Intruduction to NIM

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Intruduction to NIM

• Shen Chen

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Benefits of NIM

• Some of the benefits of NIM are
•  Manageability - It allows central
  localization of software installation images,
  thus, making backup and administration easier.
•  Central Administration - Administrators can
  install remote AIX machines without having to
  physically attend them.
•  Scalability - You can install more than one
  machine at a time, implement a group strategy of
  machines and resources, and choose how many
  machines to install at a time.
•  Usability In lpar environment, The software
  installation and maintenance is no longer limited
  by the devices ( CD, tape ).

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NIM operations

• Customizing (Installing) the Software
• Installation of software packages and updates
  can be performed over the network using NIM.
• Maintaining the Software
• From the NIM master, you can deinstall software
  that resides on client machines. NIM also gives
  you the capability of committing and rejecting
  updates over the network.
• Installing BOS on an Alternate Disk
• NIM can be used to clone the running of rootvg
  (root volume group) to an alternate disk, or
  install a mksysb image to an alternate disk.

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• Configuring the Machine
• NIM provides the capability of running shell
  scripts on client machines for configuration
  after software has been installed.
• Booting Diagnostics
• Hardware diagnostics can be performed on NIM
  clients using a diagnostic boot image from a NIM
  server, rather than booting from a diagnostic
  tape or CD-ROM.
• Booting in Maintenance Mode
• For maintenance operations, you can boot a NIM
  client into maintenance mode from the boot image
  on a NIM server instead of using a bootable tape
  or CD-ROM.
• Initializing Diskless and Dataless Clients
• You can manage resources for diskless and
  dataless clients from the NIM master.

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The network boot process

• 1.  The client boots to IPL-ROM/firmware menus
• 2.  The client sends a bootp request to the
  server
• 3.  The server only matches it against a MAC
  address during broadcast installs. If it is not a
  broadcast install, it matches against a client IP
  address.
• 4.  The boot image contains a miniature runtime
  environment (kernel, file systems, libraries, and
  key programs) to which control is then
  transferred.
• 5.  Control is eventually passed to a boot
  script, rc.boot, which configures devices that
  will be needed for the installation. 6.  The
  client then retrieves the relevant
  /tftpboot/ltclienthostnamegt.info file with tftp.
  It copies it to its /etc/niminfo. This file
  contains a set of environment variables that will
  define the BOS installation environment.
• 7.  Finally, the BOS installation program is
  invoked by the boot script to install AIX from
  images residing on the network.

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Boot/reset machine
Bootp enabled IPL ROM
No
IPL ROM emulation required
Manual interacaction required In IPL ROM menu
Client issues a bootp request
Control transferred to minature Runtime
environment
Network,tape or CD ?
Boot script invoked
Network
Tape
CD
NIM SPOT resource is mounted
BOS Iinstallation script invoked
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NIM resources

• boot Resource ( in /tftpboot )
• The boot resource is an internally-managed NIM
  resource used to indicate that a boot image has
  been allocated to a client. The boot resource is
  automatically allocated to clients to support NIM
  operations requiring a network boot. The boot
  resource will be automatically deallocated when
  the operation completes
• script Resource
• A script resource represents a file that is a
  user-defined shell script. Once defined, this
  type of resource can be used to perform
  processing on a client as part of a NIM cust or
  bos_inst operation.
• bosinst_data Resource
• A bosinst_data resource represents a file that
  contains information for the BOS install program.

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• lpp_source Resource
• An lpp_source resource represents a directory in
  which software installation images are stored. If
  the lpp_source contains the minimum set of
  support images required to install a machine, it
  is given the simages attribute and can be used
  for BOS installation (bos_inst) operations. If an
  lpp_source does not contain enough software to be
  an simages lpp_source, then it can only be used
  in NIM cust operations to install software on
  running machines and SPOTs
• mksysb Resource
• A mksysb resource represents a file that is a
  system backup image created using the mksysb
  command. This type of resource can be used as the
  source for the installation of a client. The
  mksysb image must reside on the hard disk of a
  machine in the NIM environment in order to be
  defined as a resource. It cannot be located on a
  tape or other external media.

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• SPOT (Shared Product Object Tree ) Resource
• The SPOT is a fundamental resource in the NIM
  environment. It is required to install or
  initialize all machine configuration types. A
  SPOT provides a /usr file system for diskless and
  dataless clients, as well as the network boot
  support for all clients.
• Everything that a machine requires in a /usr
  file system, such as the AIX kernel, executable
  commands, libraries, and applications are
  included in the SPOT. Machine-unique information
  or user data is usually stored in the other file
  systems. A SPOT can be located on any standalone
  machine within the NIM environment, including the
  master. The SPOT is created, controlled, and
  maintained from the master, even though the SPOT
  can be located on another system.

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• There are two ways to create a SPOT.
• You can convert the /usr file system (/usr
  SPOT), or you can locate the SPOT elsewhere
  within the file system.
• The /usr SPOT
• The /usr SPOT inherits all the optional software
  that is already installed on the server. All the
  clients using the /usr SPOT have access to the
  optional software installed on the server. The
  non-/usr SPOT can be used to manage a different
  group of optional software than those that are
  installed and licensed for the server.
• Creating a SPOT by converting the /usr file
  system has the advantage of being fast and using
  much less disk space. However, this method does
  not give you the flexibility to choose which
  software packages will be included in the SPOT,
  because all the packages and filesets installed
  in the /usr file system of the machine serving
  the SPOT will be included in the SPOT.

