Start presentation

Slide 1: Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 (Sarge) at GSI

Christopher Huhn

GSI IT department, C.Huhn@gsi.de

Slide 2: Woody installation

  • Woody installation 2002/2003
  • Server installation: cloning over NFS
    • One size fits all

Slide 3: Woody installation

  • Configuration management: shell scripts
    • Who dunnit? No revision control, no one to blame
  • Centralisation achieved by central NFS mount /usr/local
  • Sparse documentation
    • Know-how often only implicit
  • Administration techniques don't scale well
    • particularly in relation to the number of admins

Slide 4: Woody client

  • "Groupserver" concept:
    • classic NFS root concept
    • shared read-only /usr
    • Client system - almost - completely on server (except for /var and /tmp)
  • Old server hardware
    • Hardware maintenance painful
  • Important binaries writeable (i.e. /sbin/init)
  • No automatic upgrade for anything outside /usr
    • I. e. no automatic security updates for /bin, /sbin binaries
    • No automatic distribution of /var or /etc files

Slide 5: Into the future ...

  • http://www.infrastructures.org/ - Site management best practices
    • System administration should not work like craftsmen
    • Infrastructure architects
    • Configuration as condensed and central as possible
  • FAI: Fully Automatic Installation framework
    • Plan your installation and FAI installs your plan
    • Debian-centric but very flexible

Slide 6: Into the future ...

  • Cfengine - configuration management framework
    • centralised and pull-based
    • description of the intended configuration state
    • not a sequential list of actions to be performed
  • Use of Debian tools (Package management, Debconf) wherever appropriate
  • Debian repositories used:
    • Debian, Debian-Security, Backports.org, Debian volatile, GSI repository

Slide 7: Into the future ...

  • More services - increased diversification
  • Divide installation and configuration into host classes
  • Keep It Small and Simple - only install what's required for a service
  • Installation and configuration system excellence indicator:
    • Reinstallation to service production state should be
      • completely unattended and
      • faster than a restore from tape backup

Slide 8: ... back to the past?

  • NFS root reinvented:
    • Single system image
      • Shared by all clients
      • managed with cfengine
      • completely distinct from the server system
    • read-only root filesystem
    • unionfs filesystem
    • All host-specific files in a central Subversion repository
      • Accessed via WebDAV/davfs

Slide 9: Pros

  • Improved security
    • Difficult (impossible?) to hack
    • Updates even when the box is down
      • ready for dual boot / multi boot
  • Improved reliability?
  • Improved performance (new hardware)
  • Instant installation (~ 2 minutes)
    • Can be performed by the operators
  • Ease of administration
    • Condensed and centralised

Slide 10: ... and Cons

  • Completely reliant on the network
  • Inferior performance compared to local installation?
  • Installation time irrelevant if installation request response time is in size of days?

Slide 11: On and on and on and on ...

  • Create NFS root image with FAI
  • Move to 64bit
  • Upgrade to Etch
    • Ubuntu?
  • GSI Knoppix CD?
  • failover NFS-Cluster
    • load-balancing?
  • Build a complete test environment

Slide 12: Fabric management

GSI Linux infrastructure framework

  • Set ALLOWTOPICCHANGE = Christo
  • Set ALLOWTOPICVIEW = *

-- Christo - 06 Jul 2006
I Attachment Action Size Date Who Comment
Panorama-Sonnenuntergang_bei_Koenigswalde.jpgjpg Panorama-Sonnenuntergang_bei_Koenigswalde.jpg manage 44 K 2006-07-10 - 20:04 Christo batch upload by christo@lxg0815
Server_cloning-1.pngpng Server_cloning-1.png manage 19 K 2006-07-10 - 18:11 Christo batch upload by christo@lxg0815
Server_cloning-2.pngpng Server_cloning-2.png manage 32 K 2006-07-10 - 18:11 Christo batch upload by christo@lxg0815
Server_cloning-3.pngpng Server_cloning-3.png manage 45 K 2006-07-10 - 18:11 Christo batch upload by christo@lxg0815
Server_cloning-4.pngpng Server_cloning-4.png manage 58 K 2006-07-10 - 18:11 Christo batch upload by christo@lxg0815
infrastructure.pngpng infrastructure.png manage 36 K 2006-07-10 - 17:09 Christo Infrastruktur-Framework
unionfs-0.pngpng unionfs-0.png manage 61 K 2006-07-10 - 19:40 Christo batch upload by christo@lxg0815
unionfs-1.pngpng unionfs-1.png manage 60 K 2006-07-10 - 19:40 Christo batch upload by christo@lxg0815
unionfs-2.pngpng unionfs-2.png manage 59 K 2006-07-10 - 19:40 Christo batch upload by christo@lxg0815
unionfs-3.pngpng unionfs-3.png manage 60 K 2006-07-10 - 19:40 Christo batch upload by christo@lxg0815
Topic revision: r13 - 2022-02-21, ChristopherHuhn
Warning: Can't find topic Personalpages.WebLeftBarExample

This site is powered by FoswikiCopyright © by the contributing authors. All material on this collaboration platform is the property of the contributing authors.
Ideas, requests, problems regarding GSI Wiki? Send feedback | Legal notice | Privacy Policy (german)