Cloning a PC

(copied from the old pctofdaq2 site -- version 2006)

A cloned image has been generated using G4U on pctofdaq2:/home/tof/image.gz

Here are the steps to create the image

• Install and update the first PC
• create a bootable CD with G4U
• Install an FTP server on XXXX.cern.ch (vsftpd)
• boot the PC from the G4U CD (if necessary, use an external CD reader)
• when prompted, type

uploaddisk tof@pctofdaq2NOSPAMPLEASE.cern.ch image.gz

Creating and compressing the image requires 3-4 hours to finish, and 7 GB of space.

Howto install a new PC from the cloned image

• Switch on the new PC and press DEL to edit the BIOS (tested on Elonex PCs) * go to the "Advanced" label * enter the "Advanced Chipset control" and enable "Legacy USB support"
• boot the PC from the bootable CD (using the external USB CD reader)
• when you see the DHCP errors, type Ctrl-C
• when prompted, type the following command to configure the network card with a fixed working IP address

ifconfig bge0 13x.xx.xx.xx

• finally, type the following command to install the remote image from the FTP server with user tof:

slurpdisk tof@ftpNOSPAMPLEASE.server.ip.number image.gz

If nothing happens, you may have connected the cable to the wrong ethernet adapter. Try switching the ethernet cable to the second entry.

Enter the tof password when required. The installation will take 3 hours.

After the installation

• boot the PC without the CD
• configure the network statically as required
• if the network starts correctly, some yum updates may occur
• at the end, add the user tof (I forgot to do it n the PC used as a model for cloning...)

adduser tof; passwd yyyyyy (u = local password)

Kernel panic?

If the PC loads the a2818 driver but no Caen boards are inserted, every access to the PCI bus will generate a kernel panic!

Software for the FTP server

• The server will host the software to share with the farm:
  • /home/armdev
  • /etc/exports (an example is in /root/exports, copied from pctofdaq1)
  • nfs and portmap services on
• /home/image.gz is the image to clone new PCs
• the server does not have Caen boards inside (driver a2818 not loaded).

-- OmbrettaPinazza - 13 Oct 2008