6 Managing RIS Clients and Environments

Use the ris utility to manage RIS environments and clients. This chapter includes the following topics:

Preparing to register RIS clients (Section 6.1)

Adding a client with the ris utility (Section 6.2)

Adding a client from the command line (Section 6.3)

Modifying a client (Section 6.4)

Removing a client (Section 6.5)

Listing registered clients (Section 6.6)

Listing software products in RIS areas (Section 6.7)

Deleting software products from RIS areas (Section 6.8)

Correcting entries in the RIS gateways file (Section 6.9)

6.1 Preregistration Tasks

Before you register RIS clients, gather the information required for each one. The RIS Client Configuration Worksheet in Appendix A will help you organize your information as you register clients. Fill out a worksheet for each client you want to register.

Perform the following tasks to prepare to register clients:

Obtain information about each client and fill out a copy of the RIS Client Configuration Worksheet from Appendix A. (Section 6.1.1)

Register each client's host name and Internet Protocol (IP) address in the RIS server's /etc/hosts file and on your local area network with any name servers for Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) Service and Network Information Service (NIS). (Section 6.1.2)

6.1.1 Obtaining Information About Each Client

You need the following information about each processor you plan to register as a client:

Host name (refer to Section 6.2 for host name restrictions)

The RIS environments you want to make available to the client

The client's hardware network address

The address of the gateway from the client to the server, if the server and client are on different networks

The type of network where the client is connected: Ethernet, FDDI, or Token Ring

Whether or not you want to use a profile set during installation (refer to Chapter 7 for information about profile sets)

6.1.2 Registering Client Host Names and IP Addresses

Make sure that your clients are registered with the naming services available on your LAN:

The RIS server's /etc/hosts file

Any Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) server

Any Network Information Services (NIS) server

Use the Network Configuration Application to place each client processor's host name and IP (Internet Protocol) address in the /etc/hosts file when you first set up your LAN. Refer to the Network Administration manual for information about the Network Configuration Application.

You also can place the host name and IP address in the /etc/hosts file with a text editor such as vi. The host name and IP address for each client processor must be unique. Refer to the hosts(4) reference page for information about the /etc/hosts file.

Refer to the Network Administration guide for information about setting up NIS and the BIND Configuration Application.

6.2 Adding a RIS Client with the ris Utility

Follow this procedure to add a RIS client:

Log in as root or use the su command to gain superuser privileges.

Enter /usr/sbin/ris to start the ris utility. You see the RIS Utility Main Menu:

*** RIS Utility Main Menu ***
 
Choices without key letters are not available.
 
a) ADD a client
d) DELETE software products
i) INSTALL software products
 ) LIST registered clients
 ) MODIFY a client
 ) REMOVE a client
s) SHOW software products in remote installation environments
x) EXIT
 
Enter your choice:

Enter a to select ADD a client. You see the following prompt:

You have chosen to add a client for remote installation services.
 
The following conditions must be met to add a client:
 
1. You must know the client processor's hostname.
2. The client's hostname must be in your system's host
   database(s).
3. You must know whether the client is on an Ethernet, FDDI,
   or Token Ring network.
4. You must know the client's hardware Ethernet, FDDI, or
   Token Ring address if the client is registering to install
   operating system software.
5. If the client and the server reside on different subnets,
   you will need the address of the gateway(s)
   that the client can use to communicate with the server.
 
Do you want to continue? (y/n) [y]:

Enter y to continue. You see the following prompt:

Enter the client processor's hostname: client1

Enter the client's host name.

Caution

Only lowercase letters ( a-z ), numerals ( 0-9 ), and the period ( . ) and dash ( - ) characters are permitted in host names, which must begin with a letter. Invalid host names can corrupt the RIS database. The client must not be registered on another RIS or DMS server as a client.
The client processor must be registered with the appropriate naming service (Section 6.1.2) or you cannot register the client with RIS. If the client is not registered with the appropriate naming service, the ris utility displays an error message and repeats the prompt.

What you see next depends upon whether you have hardware product kits installed on your RIS server.

