Linux on HP Integrity servers: A System Administrator's Guide

Description

The Expert Guide to Installing and Running Linux on HP Integrity Itanium Systems

Companies are increasingly turning to Linux on HP Integrity systems for high-performance computing, large enterprise and database applications, and 64-bit application development. However, Linux administration in the HP Integrity's Itanium 2-based environment is significantly different than on conventional IA-32 platforms. Now, there's a comprehensive guide to administering HP Integrity systems running Linux. HP Solution Architect and Linux/Unix expert Marty Poniatowski walks you through every essential tool and technique, from installation and bootup, compiling kernels to building clusters. Coverage includes:

* A primer on basic Linux system administration for those migrating from other environments
* The HP Integrity boot process: EFI, POSSE, and the Management Processor
* Using the HP Enablement Kit for Linux to install, configure, and recover Linux on HP Itanium 2 systems
* Using Red Hat Package Manager (RPM) and LILO
* Working with the GNOME and KDE user interfaces
* Adding and partitioning SCSI disks on HP Integrity Servers
* Maintaining file systems with fsck, e2fsck, inodes, and Superblock
* Compiling and tuning Linux kernels
* Linux system startup and shutdown scripts for HP Integrity systems
* Understanding, configuring, and using Linux networking
* Working with netstat, route, ipconfig, iptables, nslookup, and other key commands
* Managing users, groups, processes, backup/restore, and other basic system administration tasks
* Running Samba to deliver Windows file and print services
* Running Linux, HP-UX and Windows Server 2003 concurrently on the same HP Integrity system
* Shell programming with the Linux bash shell

HP co-developed the Itanium architecture, and HP Labs scientists maintain the Itanium Linux kernel. This is the only book to leverage HP's unique knowledge about administering Linux on Itanium platforms. It will be indispensable for every sysadmin running Linux on HP Integrity or other Itanium systems -- regardless of their experience with Linux, HP-UX, or other UNIX systems.

 Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS:

Preface.

About This Book. Linux Components. Relevant URLs. Online Manual Pages. Acknowledgments.

1. Booting: EFI and Management Processor.

EFI and POSSE. Configuring the Management Processor (MP).

2. Installing Linux, RPM, and LILO.

Installing Red Hat Advanced Server Using the Serial Console. Red Hat Package Manager RPM.

3. GNOME and KDE.

GNOME. KDE. OpenOffice.org 78

4. Disk and File System Topics.

Adding and Partitioning a SCSI Disk on an Integrity Server. Adding an IDE Disk to an IA-32 System Using fdisk. File System Maintenance with fsck and e2fsck, inodes, and Superblock. /etc/fstab, e2label, and mount. Linux Log Files. Linux File System Layout. Smart Array Configuration.

5. Working with the Linux Kernel.

Steps to Creating a Linux Kernel. Tuning Your Existing Linux Kernel. Changing IP Forwarding. Patching the Kernel. Linux System Startup and Shutdown Scripts.

6. System Startup and Shutdown Scripts.

Linux System Startup and Shutdown Scripts. Run Levels and /etc/inittab. service, xinetd, and chkconfig. System Shutdown. An Overview of IEEE 802.3, TCP/IP.

7. Networking Background.

Physical Layer (Layer 1). Link Layer (Layer 2). Network Layer (Layer 3). Transport Layer (Layer 4). Internet Protocol (IP) Addressing and Subnet Mask. Ports and Related Topics.

8. Configuring and Using Networking.

Commonly Used Networking Files. Commonly Used Commands. /etc/securetty for Equivalent root Access. /etc/hosts.equiv. Network File System (NFS). Graphical Tools - /usr/sbin/neat and Webmin.

9. Backup.

Built-In Backup Programs. tar. cpio. dump and restore. Procedure to Create a Boot Disk if You Can't Boot Off CD-ROM.

10. Additional System Administration Topics.

Check Processes with ps. Killing a Process. Signals. Users and Groups. Disk-Related Concepts. Viewing Mounted File Systems and Swap. Determining Disk Usage. Scheduling Cron Jobs. at. Device Files. Printing. Webmin.

11. Samba.

smb.conf Setup. User Setup. Samba Startup. Mapping a Windows Drive to a Linux Directory. Mounting a Windows Drive on a Linux System. Log Files. Additional Samba Topics.

12. ServiceGuard for Linux.

ServiceGuard Background. ServiceGuard Manager.

13. HP-UX and Windows Installation on Integrity Servers.

Installing HP-UX. Windows Server 2003.

Index.