End of general user support for Scientific Linux CERN 5 (SLC5) - 31st of March 2017

Linux @ CERN

CERN > IT > Linux

Before you start
  • Check that your machine is properly registered (in case it is on the CERN network)

  • Check that CERN Domain Name Service is updated for your machine (in case it is in the CERN network):
      host yourmachine command should return an answer.

  • If the system you are installing on is one of CERN standard types: Please check for hardware-specific instructions.

  • Check that your machine meets minimum system requirements
    • Memory: Minimum 256 MB (system will run with less but performance may be affected)
    • Processor: 300 Mhz i686 / athlon (or compatible)
    • Disk space: 3 GB (including 1 GB user data) for default setup ( 1 GB for customized setup)
    • For Athlon 64/Opteron/Intel with EM64T and Itanium 2 systems minimum memory requirement is 512 MB.

  • Please see our media-less installation procedure at: Linux Installation, if you use it you may skip following points up to system installation.

  • Prepare boot media (you will need a single recordable CD or USB memory key).
    ( Check the Boot Media preparation page for instructions how to prepare (and check) your boot media.)


  • Following installation methods are supported:
    • http - the default one.
    • ftp
    • NFS NFS installation method has been removed at the beginning of 2013.
    (Please note: If your system is located outside of CERN network ONLY http install method will work.)

  • The installation server is:
    • linuxsoft.cern.ch

  • The installation path for all above methods is:
    • /cern/slc5X/i386/            (for 32 bit systems.)
    • /cern/slc5X/x86_64/        (for 64 bit systems.)
    • /cern/slc5X/ia64/            (for 64 bit Itanium 2 systems.)

  
 

System installation
Linux installation prompt
- this screen is shown only when booting from CD/DVD.
Installation language selection
Keyboard selection
- standard CERN PCs are delivered with US keyboard.
Installation method selection
- recommended method is HTTP.
Network setup
Note: Disable IPv6 configuration on your system: for now at CERN IPv6 is not routed and selecting this option will slow-down your system startup.
Note: CERN is providing a DHCP service for all systems registered on the network. Please verify on Network Connection page that system you are installing SLC on can obtain IP address automatically (HCP Response).
Specification of the Linux installation image location. The default values should be OK.


Note: Upgrade from previous SLC versions is NOT SUPPORTED.
Partitioning of the hard drive.
Automatic partioning option will preallocate separate /boot, swap and / partitions (/boot of 128 or 256 MB, swap of the size of system memory and / using the rest of available disk space).
Boot loader settings.
Network devices settings.
Note: if you set the hostname manually, we recommend that you specify a Fully Qualified HostName, ie. lxtest.cern.ch
Time zone settings.
Root (administrative account) password setting.
Note We advise to choose CERN Recommended Setup for Workstations option
This screen gives also possibility of customizing package selection: however this task can be also handled later after system installation.
For machines with small amounts of memory it may be useful to unselect the "Productivity" tools (ie. OpenOffice), which are huge and may block the installation.
System is about to start installation.
If changes of settings are needed this is last opportunity to click the Back button and make adjustments.
For next 10-20 minutes your system will be installing showing progress on screen.
Installation is complete, please confirm system restart.
 

Firstboot configuration adjustment
On first system boot, following configuration screens, allowing customization your system for use in CERN computing environment, will be shown.


Date & Time setup screen allows setting of system date and clock.
Note Select the network time protocol (NTP) tab. If your system clock is not synchronized with CERN time servers AFS authentication may fail.
If your node is on the CERN network, enter one or more of CERN time servers to the table (Or use 'lcm --configure ntpd' later.).
Sound card screen allows testing of the audio device.
CERN customization screen will allow setup of system updates mode and if AFS client should start on system boot. Site configuration defaults will be applied for Kerberos 5, sendmail ... etc setup
Note We recommend to accept default settings which should be correct for most of CERN users, these settings can be easily changed afterwards.


 

Logging in

After the first boot setup ends you will be presented with graphical login prompt, allowing the choice of session language and type. After choosing ...
... KDE
... or GNOME
session will start.
 

Manual post-install configuration adjustment
If you have selected not to run X graphical environment on your machine , or you have installed system using kickstart and you want to apply site configuration settings, here is a short recipe:
  • AFS client
    • Run /usr/sbin/lcm --configure ntpd afsclt to preconfigure AFS client for CERN site (and AFS logins)
    • Add client to system startup: /sbin/chkconfig --add afs
    • Start the client: /sbin/service afs start
  • Automatic update system (can also be set for machines outside CERN network)
      Edit /etc/sysconfig/yum-autoupdate and set:
    • YUMUPDATE=0 to be informed about available updates (by e-mail to root)
    • YUMUPDATE=1 for the automatic updates to be applied
      Next configure and start automatic update system:
    • /sbin/chkconfig --add yum-autoupdate
    • /sbin/service yum-autoupdate start
  • Apply CERN site configuration defaults
    • run /usr/sbin/lcm --configure srvtab (please note that in order to do so you need to run AFS client setup for CERN)
    • run /usr/sbin/lcm --configure krb5clt sendmail nscd ntpd chkconfig pine security ssh to setup other available defaults
      •    You can use /usr/sbin/lcm --list to see all configuration backends installed on your machine.
  • Check currently running/enabled services
    • via /sbin/chkconfig --list
    • turn off those services you don't need via /sbin/chkconfig servicename off; /sbin/service servicename stop
    • turn on other services (once you configured them) via /sbin/chkconfig servicename on,
      To immediately start the service (chkconfig just turns it on for the next reboot), use /sbin/service servicename start
 

Creating AFS user accounts
After the successfull installation and initial configuration of the system, if the computer is on the CERN network AFS user accounts can be added using following command , as root:
  • /usr/sbin/addusercern loginid

Forwarding root e-mails
To forward e-mails sent to the root account, simply edit (as root) the /root/.forward file. Example file: 
# cat /root/.forward
User.Name@cern.ch

Configuring printers
Centrally managed printers can be viewed,added or removed using as root following command:
  • /usr/sbin/lpadmincern printername --add
List of all printers available at CERN in given building can be obtained using:
  • /usr/sbin/lpadmincern --building XXXX --list

Enabling NetworkManager for wireless access
Mainly for laptops: NetworkManager is a service that runs on your system that allows you to easily set up your network connection, and it is especially useful if you need to configure a wireless connection. Unfortunately, by default NetworkManager is disabled so we have to enable it.
As root, run: 
# /sbin/chkconfig --level 345 NetworkManager on

This makes sure that the NetworkManager is started at boot time. To start it "by hand", simply run as root: 
# /sbin/service NetworkManager start

Applying software updates
You should update your system immediately after it's installation: Eventual security errata and bug fixes will be applied this way before you start using it.

As root run: 
 # /usr/bin/yum -y update
to apply all available updates.

For more information about system updates please check Software Management page.
For more information about system configuration please check Configuration Management page.