If you do not have hardware product kits installed on your RIS server, you see a prompt similar to the following, which shows (in this example) two RIS environments:

Select the remote installation environment:
 
1)  /usr/var/adm/ris/ris2.alpha
      'Tru64 UNIX V5.0 Operating System (Rev nnn)'
 
2)  /usr/var/adm/ris/ris3.alpha
      'Tru64 UNIX V5.0A Operating System (Rev nnn)'
 
 
Enter your choice or press RETURN to quit:

Enter the RIS environment where you want to add the client, for example: 2. You see a prompt similar to the following:

Select one or more products for the client to install
from /usr/var/adm/ris/ris3.alpha:
 
Product    Description
  1    'Tru64 UNIX V5.0A Operating System (Rev nnn)'
 
Enter one or more choices as a space-separated list
 
(for example, 1 2 3) or all for all products [all]:

Enter the number of the product you want this client to be able to install, for example: 1. You see a prompt similar to the following:
```
You chose the following products:
 
  1    'Tru64 UNIX V5.0A Operating System (Rev nnn)'
 
Is that correct? (y/n) [y]:
```

If you have hardware product kits installed on your RIS server, you see a prompt similar to the following, which shows (in this example) one RIS environment:

The existing environment is /var/adm/ris/ris0.alpha.
 
Select one or more products for the client to install
from /var/adm/ris/ris0.alpha:
 
Product    Description
   1    'Tru64 UNIX V5.0A Operating System (Rev nnn )' with
        'MYVGASTATIC software version 1' 
   2    'MYVGASTATIC software version 1'
 
Enter one or more choices as a space-separated list
(for example, 1 2 3) or "all" for all products [all]:

Enter all.

Caution

You must enter all for the new hardware support to be loaded during the installation process.

You see a prompt similar to the following:


You chose the following products: 
 
   1    'Tru64 UNIX V5.0A Operating System (Rev nnn )' with
        'MYVGASTATIC software version 1' 
   2    'MYVGASTATIC software version 1'
 
Is that correct? (y/n) [y]:

Enter y to confirm your selection.
What happens next depends upon whether profile sets reside on the RIS server. Refer to Chapter 7 for information about profile sets.
- If no such profile sets reside on the RIS server, the ris utility proceeds to the next step.
- If profile sets reside on this RIS server, you see the following prompt:
```
Do you want to specify an Installation Profile Set for use
during the installation of this client? [y/n] [n]:
```
  Choose one of the following options:
  - Enter n if you do not want to specify a profile set for Installation Cloning. The ris utility proceeds to the next step.
  - Enter y to specify a profile set for Installation Cloning. You see a prompt similar to the following:
```
This RIS server has the following Installation Profile Sets available:
 
Astation400 Astation400a rz26
 
Enter a set name or press <Return> to exit set selection:
```
    If you select a profile set, the ris utility validates it before proceeding. If you do not want to select an available profile set, press [Return].

You see the following prompt:

Network type:
 
     1) Ethernet or FDDI
     2) Token Ring
 
Enter your choice:

Select the type of network where the client is connected, for example: 1 for Ethernet.
- If the server and client are connected to the same network, the ris utility proceeds to the next step.
- If the server and client are on different networks, the ris utility looks at the /var/adm/ris/gateways file and displays the gateway information needed for the client to connect to the server:
```
Using nn.nn.nnn.nnn for gateway address between client and server subnet.
If this gateway address is incorrect, please refer to the Sharing Software
on a Local Area Network book for information on how to correct it.
 
 
```
  If the displayed gateway address is incorrect, follow the instructions in Section 6.9 to correct this information.
- If you selected the base operating system for the RIS client to install, you see the following prompt:
```
Enter the client processor's hardware network address. 
For example, 08-00-2b-02-67-e1:
```
  Enter the RIS client's hardware network address.
  - If you do not know the RIS client's hardware network address, refer to Section 2.6.
  - If you are adding a cluster member as a RIS client, enter the cluster member's actual hardware network address.
  - If you are adding a cluster alias as a RIS client, enter a fictitious hardware address, for example: 00-00-00-00-00-01.
  Caution
  
  If you do not enter the address in the correct format, the ris utility displays an error message and repeats the prompt. The ris utility checks your entry's format but does not verify its validity.
You see a message similar to the following:
```
Client client1 has been added.
```

6.3 Adding a RIS Client from the Command Line

You can add a single RIS client from the command line by invoking the ris utility with its -a option. Other options supply the network address, path, and product list. Use the following syntax for the ris utility:

/usr/sbin/ris -a clientname -h network-address -p path,product [,product...]

For example:

# /usr/sbin/ris -a fargo -h xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx -p ris0.alpha,prod_001

6.4 Modifying RIS Clients

You can modify a RIS client's network type, hardware network address, its RIS environment information, and the list of products it can install. You cannot modify a client's IP or routing information. To modify a client's entry, follow these steps:

Log in as root or use the su command to gain superuser privileges.

