This manual describes the Remote Installation Services (RIS) and Dataless Management Services (DMS) environments and utilities maintained on a Compaq Tru64TM UNIX® (formerly DIGITAL UNIX) operating system.
RIS is used for installing software kits across a network from a centrally administered server instead of using locally mounted media.
DMS lets client systems share the
/usr
and
/var
file systems on a centrally administered server
over a network while still maintaining their own root ( / ) file system.
This book is intended for anyone using the Remote Installation Services (RIS) or the Dataless Management Services (DMS), especially those system administrators responsible for maintaining RIS and DMS environments on your LAN. The following assumptions are made:
Your hardware is working properly.
You have read the owner's manuals supplied with your hardware.
You know the location and function of the controls and indicators on your hardware.
You understand how to load and unload the installation media and any disks needed during the installation.
You know how to use the operating system software.
This manual has been revised for the current release. The following list describes the major changes made to this book:
Chapter 8 has been rewritten with new information about setting up cloned installations with RIS.
The
bootpd
bootstrap daemon has been moved
to the Obsolete Commands and Utilities (Obsolete Components) subset (OSFOBSOLETE440).
References to
bootpd
have been updated to reflect this change.
References to the Installation Guide in this document have been updated.
Appendix C
has been added to provide information on using the
utilupdate
utility.
Glossary definitions are provided for the configuration description file (CDF) and the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP).
This manual is organized as follows:
| Chapter 1 | Introduces the concept of servers and clients. This chapter explains what a server is, what a client is, and how they work together. It also describes the basic architecture of the server/client environment. |
| Chapter 2 | Describes the relationship between the RIS server and clients. |
| Chapter 3 | Lists the formats in which distribution media are available and describes the preliminary setup procedures for RIS. |
| Chapter 4 | Describes the procedure for setting up a RIS server, including installing and updating software. |
| Chapter 5 | Describes networking-related files and daemons
used by the
ris
utility and the process a client goes through
when it boots over the network. |
| Chapter 6 | Describes processes and procedures for maintaining and managing a RIS system, including adding, deleting, and modifying clients and clients' setups. |
| Chapter 7 | Provides information on troubleshooting problems with RIS clients. |
| Chapter 8 | Describes the installation cloning process and explains how to use RIS to set up and manage cloned installations. |
| Chapter 9 | Provides the introduction to Dataless Management
Services and the dataless management utility (dmu). |
| Chapter 10 | Describes how to prepare a server system for DMS. |
| Chapter 11 | Describes the steps necessary to configure a DMS server including how to install software into a DMS environment. |
| Chapter 12 | Describes how to use the dataless management
utility (dmu) to add, modify, remove, and list DMS clients.
It also describes how to show and delete a DMS environment, and how to apply
a binary patch to the kernel. |
| Chapter 13 | Provides information on troubleshooting problems with DMS clients. |
| Appendix A | Contains a worksheet to use in the RIS installation process. |
| Appendix B | Contains worksheets to calculate space requirements on DMS servers and clients. Also included is a client setup worksheet. |
| Appendix C | Describes the
utilupdate
utility. |
You should have the following documentation available:
The hardware documentation for your system
Reference Pages Sections 8 and 1m
The printed version of the Tru64 UNIX documentation set is color coded to help specific audiences quickly find the books that meet their needs. (You can order the printed documentation from Compaq.) This color coding is reinforced with the use of an icon on the spines of books. The following list describes this convention:
| Audience | Icon | Color Code |
| General users | G | Blue |
| System and network administrators | S | Red |
| Programmers | P | Purple |
| Device driver writers | D | Orange |
| Reference page users | R | Green |
Some books in the documentation set help meet the needs of several audiences. For example, the information in some system books is also used by programmers. Keep this in mind when searching for information on specific topics.
The Documentation Overview provides information on all of the books in the Tru64 UNIX documentation set.
Compaq welcomes any comments and suggestions you have on this and other Tru64 UNIX manuals.
You can send your comments in the following ways:
Fax: 603-884-0120 Attn: UBPG Publications, ZKO3-3/Y32
Internet electronic mail:
readers_comment@zk3.dec.com
A Reader's Comment form is located on your system in the following location:
/usr/doc/readers_comment.txt
Mail:
Compaq Computer Corporation
UBPG Publications Manager
ZKO3-3/Y32
110 Spit Brook Road
Nashua, NH 03062-9987
A Reader's Comment form is located in the back of each printed manual. The form is postage paid if you mail it in the United States.
Please include the following information along with your comments:
The full title of the book and the order number. (The order number is printed on the title page of this book and on its back cover.)
The section numbers and page numbers of the information on which you are commenting.
The version of Tru64 UNIX that you are using.
If known, the type of processor that is running the Tru64 UNIX software.
The Tru64 UNIX Publications group cannot respond to system problems or technical support inquiries. Please address technical questions to your local system vendor or to the appropriate Compaq technical support office. Information provided with the software media explains how to send problem reports to Compaq.
The following conventions are used in this manual:
%$A percent sign represents the C shell system prompt. A dollar sign represents the system prompt for the Bourne, Korn, and POSIX shells.
#A number sign represents the superuser prompt.
% catBoldface type in interactive examples indicates typed user input.
Italic (slanted) type indicates variable values, placeholders, and function argument names.
In syntax definitions, brackets indicate items that are optional and braces indicate items that are required. Vertical bars separating items inside brackets or braces indicate that you choose one item from among those listed.
coloredtext
In syntax definitions, literal elements are colored green. Variable values, placeholders, and function argument names are colored red. No special colored text is used outside of syntax descriptions.
cat(1)A cross-reference to a reference page includes the appropriate section
number in parentheses.
For example,
cat(1)
indicates that you can find information on the
cat
command in Section 1 of the reference pages.
In an example, a key name enclosed in a box indicates that you press that key.
This symbol indicates that you hold down the first named key while pressing the key or mouse button that follows the slash. In examples, this key combination is enclosed in a box (for example, [Ctrl/C] ).