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• non-/usr SPOT
• The second method, creating a non-/usr SPOT,
  uses a lot more disk space, but it is more
  flexible. Initially, only the minimum set of
  software packages required to support NIM clients
  is installed in the SPOT, but additional packages
  and filesets can be installed. Also, it is
  possible to have multiple SPOTs, all with
  different additional packages and filesets
  installed, serving different clients

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• tmp Resource
• dump Resource
• exclude_files Resource
• fix_bundle Resource
• home Resource
• image_data Resource
• installp_bundle Resource
• nim_script Resource
• paging Resource
• resolv_conf Resource
• root Resource
• shared_home Resource

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Setup NIM environment

• Three  easy  NIM  steps  for beginners
• 1.  Setup a NIM master.
• 2.  Define NIM clients.
• 3.  Install clients using the smitty
  nim_bosinst fastpath on the master machine.

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Setup NIM environment

• Setup NIM master
• Install the bos.sysmgt.nim fileset, enter the
  smit install_latest fast path.
• Accept the default values for all other fields on
  this screen. After successful completion of this
  installation, exit SMIT.
• configure the NIM master, enter the smit
  nim_config_env.
• Using the LIST option, select the Primary Network
  Interface for the NIM Master.
• Using the LIST option, select /dev/cd0 or
  /dev/rmt0 for the Input device for installation \
  images field.
• Select yes at the Remove all newly added NIM
  definitions and file systems if any part of this
  operation fails? field.
• Accept the default values for all other fields on
  this screen.

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• Notes
• This procedure does the following
• Configure the NIM master
• Create NIM master resource
• Create the lpp_source and SPOT resources.
• Create Network for the pri network interface
  type
• ( tok, ent, atm, )
• Create boot and nim_script resource

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Set up standalone client

• Method A If the client is not running
• To add a standalone client to the NIM
  environment, enter the smit nim_mkmac fast path.
• Specify the host name of the client.
• Select type of network.( ent, tok, fddi, generic,
  or atm )
• Select machine type.( standalone, diskless, or
  dataless )
• Select hardware platform type. ( chrp, rspc, rs6k
  )
• Select Kernel type to use. ( up, mp )
• Select cable type. ( tp, bnc, or dix )
• Select NIM network. ( If NIM does not exist, it
  will be created )
• Select ethernet type. ( standard, or IEEE 802.3 )
• Enter default gateway used by machine.
• Enter default gateway used by master.
• Enter Subnetmask.
• Note If the network that client resides already
  exists, it pick up the right NIM network and 10
  to 12 are not required fields

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• Method B If the client is running
• Install the bos.sysmgt.nim.client fileset on the
  running machine.
• Enter the smit niminit fast path. ( client needed
  to be defined on master first )
• Add master to /.rhosts if the push installation
  is desired

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Define a resource

• To define resource
• Enter smit nim_mkres fastpath
• Define mksysb resource
• Enter the smit nim_mkres fast path.
• Select mksysb from the list of resource types
• In the displayed dialogs, supply the values for
  the required fields. Use the help information and
  the LIST option to help you specify the correct
  values for defining your mksysb resource.
• Note Any machine in the NIM environment can be
  a resource server

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BOS installation source

• The Base Operating System can be installed from
  images that hold the BOS run time files. These
  images are used to populate the clients /usr
  file system. This image can come from three
  different resources rte, SPOT, or mksysb.
• rte
•  Run Time Environment (rte) BOS install is the
  runtime image part of lpp_source resource that
  has been allocated to the client.
•  Only the base files are loaded. It is similar
  to installing from CD.
•  It is a slower means of install because
  device support tailored to each machine must be
  installed.
•  The result is a system that is smaller in
  terms of required space.

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• SPOT
•  The BOS run time image results in a client
  whose /usr file system has all the files that
  exist in the SPOT.
•  Since it is not tailored to individual
  systems, it is quicker, but the resulting system
  is larger.
•  It supports the overwrite and preservation
  forms of installation.
• mksysb
•  Provides a backup image of an existing
  machine that can be used as a recovery measure or
  else to clone one machine onto another. Not only
  is the BOS installed, but any optional software,
  paging space information, and other file systems
  hanging off rootvg are installed however, an
  mksysb install only supports the overwrite
  installation method.Details about this topic

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NIM environment in RelOps

• NIM master
• Tl-ibm01
• NIM directory
• /export
• Network covered so far
• 216.131.201.0/24
• 216.131.202.0/2

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NIM scripts

• Tl-ibm01/export/admin
• To define a standalone client nim_client
• Prerequisites
• 1.hostname
• 2.Platform type ( run bootinfo p on client )
• rspc, rs6k or chrp
• To start a client Bos installation nimjs
• Prerequisites
• 1.Define the client as a NIM client first.
• 2.What BOS installation type ( rtr, spot or
  mksysb )
• 3.Push or poll installation

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Start poll installation for client

• From SMS Main Menu
• 7. Select Boot Options
• 2. Select Boot Devices
• 1. Select 1st Boot Device
• 6. Network
• Select the
  network interface

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About NIMJS

• What does nimjs script do
• 1.Things listed in the build check list
• 2.Additional filesets for fiber card,xvfb, and
  java
• 3.Enable no prompts installation.
• 4.Assume hdisk0 for rootvg.
• 5.Create /products with 2G space.
• 6.Increase the default number of logins to 50
• 7.Set the ulimit values.
• 8. Install 64-bit kernel if its possible

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Reference

• NIM A to Z
• http//www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/SG245524.htm
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