Start the ris utility:

# /usr/sbin/ris

You see the RIS Utility Main Menu:

*** RIS Utility Main Menu ***
 
Choices without key letters are not available.
 
a) ADD a client
d) DELETE software products
i) INSTALL software products
l) LIST registered clients
m) MODIFY a client
r) REMOVE a client
s) SHOW software products in remote installation environments
x) EXIT
 
Enter your choice:

Enter m to select MODIFY a client. You see a prompt similar to the following:

The following clients are available to modify: 
 
client01 client02 client03 client04
 
Enter the client processor's hostname or press RETURN to quit:

Enter the client name, for example: client01. You see a prompt similar to the following:

Select the remote installation environment:
 
    1)  /var/adm/ris/ris10.alpha
	  'Tru64 UNIX V5.0 Operating System ( Rev nnn )'
 
    2)  /var/adm/ris/ris11.alpha
	  'Tru64 UNIX V5.0A Operating System ( Rev nnn )'
 
 
Enter your choice or press RETURN to quit:

Enter the number of the RIS environment you want, for example: 2. You see a prompt similar to the following:

Select one or more products for the client to install
from /var/adm/ris/ris11.alpha:
 
Product    Description
   1    'Tru64 UNIX V5.0A Operating System ( Rev nnn )'
 
Enter one or more choices as a space-separated list
(for example, 1 2 3) or "all" for all products [all]:

Enter the numbers of the products you want to install, or press [Return] for all products. You see a prompt similar to the following:
```
You chose the following products: 
 
   1    'Tru64 UNIX V5.0A Operating System ( Rev nnn )'
 
Is that correct? (y/n) [y]:
```

Enter y to verify your selection. You see a prompt similar to the following:

Enter the client processor's hardware network address.  For
example, 08-00-2b-02-67-e1 [xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx]:

Enter your client's hardware network address, or press [Return] if the default is correct. The default is the client's existing hardware address. Refer to Section 2.6 for information about determining a system's hardware network address.
You see the following prompt:
```
Do you want to specify an Installation Profile Set for use
during the installation of this client? [y/n] [n]:
```

In this example, enter n. Refer to Chapter 7 for information about RIS profile sets.
You see the following prompt:
```
Network type:
	1) Ethernet or FDDI
	2) Token Ring
 
Enter your choice [1]:
```

Enter your network type, for example: 1 to select Ethernet. You see a prompt similar to the following:

Using nn.nn.nnn.nnn for gateway address between client and 
server subnet. If this gateway address is incorrect, please 
refer to the Sharing Software on a Local Area Network book 
for information on how to correct it.
 
 
Client client01 has been modified.
 
*** RIS Utility Main Menu ***
 
a) ADD a client
d) DELETE software products
i) INSTALL software products
l) LIST registered clients
m) MODIFY a client
r) REMOVE a client
s) SHOW software products in remote installation environments
x) EXIT
 
Enter your choice:

Note

To modify a RIS client's IP or routing information, remove the client and add it with the modified information.

6.5 Removing RIS Clients

To remove a RIS client, follow these steps:

Log in as root or use the su command to gain superuser privileges.

Start the ris utility:

# /usr/sbin/ris

You see the RIS Utility Main Menu:

*** RIS Utility Main Menu ***
 
Choices without key letters are not available.
 
a) ADD a client
d) DELETE software products
i) INSTALL software products
l) LIST registered clients
m) MODIFY a client
r) REMOVE a client
s) SHOW software products in remote installation environments
x) EXIT
 
Enter your choice:

Enter r to select REMOVE a client. You see a prompt similar to the following:

You have chosen to remove a client from the remote installation
services.
 
Enter the client processor's hostname or press RETURN to quit:

Enter the client's host name, for example: client01. You see a prompt similar to the following:
```
Remove client01? (y/n) [n]:
```

Enter y to confirm the removal. You see the RIS Utility Main Menu.

You also can use a ris command line to remove several clients at once. The following example removes the clients boston and tulsa:


# /usr/sbin/ris -r boston tulsa

6.6 Listing Registered RIS Clients

Follow these steps to view registered RIS clients:

Log in as root or use the su command to gain superuser privileges.

Start the ris utility:

# /usr/sbin/ris

You see the RIS Utility Main Menu:

*** RIS Utility Main Menu ***
 
Choices without key letters are not available.
 
a) ADD a client
d) DELETE software products
i) INSTALL software products
l) LIST registered clients
m) MODIFY a client
r) REMOVE a client
s) SHOW software products in remote installation environments
x) EXIT
 
Enter your choice:

Enter l (lower-case L) to select LIST registered clients. You see a message similar to the following:

The following clients are registered for /var/adm/ris/ris10.alpha:
client02
 
The following clients are registered for /var/adm/ris/ris11.alpha:
client01 client03 client04

6.7 Listing Products in RIS Server Areas

Follow these steps to list the available product in RIS server areas:

Log in as root or use the su command to gain superuser privileges.

