Changes between Version 60 and Version 61 of WikiStart


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Timestamp:
08/19/11 08:35:26 (13 years ago)
Author:
anonymous
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  • WikiStart

    v60 v61  
    88
    99= Welcome to '''SALI'''! =
    10 Here at Sara we use [http://wiki.systemimager.org SystemImager] to install our nodes on different types of clusters. SystemImager allows you to create a clone of your running system. This clone can than be distributed by various protocols, eg:
    11  * rsync
    12  * bittorrent
    13  * flamethrower
    1410
    15 
    16 When installing an image the target system shall be booted with a kernel/initrd which contains the needed utilities for initializing a SystemImager installation. When the system is booted it will fetch the [http://wiki.systemimager.org/index.php/BOEL BOEL] utilities. The BOEL utilites contains, eg:
    17  * kernel modules
    18  * partition utility
    19  * formatting utilities for ext2, ext3, xfs, ...
    20  * various protocols to get the image 
     11For node installation we used [http://wiki.systemimager.org SystemImager] now we switched to SALI for all our clusters.  SALI allows you to create a clone of your running system. This clone can be distributed  by various protocols ( [http://aria2.sourceforge.net aria2]) eg: rsync, Bittorent, ftp, http/https, metalink
    2112
    2213== Why SALI ==
    2314
    24 Sali is created due the fact that the current kernel/initrd and BOEL utilities are outdated. The trigger was that there is no ''grub2'' support. We
    25 thought this could be easily added, but during this process we decided to upgrade all software to the newest levels and replace some software components. The biggest hurdle was detecting of which hardware is in the system ([http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/kernel/hotplug/udev.html udev]). We believe that SALI is better in detecting which hardware is in the system than the SystemImager setup. The focus for this project is/was:
     15SALI is created due the fact that on the moment of starting SALI:
     16 * Systemimager kernel/initrd and BOEL utilities are outdated.  New hardware was not detected/supported
     17 * no ''grub2'' support
     18 * no ext4 support
     19
     20The trigger was that there is no ''grub2'' support. We thought this could be easily added, but during this process we decided to upgrade all software to the newest levels and replace some software components. The biggest hurdle was detecting of which hardware is in the system ([http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/kernel/hotplug/udev.html udev]). We believe that SALI is better in detecting which hardware is in the system than the SystemImager setup. The focus for this project is/was:
    2621 * Easily create a new kernel/initrd when a new kernel is released or one of the software components is updated, eg: [http://www.busybox.net busybox].
    2722 * The SALI initrd contains all kernel modules and software utilities. In SystemImager this software is distributed as a separate package (BOEL binaries).
    28  * Support for various protocols to install an image -- see [http://aria2.sourceforge.net aria2]:
    29    * rsync
    30    * Bittorent
    31    * ftp
    32    * http/https
    33    * metalink
    3423 *  Drop support for flamethrower/multicast and floppy disk support.
    3524 * With some minor [wiki:SaliUsage/UsingYourOldInstallScript adjustments] you can use your old generated SystemImager scripts. These scripts uses ''/etc/init.d/functions'' which is included in the initrd. We have added/changed a lot of functions to hide the complexity. We have reduced the code of the SystemImager scripts significantly, See [source:trunk/example/masterscript.new masterscript.new]. Read the [wiki:SaliUsage/Functions Functions Documentations]