Configuration and Management Database
- 6.1 Accessing the Configuration and Management Database
- 6.2 Querying the Configuration and Management Database
- 6.3 Finding and Setting System Attribute Values
- 6.4 Backing Up the Configuration Database
- 6.5 Restoring the Configuration Database from a Backup File
- 6.6 Archiving Sensor Data from the Configuration Database
- 6.7 Restoring the Sensor Data from an Archive File
- 6.8 Purging Sensor Data from the Configuration and Management Database
- 6.9 Dumping the Configuration and Management Database
- 7 Monitoring the System
- 7.1 Monitoring Tools
- 7.2 Monitoring Strategy
- 7.3 Displaying System Environment Data
- 7.4 Monitoring Disks
- 7.5 Displaying System Statistics
- 7.6 Logging Node Events
- 7.7 The collectl Utility
- 7.8 Using HP Graph To Display Network Bandwidth and System Use
- 7.9 The resmon Utility
- 7.10 The kdump Mechanism and the crash Utility
- 8 Monitoring the System with Nagios
- 8.1 Nagios Overview
- 8.2 Using the Nagios Web Interface
- 8.3 Adjusting the Nagios Configuration
- 8.4 Configuring Nagios on HP XC Systems
- 8.5 Using the Nan Notification Aggregator and Delimiter To Control Nagios Messages
- 8.6 Nagios Report Generator Utility
- 8.7 Modifying Nagios To Effect Changes
- 9 Network Administration
- 10 Managing Patches and RPM Updates
- 11 Distributing Software Throughout the System
- 11.1 Overview of the Image Replication and Distribution Environment
- 11.2 Installing and Distributing Software Patches
- 11.3 Adding Software or Modifying Files on the Golden Client
- 11.4 Determining Which Nodes Will Be Imaged
- 11.5 Updating the Golden Image
- 11.6 Propagating the Golden Image to All Nodes
- 11.7 Maintaining a Global Service Configuration
- 12 Opening an IP Port in the Firewall
- 13 Connecting to a Remote Console
- 14 Managing Local User Accounts and Passwords
- 14.1 HP XC User and Group Accounts
- 14.2 General Procedures for Administering Local User Accounts
- 14.3 Adding a Local User Account
- 14.4 Modifying a Local User Account
- 14.5 Deleting a Local User Account
- 14.6 Configuring the ssh Keys for a User
- 14.7 Synchronizing the NIS Database
- 14.8 Changing Administrative Passwords
- 14.8.1 Changing the Superuser Password
- 14.8.2 Changing the CMDB Password
- 14.8.3 Changing the Interconnect Password
- 14.8.4 Changing the Console Port Password
- 14.8.5 Synchronizing the BMC/IPMI Password for CP6000 Systems
- 14.8.6 Changing the Nagios Administrator Password
- 14.8.7 Changing the LSF Administrator Password
- 15 Managing SLURM
- 16 Managing LSF
- 16.1 Standard LSF
- 16.2 LSF with SLURM
- 16.3 Switching the Type of LSF Installed
- 16.4 LSF with SLURM Installation
- 16.5 LSF with SLURM Startup and Shutdown
- 16.6 Controlling the LSF with SLURM Service
- 16.7 Launching Jobs with LSF with SLURM
- 16.8 Monitoring and Controlling LSF with SLURM Jobs
- 16.9 Maintaining Shell Prompts in LSF Interactive Shells
- 16.10 Job Accounting
- 16.11 LSF Daemon Log Maintenance
- 16.12 Load Indexes and Resource Information
- 16.13 LSF with SLURM Monitoring
- 16.14 LSF with SLURM Failover
- 16.15 Moving SLURM and LSF Daemons to Their Backup Nodes
- 16.16 Enhancing LSF with SLURM
- 16.17 Configuring an External Virtual Host Name for LSF with SLURM on HP XC Systems
- 17 Managing Modulefiles
- 18 Mounting File Systems
- 19 Managing Software RAID Arrays
- 20 Using Diagnostic Tools
- 20.1 Using the sys_check Utility
- 20.2 Using the ovp Utility for System Verification
- 20.3 Using the dgemm Utility to Analyze Performance
- 20.4 Using the System Interconnect Diagnostic Tools
- 21 Troubleshooting
- 21.1 General Troubleshooting
- 21.2 Nagios Troubleshooting
- 21.3 Messages Reported by Nagios
- 21.4 System Interconnect Troubleshooting
- 21.5 Improved Availability Issues
- 21.5.1 How To Start HP Serviceguard When Only the Head Node is Running
- 21.5.2 Restart Serviceguard Quorum Server if Quorum Server Node is Re-imaged
- 21.5.3 Known Limitation if Nagios is Configured for Improved Availability
- 21.5.4 Network Restart Command Negatively Affects Serviceguard
- 21.5.5 Problem Failing Over Database Package Under Serviceguard
- 21.6 SLURM Troubleshooting
- 21.7 LSF Troubleshooting
- 22 Servicing the HP XC System
- 22.1 Adding a Node
- 22.2 Replacing a Client Node
- 22.3 Actualizing Planned Nodes
- 22.4 Replacing a Server Blade Enclosure OnBoard Administrator
- 22.5 Replacing a System Interconnect Board in an HP CP6000 System
- 22.6 Software RAID Disk Replacement
- 22.7 Incorporating External Network Interface Cards
- 22.7.1 Gathering Information
- 22.7.2 Editing the platform_vars.ini File
- 22.7.3 Using the device_config Command
- 22.7.4 Updating the Database for the External Network Card
- 22.7.5 Updating the Firewall Custom Configuration
- 22.7.6 Reconfiguring the Nodes
- 22.7.7 Verifying Success
- 22.7.8 Updating the Golden Image
- A Installing LSF with SLURM into an Existing Standard LSF Cluster
- B Setting Up MPICH
- C HP MCS Monitoring
- D CPU Frequency-Based Power-Saving Feature
- Glossary
- Index

About This Document
This document describes the procedures and tools that are required to maintain the HP XC
system. It provides an overview of the administrative environment and describes administration
tasks, node maintenance tasks, Load Sharing Facility (LSF®) administration tasks, and
troubleshooting information.
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, when 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 the HP XC system, see “Supplementary Software Products” (page 18).
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 XC environment. In this case, HP
XC documentation supersedes information supplied by the third-party vendor. For links to
related third-party web addresses, see “Supplementary Software Products” (page 18).
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 addresses. For more information about obtaining documentation for standard Linux
administrative tasks and associated topics, see the list of web addresses and additional publications
provided in “Related Software Products and Additional Publications” (page 19).
Intended Audience
This document is intended for experienced Linux and LSF system administrators who already
know how to perform standard administrative tasks and who are also familiar with the HP XC
system architecture, components, and concepts.
You must be familiar with the following:
• The Linux operating system
• System administration techniques and procedures
• The accompanying cluster platform hardware documents and the HP XC Hardware Preparation
Guide. These documents describe how to physically set up the racks, switches, and nodes
before beginning the software installation process.
• HP XC System Software Installation Guide
New and Changed Information in This Edition
The following items were added or changed in this edition:
• The xcxclus and xcxperf utilities are now described as part of a separate document.
• The netdump utility is no longer supported.
• This release introduces the use of the kdump utility.
• Changes to Nagios include the addition of the Nagios Management Setting Monitor and
new section, “Modifying Nagios To Effect Changes” (page 130).
• There is a new section, “Digital Signature” (page 137), in the chapter on managing patches
and RPM updates.
• There is no longer a golden image checksum.
Intended Audience 15