Start the ris utility:

# /usr/sbin/ris

You see the RIS Utility Main Menu:

*** RIS Utility Main Menu ***
 
Choices without key letters are not available.
 
a) ADD a client
d) DELETE software products
i) INSTALL software products
 ) LIST registered clients
 ) MODIFY a client
 ) REMOVE a client
s) SHOW software products in remote installation environments
x) EXIT
 
Enter your choice:

Enter s to select SHOW software products in remote installation environments. You see a prompt similar to the following:

    1)  /var/adm/ris/ris10.alpha
	  'Tru64 UNIX VAAA Operating System ( Rev nnn )'
 
    2)  /var/adm/ris/ris11.alpha
	  'Tru64 UNIX VBBB Operating System ( Rev nnn )'

You also can use the ris -s command to show the products installed in a server's area. For example:


# /usr/sbin/ris -s
 
Show Products in RIS Server Areas:
 
     1  /var/adm/ris/ris0.alpha
           Tru64 UNIX V5.0A Operating System (Rev nnn)

6.8 Deleting Products from RIS Server Areas

To delete one or more of the current products in a RIS area, invoke the ris utility and choose the option to delete products. The utility asks you to choose a RIS area and then guides you through the procedure to delete products.

Log in as root or use the su command to gain superuser privileges.

Start the ris utility:

# /usr/sbin/ris

You see the RIS Utility Main Menu:

*** RIS Utility Main Menu ***
 
Choices without key letters are not available.
 
a) ADD a client
d) DELETE software products
i) INSTALL software products
l) LIST registered clients
m) MODIFY a client
r) REMOVE a client
s) SHOW software products in remote installation environments
x) EXIT
 
Enter your choice:

Enter d to select DELETE software products. You see a prompt similar to the following:

Select the remote installation environment:
 
    1)  /usr/var/adm/ris/ris0.alpha
	  'Product 01'
	  'Product 02'
 
    2)  /usr/var/adm/ris/ris1.alpha
	  'Product 03'
	  'Product 04'
 
Enter your choice or press RETURN to quit:

Enter the number of the RIS area you want, for example: 2. You see a prompt similar to the following:

Select one or more products to delete from
/usr/var/adm/ris/ris1.alpha:
 
Product    Description
   1    'Product 03'
   2    'Product 04'
 
Enter one or more choices as a space-separated list
(for example, 1 2 3) or "all" for all products:

Enter the number of the product you want to delete, for example: 1. You see a prompt similar to the following:
```
You chose the following products: 
 
   1    'Product 03'
 
Is that correct? (y/n) [y]:
```

Enter y to confirm your selection.
RIS does not keep empty RIS areas. If there is only one product in the RIS area you selected, the ris utility verifies your intentions.
1. You see a prompt similar to the following:
```
After this deletion, the area /usr/var/adm/ris/ris1.alpha will be empty.
The following clients are registered for /usr/var/adm/ris/ris1.alpha:
client02
 
This procedure will remove /usr/var/adm/ris/ris1.alpha altogether and 
remove all clients registered to it. Do you wish to continue? (y/n) [n]:
```
2. Enter y if you want to delete the product, the RIS area, and all clients registered to the RIS area.
You see the RIS Utility Main Menu.

6.9 Correcting RIS Gateways File Entries

The /var/adm/ris/gateways file contains information about the address of the gateway between the client system and the RIS server. When you register a new client (Section 6.2), the ris utility queries this file to determine if a gateway is already specified for the client's network subnet. If not, you are prompted to supply the IP address of the gateway.

If you enter the gateway address incorrectly, log in as root (or use the su command to gain superuser privileges) and edit the /var/adm/ris/gateways file to correct the entry. Entries in the gateways file have the following format:

subnet_addr:gateway_addr

Example 6-1 shows a typical /var/adm/ris/gateways file:

Example 6-1: Sample /var/adm/ris/gateways File

16.168.64:16.168.64.1
16.69.240:16.69.224.199
16.140.144:16.140.144.2
16.69.144:16.69.144.199

After you correct the entries in this file, you must use the ris utility to remove all clients using the incorrect gateway address and register them again.