How to create GPFS 3.5 filesets with independant inode spaces

2013-05-28 by jhoblitt | 0 comments

One of the new features in GPFS 3.5 is that filesets can now have independent an “inode space”, ie it’s own inode table like a stand alone filesystem, and that one fileset can now inherent another fileset’s inode space. This new semantic means that snapshots of the root fileset (and it’s descendants) will not capture any filesets with independent inode spaces. Conversely, a snapshot of an independent fileset will capture only that fileset and any of it’s descendants.

Dealing with RPM “cpio: rename” package install/update errors

2013-05-24 by jhoblitt | 5 Comments

Occasionally, RPMs will set the xattr immutable flag on important libraries as a safety mechanism to try to prevent core OS breakage. Unfortunately, this will cause package upgrade failures with vague error messages. Eg.:

[root@archive ~]# yum update -y nss
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, priorities, security, upgrade-helper
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
 * epel: mirrors.sdm.noao.edu
Skipping security plugin, no data
Setting up Update Process
Resolving Dependencies
Skipping security plugin, no data
--> Running transaction check
---> Package nss.i386 0:3.13.6-3.el5_9 set to be updated
--> Finished Dependency Resolution

Dependencies Resolved

================================================================================
 Package       Arch           Version                   Repository         Size
================================================================================
Updating:
 nss           i386           3.13.6-3.el5_9            updates           1.1 M

Transaction Summary
================================================================================
Install       0 Package(s)
Upgrade       1 Package(s)

Total download size: 1.1 M
Downloading Packages:
nss-3.13.6-3.el5_9.i386.rpm                              | 1.1 MB     00:00     
Running rpm_check_debug
Running Transaction Test
Finished Transaction Test
Transaction Test Succeeded
Running Transaction
  Updating       : nss                                                      1/2 
Error unpacking rpm package nss-3.13.6-3.el5_9.i386
error: unpacking of archive failed on file /usr/lib/libfreebl3.so: cpio: rename

Failed:
  nss.i386 0:3.13.6-3.el5_9                                                     

Complete!

Continue Reading →

How to create a new GPFS 3.5 filesystem

2013-05-20 by jhoblitt | 0 comments

First we need to identify the block devices that will be part of the new filesystem. In this example, we’re creating a new filesystem from disks directly attached to only one GPFS server that already has existing filesystems with disks attached to multiple server nodes.

# lsscsi
[0:0:0:0]    disk    ATA      INTEL SSDSC2CW12 400i  /dev/sda 
[1:0:0:0]    disk    ATA      INTEL SSDSC2CW12 400i  /dev/sdb 
[6:0:8:0]    enclosu LSI CORP SAS2X36          0717  -       
[6:0:9:0]    enclosu LSI CORP SAS2X36          0717  -       
[6:1:12:0]   enclosu LSI      SAS2X36          0e0b  -       
[6:1:34:0]   enclosu LSI      SAS2X36          0e0b  -       
[6:2:0:0]    disk    LSI      MR9286CV-8e      3.23  /dev/sdc 
[6:2:1:0]    disk    LSI      MR9286CV-8e      3.23  /dev/sdd 
[6:2:2:0]    disk    LSI      MR9286CV-8e      3.23  /dev/sde 
[6:2:3:0]    disk    LSI      MR9286CV-8e      3.23  /dev/sdf 
[6:2:4:0]    disk    LSI      MR9286CV-8e      3.23  /dev/sdg 
[6:2:5:0]    disk    LSI      MR9286CV-8e      3.23  /dev/sdh 
[6:2:6:0]    disk    LSI      MR9286CV-8e      3.23  /dev/sdi 
[6:2:7:0]    disk    LSI      MR9286CV-8e      3.23  /dev/sdj 
#  mmlsnsd -m | grep `hostname`
 foo_nsd1 8CFC1C0B507CC600   /dev/sdc       foo.example.com     server node
 foo_nsd2 8CFC1C0B507CC602   /dev/sdd       foo.example.com     server node
 foo_nsd3 8CFC1C0B507CC605   /dev/sde       foo.example.com     server node
 foo_nsd4 8CFC1C0B5122CB3C   /dev/sdf       foo.example.com     server node

By manually comparing the two lists of block devices, we see that /dev/sd[ghij] are the new block devices that don’t have a GPFS NSD.

We need to create an NSD for each new block device.
Continue Reading →

How to create a GPFS 3.5 cluster

2013-05-01 by jhoblitt | 0 comments

I recently realized that I never cleaned up and posted my notes about GPFS cluster creation. Here is a trivial example of a single node GPFS “cluster” with a single node in it.

Creating the cluster requires at least one qourum node. GPFS requires that any quorum node must be licensed as a GPFS server. Thus the smallest possible GPFS cluster is one GPFS server.

# echo "foo1:manager-quorum" > nodes.txt
[root@foo1 ~]# mmcrcluster -N nodes.txt -p foo1 -r /usr/bin/ssh -R /usr/bin/scp -C foo -U example.com -A
mmhost:getnameinfo: Cannot resolve 10.10.10.11; Name or service not known.
mmcrcluster: Incorrect node foo1 specified for command.
mmcrcluster: Command failed.  Examine previous error messages to determine cause.

It often bites me on a new cluster build that reverse DNS hasn’t yet been setup. This will cause cluster creation to fail, even with a single node.
Continue Reading →

How to disable Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology Enterprise

2013-04-26 by jhoblitt | 0 comments

See also my previous post on How to disable Intel(R) Embedded Server RAID Technology II.

It seems that Embedded Server RAID Technology II, or some variant there of, re-branded as “Rapid Storage Technology enterpise” has made at least one small inovation. That is a menu option to change connect disks from “RAID” to “Non-RAID” node. 😉