Name

dms - diskless management services utility

Syntax

/etc/dms

Description

You can use dms, the diskless management services utility, to install products into diskless management services areas on a server machine and register diskless clients.  This allows each client to access those products on the server machine instead of installing the products to a disk on its local machine.  The server machine can be either a VAX or a RISC machine and, it can serve both VAX and RISC clients. 

Before you set up a diskless management services area on a server, the following software must be installed: all required subsets, Network File System (NFS), and Maintenance Operations Protocol (MOP). 

You can choose the following functions from the dms utility menu:

a - Add Client Processor

m - Modify Client Parameters

r - Remove Client Processor

l - List Registered Clients

s - Show Products in Diskless Environments

i - Install Software

c - Create Diskless Area on Disk

k - Kernel Rebuild or Copy

e - Exit

To set up a diskless management services area on a server, select dms functions in the following order:

1.   Create Diskeless Area on Disk (c)

This sets up the disk partitions needed for the two diskless management services file systems, /dlenv? and /dlclient?, (The "?" represents a unique number assigned by dms.) The /dlenv? file system contains a common root area that is copied to each client when it is registered, and a /usr area that is shared by all the clients. The /dlclient? file system contains a copy of the common root area for each registered diskless client.

2.   Install Software (i)

This installs the products from the distribution media to the /dlenv? file system. If the product will be accessed by VAX clients, the images from the media are put under a root?.vax directory under the /dlenv file system. If the product will be accessed by RISC clients, the images from the media will be put under a root?.mips directory under the /dlenv file system. The "?" represents a unique number assigned by dms.

3. Add Client Processor (a)

This registers the diskless client with MOP, the Maintenance Operations Protocol and allows the diskless client to do remote boot and crash operations. Selecting this menu option also copies a root area from the diskless common root area to the diskless client area (for example, /dlenv0/root1.vax to /dlclient5/machine.root). The server’s /etc/exports file is updated to allow the client to mount the /dlclient? directory.  Finally, a swap file is created, /dlclient?/dev/swap.

You must use dms interactively to set up a diskless environment or to modify client pamameters.  However, you can use the following functions either interactively or from the command line:

- Add Client Processor

- Show Products in Diskless Environements

- Remove Client Processor

- Kernel Rebuild

When the first diskless client is registered for a diskless management services area, a database file, /usr/diskless/dmsdb, is created on the server machine. You can use this file and the command line to manage groups of diskless clients.

Files

/usr/diskless/dmsdb /etc/dlparam

See Also

exports(5nfs), addnode(8), setld(8)

Guide to Diskless Management Services

Guide to Server Setup

Maintenance