GE XVB601

Company site: GE Intelligent Platforms

Module manufacturer information

Board page on company site: XVB601

Documentation: Datasheet Hardware Reference Transition Module Installation Guide Product Configurations Ruggedization

List of boards

• [01] 00:20:38:04:23:5E (pcal0)

• [02] 00:20:38:04:23:60 (svt2)

• [03] 00:20:38:04:29:2E (dcrb1)

• [04] 00:20:38:04:23:64 (ftof1)

• [05] Model: 14110110 SN: 63089370 MAC (eth1): 00:20:ce:f6:04:0e MAC (eth2): 00:20:ce:f6:04:0f (adcecal1)

• [06] Model: 14110110 SN: 63089318 MAC (eth1): 00:20:ce:f6:03:fe MAC (eth2): 00:20:ce:f6:03:ff (ftof0)

• [07] Model: 14110110 SN: 63089363 MAC (eth1): 00:20:ce:f6:03:fa MAC (eth2): 00:20:ce:f6:03:fb (ltcc0)

• Model: 14110110 SN: 63089332 MAC (eth1): 00:20:ce:f6:04:0a MAC (eth2): 00:20:ce:f6:04:0b (given to Ben 9-apr-2013 to be sent to Saclay)

Initial settings

Install new board into VME crate. Connect ethernet to the upper LAN port, rs232 9600N1 serial line (optional), VGA monitor and USB keyboard. Turn on power, setup page should appear (for future reboots hold DEL key to enter setup). Goto Advanced->Onboard Device, set memory size to 512MB and enable Onboard Gigabit LAN 1. Goto Advanced->Serial Port Console Redirection, enable COM1 Console Redirection and in Console Redirection Settings set Bits per second=9600. Goto Chipset->South Bridge Configuration->SATA Configuration and set SATA Mode Selection to AHCI. Do Save & Exit.

Sergey Boyarinov only: open web browser from clonweb and goto jnet.jlab.org. Login using CUE login and password. Click on Machine Registration button. Click Add Device. Fill in a form, for example:

Connection Type: wired
MAC address: 00:20:38:04:23:64
VLAN: VLAN 568 : Hall B Data Acquisition <choose from the list>
Hostname: tage2.jlab.org
IP address: 129.57.68.86 <unselect 'Automatically Assign Statis IP>
JLAB Username: boiarino
Has PII: no
Machine Type: other
Property Tag: F

Click Submit. Following message must shows up:

The device (00:20:38:04:23:64) has been successfully added to the registration table.
-----------------
The device (00:20:38:04:23:64) has been successfully added to the assignment table.
-----------------
(DHCP) This entry will be added to DHCP the next time the server restarts (about 10 seconds).
-----------------
hallb-rtr.jlab.org ethernet8/9 is not an access port, blip failed...

Add IP name to the clonfs1 export list, if not done yet.

Recycle power. Messages on monitor must show successful DHCP connection. Go to the following section to setup TFTP etc.

Software structure description

• following is installed in /tftpboot area on clon10 server:

linux-install/Centos5PAE_new/initrd.img
                            /initrd.img.backup
                            /vmlinuz
             /msgs/boot.msg
                  /expert.msg
                  /general.msg
                  /param.msg
                  /rescue.msg
                  /snake.msg
             /pxelinux.0
             /pxelinux.cfg/81394458 -> croctest1
                          /81394459 -> croctest2
                          /croctest1
                          /croctest2
                          /default
                          /pxeos.xml
         

Every client must has a file in /pxelinux.cfg/ area with the name containing IP address in HEX format, for example croctest1's IP is 129.57.68.88, so file name must be 81394458. It can be a symbolic link. The contents of the file for croctest1:

default Centos5PAE_new
label Centos5PAE_new
    kernel Centos5PAE_new/vmlinuz
    append  initrd=Centos5PAE_new/initrd.img root=/dev/ram0 init=disklessrc NFSROOT=129.57.167.16:/vol/diskless/Centos5 ramdisk_size=31809 ETHERNET=eth0 SNAPSHOT=croctest1.jlab.org NISDOMAIN=CCCHP acpi=force vga=0x305 vmalloc=256MB console=ttyS0,9600

All settings in that file are more or less generic. To customize it for another client only SNAPSHOT=croctest1.jlab.org must be changed. Statement NFSROOT=129.57.167.16:/vol/diskless/Centos5 defines the fileserver IP and directory where diskless Linux is located, in our case it is clonfs1. Statement console=ttyS0,9600 force Centos5 to send boot messages to the com port so they can be monitored using tsconnect.

