HP XC System Software Installation Guide Version 3.1

2 Installing Software on the Head Node
This chapter contains an overview of the software installation process and describes software installation
tasks. These tasks must be performed in the following order:
• “Task 1: Gather Information Required for the Installation” (page 35)
• “Task 2: Start the Installation Process” (page 37)
• “Task 3: Install Additional RPMs from the HP XC DVD” (page 39)
• “Task 4: Install Additional Software from Local Distribution Media” (page 40)
2.1 Software Installation Overview
This section provides a summary of the software installation process, a description of the software stack,
information about the Kickstart installation file, and a description of the default file system layout that is
applied to the installation disk.
2.1.1 Kickstart Installation Process
The XC software installation process begins on the head node and is based on the Kickstart automated
installation process. The HP XC Kickstart process uses a predefined configuration file that contains the
answers to many of the questions required to install the base operating system for an HP XC system.
The single HP XC DVD software distribution contains a bootable installation image and an embedded
Kickstart file. When you issue the command to initiate a Kickstart installation, the installation process
finds the Kickstart file on the DVD, and the Kickstart file then controls the base operating system installation
after you provide a few required responses.
After the head node is installed, it eventually also becomes the golden client, which is the node that
represents the configuration from which all other nodes are replicated.
Log Files
A record of the HP XC installation process and the installed HP XC RPMs is stored in the
/var/log/postinstall.log file. A record of the base Gnu/Linux system installation is stored in the
/root/install.log file.
2.1.2 HP XC Software Stack
The HP XC software stack consists of a combination of HP proprietary, third-party, and open source
software products. Table 2-1 alphabetically lists the software products that are contained in the HP XC
software stack. These software products are contained on a single DVD and are installed automatically
by the HP XC software installation process.
Table 2-1 HP XC Software Stack
DescriptionSoftware Product Name
HP MPI provides optimized libraries for message passing designed specifically to
make high-performance use of the system interconnect. HP MPI complies fully
with the MPI-1.2 standard. HP MPI also complies with the MPI-2 standard, with
restrictions.
HP MPI
HP XC System Software provides the installation, configuration, administration,
and management tools to support HP XC systems on HP Cluster Platforms 3000,
4000, and 6000.
HP XC System Software Version 3.1
HPC Linux provides Linux ABI (Application Binary Interface) compatibility, which
provides:
• The ability to run binary serial codes from compatible Linux systems
• Access to community-developed software and access to a large application
catalog
HPC Linux for High Performance Computing
LVS provides a system alias that enables user logins to be distributed across multiple
login nodes and single system sign-on for both users and administrators.
Linux Virtual Server (LVS)
2.1 Software Installation Overview 33