Linux Clustering With Csm and Gpfs

6.6 Software maintenance system (SMS)

It is a very common task to install software on nodes in a cluster. CSM includes SMS, code that can be used to install or update RPMs on the nodes from the management node. SMS uses dsh from the management node to install RPMs from a directory that is NFS exported from the management node.

SMS can be used much like the rpm command, to add, remove and query packages from the Linux distribution media, across the cluster. For example, to install xcpustate from the CD set in /csminstall/Linux/RedHat/7.3/i386/RedHat, run:

# smsupdatenode -ai xcpustate-2.5-11.i386.rpm

xcpustate may be removed again with:

# smsupdatenode -ae --nodeps xcpustate

Non distribution packages may be placed in /csminstall/Linux/RedHat/7.3/i386/RedHat/updates and installed the same way; this is how we install the GPFS RPMs in 7.4.1, "Installing the source files" on page 205.

A further useful feature is the ability to automatically update any installed packages on the nodes. Copy any desired updates from RedHat to /csminstall/Linux/RedHat/7.3/i386/RedHat/updates and then run:

# smsupdatenode -a

This will apply fixes for packages that are already installed on the nodes but not install anything new.

Updates may be copied only to a subset of the nodes by a directory corresponding to that group. For example, updates placed in /csminstall/Linux/RedHat/7.3/i386/RedHat/updates/GpfsNodes will only be installed on nodes in the GpfsNodes group.