• diskless Linux is installed on clonfs1 fileserver in /vol/diskless/Centos5 volume. That volume is mounted on the clonpc3 RHEL machine as well, and all Centos5 installation was performed on clonpc3, as it described in EXPERT PART section below. Directory /diskless/Centos5/root will be mounted as / level on all diskless clients, so that part is generic for all clients. Custom areas in /diskless/Centos5/snapshot will be client-specific, for every new client new directory with appropriate name must be creates there using templete tar ball, for example:

tar xvf templete.jlab.org.tar
mv templete.jlab.org croctest1.jlab.org

• File files contains the list of all files/directories to be used from snapshot area rather then from root area, that file was created during Centos5 installation. File files.custom can be used to specify additional files/directories, not in use right now.

Customizing kernel installed in /diskless/Centos5/root

After expert installation is done, following changes must be applied. They are similar to the RHEL installation on clon cluster PCs and servers:

• /usr/bin/system-config-network

• fix /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, /etc/group

NOTE: to add new used you may use command useradd, for example

 useradd -u 6246 -g nagios -d /home/nagios -c "Nagios" -s /bin/tcsh nagios
   (add flag '-m' if want to force home directory creation).

• fix /etc/nsswitch.conf

• fix /etc/yp.conf (add lines domain CCCHP server clon00.jlab.org and ypserver clon10.jlab.org)

• fix /etc/sysconfig/network (add line NISDOMAIN=CCCHP)

• /etc/init.d/ypbind start

• chkconfig ypbind on

• set RHEL-style automounts

• /etc/init.d/autofs restart

• fix symbolic links to /apps, /home, /usr/local etc

To install updates, ssh to clonpc3 as root and execute following commands:

mount -o bind /misc /misc/diskless/Centos5/root/misc
mount -o bind /misc/apps /misc/diskless/Centos5/root/misc/apps
mount -o bind /misc/local /misc/diskless/Centos5/root/misc/local
mount -o bind /misc/home /misc/diskless/Centos5/root/misc/home
mount -o bind /misc/work /misc/diskless/Centos5/root/misc/work
mount -o bind /misc/clas /misc/diskless/Centos5/root/misc/clas
mount -o bind /misc/downloads /misc/diskless/Centos5/root/misc/downloads

Now you can start chroot environment: chroot /misc/diskless/Centos5/root.

Fix yum proxy: add line proxy=http://jprox.jlab.org:8082 to the file /etc/yum.conf, and fix file /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-Base.repo by commenting out all mirrorlist=http:... lines and uncommenting all baseurl=http:... lines.

After that you can use yum, for example:

yum install gcc-c++
yum install mysql-devel
yum install compat-gcc-34-g77
yum install libXpm-devel
yum install libXtst
yum install openmotif-devel
    yum install java

If need local mysql server, do following (see MySQL Installation as well):

yum install mysql-server

In case of yum, rpm etc problems usually you have to rebuild dictionary, google the error message. Following may help:

mv /var/lib/rpm/__db* ~/
rpm --rebuilddb

and check using command:

rpm -qa

CompactFlash

Local MySQL server startup:

ssh clondb1 as root
mysqldump -u root -p daq_daq > daq_daq.sql
mysqldump -u root -p daq_classvt > daq_classvt.sql

ssh as root
/sbin/chkconfig mysqld on
/etc/init.d/mysqld start
scp root@clondb1:/root/daq_classvt.sql .
scp root@clondb1:/root/daq_daq.sql .

mysql
mysql> CREATE USER 'root'@'clonweb0.jlab.org' IDENTIFIED BY '*********';   use mysql clon root password
mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO 'root'@'clonweb0.jlab.org' WITH GRANT OPTION;

mysql> CREATE USER 'clasrun'@'localhost';
mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO 'clasrun'@'localhost';

mysql> flush privileges;
mysql> create database daq_daq;
mysql> create database daq_classvt;
mysql> exit

mysql daq_daq < daq_daq.sql
mysql daq_classvt < daq_classvt.sql

Original CentOS installation on CompactFlash was done by Bryan Moffit. To clone flash card, insert it to the reader on macbook pro and do following:

dd if=/dev/rdisk1 conv=sync,noerror | gzip -c > disk1.img.gz

Replace it with empty one and do following:

gunzip -c disk1.img.gz | dd of=/dev/rdisk1

Repeat last step to all empty flash cards you want to program.