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Chapter 3

Installing and Configuring the nhinstall Tool

The nhinstall tool enables you to install and configure the software and services on your cluster nodes. You install and configure the nhinstall tool on the installation server.

You can use the nhinstall tool to install a cluster that consists of master-eligible nodes and diskless nodes. If you want to install a cluster with dataless nodes, see Part III, Manually Installing and Configuring the Software on the Cluster.

For information about setting up the installation environment and configuring the nhinstall tool, see the following sections:

Overview of Installing With the nhinstall Tool

The nhinstall tool enables you to install and configure the Foundation Services on the cluster. This tool must be installed on an installation server. The installation server must be connected to your cluster. For details on how to connect nodes of the cluster and the installation server, see the Netra High Availability Suite Foundation Services 2.1 6/03 Hardware Guide.

The nhinstall tool runs on the installation server. This tool installs the Solaris operating system and the Foundation Services on the nodes of the cluster. The nhinstall tool does not support the installation and configuration of dataless nodes in a cluster. For a description of the types of nodes in a cluster, see the Netra High Availability Suite Foundation Services 2.1 6/03 Overview.

The following table lists the tasks for installing the software with the nhinstall tool. The tasks should be performed in the order shown.

Table 3-1 Tasks for Installing the Software by Using the nhinstall Tool

 

Task

For Instructions

1.

Choose the software.

Chapter 2, Choosing Your Software 

2.

Prepare the installation environment.

Preparing the Installation Environment 

3.

Install the nhinstall tool on the installation server.

Installing the nhinstall Tool 

4.

Configure the nhinstall tool.

Configuring the nhinstall Tool 

5.

Install the software using the nhinstall tool.

Chapter 4, Installing the Software by Using the nhinstall Tool 

6.

Verify that the cluster is configured correctly.

Verifying the Installation 

Preparing the Installation Environment

Before installing the nhinstall tool on the installation server, you must create a Solaris distribution on the installation server. You must also prepare the installation server to install the Solaris operating system and the Foundation Services on the cluster nodes.

ProcedureTo Create a Solaris Distribution on the Installation Server

To install the Solaris operating system on the cluster, create a Solaris distribution on the installation server. The Solaris distribution is used to install the Solaris operating system on the cluster nodes. If you are installing more than one Solaris distribution on the cluster, perform the steps in the procedure for each Solaris distribution.

  1. Make sure that you have at least 1.5 Gbytes of free disk space on the installation server.

  2. Log in as superuser on the installation server.

  3. Create a directory for the Solaris distribution:

    # mkdir Solaris-distribution-dir

    where Solaris-distribution-dir is the directory where the distribution is to be stored on the installation server.

  4. Change to the directory where the setup_install_server command is located:

    # cd Solaris-dir/Solaris_x/Tools

    • Solaris-dir is the directory that contains the Solaris installation software. This directory could be on a CD-ROM or in an NFS-shared directory.

    • x is 8 or 9 depending on the Solaris version you want to install.

  5. Run the setup_install_server command:

    # ./setup_install_server Solaris-distribution-dir

    For more information about the setup_install_server command, see the appropriate documentation:

    • Solaris 8 Advanced Installation Guide and the setup_install_server(1M) man page

    • Solaris 9 Installation Guide and the setup_install_server(1M) man page

ProcedureTo Prepare the Installation Server

Before you begin the installation process, make sure that the installation server is configured correctly.

  1. Configure the installation server as described in the Netra High Availability Suite Foundation Services 2.1 6/03 Hardware Guide.

  2. If you are planning to install remotely from another system, open a shell window to connect to the installation server.

  3. Confirm that the Solaris software packages that contain Perl 5.0 are installed on the installation server.

    Use the pkginfo command to check for the SUNWpl5u, SUNWpl5p, and SUNWpl5m Perl packages.

  4. Delete any entries for your cluster nodes in the following files:

    • /etc/hosts

    • /etc/ethers, if the file exists

    • /etc/bootparams, if the file exists

  5. Disable the installation server as a router by creating an /etc/notrouter file:

    # touch /etc/notrouter

    If a system running the Solaris operating system has two network interfaces, the system is configured as a router by default. However, for security reasons, a Foundation Services cluster network must not be routed.

  6. Modify the /etc/nsswitch.conf file on the installation server so that files is positioned before nis in the hosts, ethers, and bootparams entries:

    hosts: files nis
    ethers: files nis
    bootparams: files nis

  7. From the installation server, open a terminal window to connect to the console of each cluster node.

    You can also connect to the consoles from the system that you use to connect to the installation server.

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