 Remote Installation of Heterogeneous Linux Clusters Using LUI
Richard Ferri
To begin, I will review some terminology. What do I mean by "remote
installation of heterogeneous Linux clusters"? By remote, I
mean "installation over a network". This is in contrast
to local installation methods, which might use media like CD-ROM,
diskettes, or tape for node installation. By installation, I mean
copying a version of the Linux operating system to the permanent
hard drive of the node. Heterogeneous refers to nodes that are inherently
different. These might require different Linux kernels, different
file systems, have different size and style hard drives, or have
different sets of packages to install. And, using Greg Pfister's
definition in his book In Search of Clusters, clusters are
"collections of interconnected whole computers ... used as
a single, unified computing resource". By expanding Pfister's
definition, true clusters should also require less work to administer
than a similar number of disjointed workstations. There must be
some benefit to the administrator for organizing these nodes into
a cluster, as opposed to a random set of workstations.
So, what is all the fuss about yet another remote Linux installation
method? After all, there is already SystemImager from VA Linux,
Kickstart from Red Hat, and many informal methods developed at various
national labs and universities.
|
