When you create the O/S Image Volume and specify the O/S vendor, the O/S release, and the O/S architecture, you are encouraged to use a strict naming convention to maintain consistency.
Adopting a consistent naming policy ensures that the Lab Management code can correctly identify and use the data that you supply. When you specify the package and patch information, the naming rules can be less strict as this data only appears in one place.
The O/S Image Volume hosts the additional packages that you want to install on the Client Node during the installation of each node, the supported O/S and CD images, and so forth. See Steps for the details to create this volume.
The directory structure under the O/S Image Volume follows a strict naming convention for the O/S. For example, if you add a particular O/S, you have to name it in a certain way so that other parts of the Lab Management code can use it correctly. In other words, you cannot name the O/S randomly.
There are three main areas to name:
The path to specify the O/S is:
os/<os_vendor>/<os_release>/<os_arch>This table lists examples of the naming convention that you could use to specify the four vendors that Lab Management supports and their associated O/S releases and architecture types.
|
Example Path |
<os_vendor> |
<os_release> |
<os_arch> |
Comments |
|
os/redhat/3U7/i386 |
redhat |
3U7 |
i386 |
The example path specifies Redhat Enterprise Linux 3, Update 7 with i386 architecture |
|
os/Microsoft/xp_pro/i386 |
Microsoft |
xp_pro |
i386 |
The example path specifies Microsoft XP Professional with i386 architecture |
|
os/sun/10u3/sparc |
sun |
10u3 |
sparc |
The example path specifies Sun Microsystem's Solaris 10, Update 3 with SPARC architecture |
| os/CentOS/cent4U4/x86_64 |
CentOS |
cent3U8 |
x86_64 |
The example path specifies CentOS' CentOS 4, Update 4 with x86_64 architecture |
You can use any naming convention to specify the vendor, the O/S release, and the O/S architecture. The important point is that you must be consistent internallyand use the same names in other areas of the Lab Management code (such as the profiles and the boot files).
Lab Management recommends that you use the vendor names that it currently supports as literals (listed in the previous table). Doing so guarantees that your Lab Management installation works with CollabNet's supplied sample profiles out-of-the-box.
You can adopt your own naming conventions for the O/S release and the architecture type values. In doing so, you must modify each of the sample profiles that ship with Lab Management to use them in your environment.
The Lab Management Profile uses the <os_vendor>, <os_name>, <os_release>, and <os_arch>variables to map to where the O/S images are actually located during the installation. The Profile concatenates the strings to construct the path to the images. If the naming convention is inconsistent, Lab Management cannot locate the images.
Adopting consistent naming for the O/S variables is also important for the boot files in the /tftpboot directory on the Manager Node. The <os_release>and the <os_arch>variables are embedded in the boot image names:
vmlinuz-<os_release>-<os_arch>
initrd-<os_release>-<os_arch>
Based on the corresponding <os_*>variables in the profile, Lab Management picks the correct boot images and passes them to the Client Nodes during installation.
To store content that you copy over from the corresponding CDs or the different OS releases, you use this path:
os/<os_vendor>/<os_release>/<os_arch>/<CD_images>
You can enable Microsoft Windows' users to install additional Windows components (for example, language packs) after a Client Node is built and make various Windows CD images available to Lab Management users.
Copy the CD images to the following directory:
os/Microsoft/CD_ROM/Windows -<os_release>
The naming convention to specify a package is not as strict as it is for the O/S. To name a package, specify its location by providing the path in your Profile to point to it. Use a name that will help you to readily identify it.
Lab Management recommends, however, that you be consistent in the use of version and O/S names if they are used in naming the package.
Because the package name appears in only one place in the Lab Management code (your Profile), adopting a consistent naming format is not critical. The only requirement is to be sure that you specify the correct path in your profiles.
Similar to naming a package, you can choose a directory structure that is easy for you to name and maintain to identify a patch. Lab Management does not have any file-naming requirements to specify a patch. Enter the pathname that you created for the patch location in your profile and specify the correct path in your profiles.