[Gluster-users] Netboot / PXE-Boot from glusterfs?

[Jan]

Hello Benjamin,

I think there should be more elegant ways to build the initrd.

I set up diskless servers that got their root-directory via nfs a few 
years ago.
They shared the same installation (rootdir) and we had scripts in the 
initrd to mount special directories under /var based on the hostname.
It was a little messy doing kernel-updates and updating everything.

Debian builds its initrd automatically after the installation of a new 
kernel, based on your hardware and configuration. The tool used for that 
(initramfs) has a lot of hooks to add your own modules or scripts.
I am sure it is possible to build a simple debian-package that adds 
those scripts to your installation. Afterwards, you should even be able 
to make a kernel-upgrade on the server although it is a net install.
Setting up a new installation should be as simple as starting 
debootstrap (sets up a blank debian-installation (any architecture) in a 
subfolder, can also install custom packages listed on the command line), 
and then configure the tftp-server.
On the diskless server, you should have all possibilities (including 
installation of packages, kernel-updates) that you have on any other 
server that has its own disk.

I hope I'll have the time to have a closer look at this next week.

Jan


Am 17.06.2010 17:16, schrieb Benjamin Hudgens:
> Here were the notes for us in Debian.  Since these notes are mildly out
> of context hopefully they simply give you a starting point.  Rsync is
> the tool we use to slurp the debian image.  You manage gluster as you
> would on a normal install.  However, you manage the configs and such on
> a copy at (X) location which is then slurped into ram on a boot.  For
> our dumb storage boxes we dynamically detect drives that need
> filesystems, format, then add to gluster configs.  Thus our server
> configs get generated on-the-fly.  This allows us to maintain a single
> master instance of the OS image and deploy storage boxes quickly.
>
> ##############################
>
> Summary:
>
> We want to run a slim install of Debian in ram.  Controlling how we
> mount Gluster is simple.  You manage this as you would a regular
> install.  Reboot any machine and the changes take effect.  You can blow
> away a machine at any time since the OS on our storage machines are
> irrelevant and pull from our master copy.
>
> Below remember that ${rootmnt} is pooled from kernel args for the PXE
> boot.
>
> Unpackage the initrd:
> gzip -dc<  ../initrd.img-2.6.30-2-686.netboot | cpio -i
>
> Edit ./init
> Modifications start at line 205:
>
> ------------
> ## Make a ramdisk
> mkdir /ram
> mount -t tmpfs -o size=2G tmpfs /ram
>
> ##Move the libraries over since rsync was failing initially.  This just
> grabs all the libraries from root
> mount ${rootmnt}/lib /lib
> mount ${rootmnt}/usr/lib /usr/lib
>
> ##Copy the filesystem into ram
> ${rootmnt}/usr/bin/rsync -rav ${rootmnt}/ /ram/
>
> ##Change the rootmnt point to our new location - the rest of the script
> will take care of booting us up
> rootmnt=/ram
> ------
>
> Now re-create the initrd image:
>
> find . -print0 | cpio -0 -H newc -ov | gzip -c>
> ../initrd.img-2.6.30-2-686.netboot
>
> ################################
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gluster-users-bounces at gluster.org
> [mailto:gluster-users-bounces at gluster.org] On Behalf Of Jan
> Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 6:30 AM
> To: gluster-users at gluster.org
> Subject: Re: [Gluster-users] Netboot / PXE-Boot from glusterfs?
>
> Am 17.06.2010 13:15, schrieb Benjamin Hudgens:
>    
>> Hello Jan,
>>
>> Our company took the approach of slurping our OS into a ram drive and
>> then mounting file system points from Gluster.  The OS becomes
>> expendable.  In our case (large amounts of dumb storage machines) this
>> is okay.  We were itching to get away from NFS.  Boot time is slow
>>      
> while
>    
>> it reads directly from network ->   ram.  However, the final result is
>>      
> an
>    
>> OS that is extremely fast and no NFS dependency.
>>
>> Obviously this approach is only applicable in certain situations.
>>
>>
>>      
> Hello Benjamin,
>
> Thanks, that's an interesting idea - as long as the root filesystem is
> not too big.
> But even then, one might be able to split it up in the most important
> files and directories that are needed to boot and mount the
> glusterfs-directories.
> This needs some time to figure out what are the minimum files needed to
> boot until the glusterfs-directories are available - and a minor change
> in the initrd (mount NFS, create ramdisk, copy files). But definitely
> worth a try.
>
> thanks
> Jan
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