Linux Working Group Agenda

Meeting Date

• Friday February 26th, 2pm in DC 3540

Attendees

• Dawn Keenan, Lawrence Folland, Guoxiang Shen, Fraser Gunn, Dave Gawley, Bill Ince (briefly)

Agenda

• status of Ubuntu 8 student environment
  • stable, in current use
  • mef-feNN installed software inconsistent (ST 70636)
  • only mef-cpu06 for CPU services (ST 70441)
    • mef-cpu04 has problems related to orphan changing file ownership
    • mef-cpu02 may be usable, needs to be verified
• status, current problems in Ubuntu 9.10 setup
  • Phil setting up linux006.student.cs
  • Dave wants to have an Ubuntu 910 archmaster
  • Lawrence raised the issue of using "ubuntu904" vs "ubuntu9" as 904 is not a major.minor number
  • machines - refer to "ubuntu.student.cs" vs "linux.student.cs"
  • Dave's update
    • linux006 - hardware is racked, network, https://lom-linux006.student.cs
    • no OS is installed on the hardware
    • have two options
    • problem in past procedures arch masters, don't have a 910 archmaster
    • there is a machine called ubuntu9-amd64 which is an xhier client of ubuntu8
      • planning on breaking that and making it the archmaster for 910
      • make the OS on it Ubuntu 9.10
  • find the Ubuntu 9.10 userids and gids, register in AD and ID registry
  • then would like to create an image file that can be used on Ubuntu 9.10 systems
    • will it have the basic xhier installation setup?
    • Dave's vision: take current system, make it 9.10, it has xhier on it, create a local-ubuntu 9.10 package, in its export password and group files, put in the uid/gids >100, then use IDREGISTRY/IDREQUEST to require the uid/gid for those names
      • then follow the how-to create your own distribution, go through that, and then use that, and do that on the archmaster
      • 2 options - 1) create an image with the xhier that's there, everytime you use that image, will have to go through the host rename/renumber or 2) create your own distribution documentation, create an ISO with the corrected/modified uid/gids - allows you to use PXE boot to install images with UW uid/gids.
      • Bill points out that uid/gid matching is really only necessary if NFS mounting
      • Dave points out that linux004 was corrupted by the accounts package, however we probably won't be using the accounts package on these new systems. However, vendor uid/gid (eg: www, mysql, postgres, etc.) still need to be synchronized
      • Fraser asks whether packages like mysql will consult AD for its uid/gid, will it create new ones
    • Dave has software notes for software installation:
      • cscf/cs/software
    • for the new archmaster, Dave can create a virtual machine "ubuntu910-amd64"
    • Edgar and the CS club are willing to clean up the default user profile files
      • .login, pgp and SSH keys, init_home, etc.
      • /etc/default/login and other login/shell startup sytem-wide defaults
        • used to have central file
      • modern Solaris/Linux clients have other ways to include that
      • need a CSCF staff person to take this on from our end
    • user group to define list of packages on linux machines
      • eg: packages needed for courses, submission software, etc
    • something in standard xhier packages stomps on standard set of shells
    • Shell paths: /bin vs /xhbin
      • Dave is leaning towards standardizing on /bin/shellname

• students asked
• MG/LF - remote desktop management of Ubuntu systems (VNC, XRDP?)
  • speed issues (VNC can be too slow for off-campus connections as opposed Windows RDP)

Action items

• Adrian/Guoxiang/Dave - will build Ubuntu 9.10 system early next week
• USG will create an essential list of packages by Tuesday
  • list will be incomplete list to start, needs to be finalized by roughly April 15th
  • no disruptive changes past May 1st
• UID/GID fixes mid-week
• will create ISO by late next week
• next Friday - demo setup of linux006
• Dave needs "someone" to find "mangler of /etc/shells"
  • Fraser will look - Dawn suggest looking at xh-merge-shells - ST#55983