If you want to build a cluster at some point you are going to need a Cluster Management System (CMS) or what is also called a Cluster Tool (CT). The CMS or CT is a software tool that allows you to perform the needed tasks such as creating the image or OS that go on the nodes, getting the image to the nodes, and monitoring the nodes. I want to discuss using Perceus/Warewulf for these tasks.
Before I jump into Perceus/Warewulf I want to talk about what constitutes a CMS. If you ask 10 experienced cluster people this question, then I bet you’ll get at least 10 different answers — and then an argument will break out about which one is better and why.
I’m going to try to stay above the fray and give you my ideas of what constitutes a “core” CMS. That is the functions related to getting the nodes operating to some extent as a single unit. I will ignore such things as job scheduling, alerts (alter the user when there is a problem), management of file systems, user management, etc. I’m going to stick to the core CMS functions:
Core CMS Functions (ala’ Jeff Layton)
Creating/Managing the compute node images
Getting those images to the compute nodes (provisioning) (either stateless or stateful)
Monitoring the Compute Nodes
People associate a number of other tasks with CMS tools, but these are the ones that I think are at the core of any cluster. So…
Please log in to view this content.
Not Yet a Member?
Register with LinuxMagazine.com and get free access to the entire archive, including:
