ClearCube Grid Center Admin Guide

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Grid Center 4.11

Administrator’s Guide

ClearCube Technology, Inc.

Under copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical,

including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part,

without the prior written consent of ClearCube Technology, Inc.

This information is subject to change without notice and ClearCube shall not be liable for any direct, indirect,

special, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the use of this material.

Trademarks

ClearCube™, C3 Architecture™, Blade Switching BackPack™, PC Blade™, and C/Port™

are trademarks of ClearCube Technology Inc. Product and company names mentioned herein

are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

Patents

The ClearCube Architecture and its components described in this user manual

are protected by numerous granted and pending U.S. and international patents.

Granted patents include: US06020839, US06012101, US05994952, US05966056, US05926172, US06167241,US06148182,

US06119146, US06038616, US06385666, and US06037884. Inquiries regarding patented technology should be directed to

Revision Date: 1-31-2005, based on ClearCube Grid Center release 4.1.8

ClearCube Corporate Headquarters.

Contents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

ClearCube Grid Center 4.11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

New Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Management Capabilities in Grid Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Packaging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Migrating Grid Center Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Grid Center Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Installing Grid Center 4.11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Installing Components Individually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Migrating Discovery Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Uninstalling Grid Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Grid Center Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Launching the Administration Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Logging in for the First Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Take a Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Grid Center Clients. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

I/Port Client. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Blade Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Configuring Grid Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Configuring the Administration Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Configuring the Authentication Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Configuring Network Nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Debugging Blade Discovery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Modifying User Access to the Administration Console. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Creating Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Allocating I/Ports and Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Switching and Sparing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

When to Switch and When to Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Switching an I/Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Sparing an I/Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Updating an I/Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Inventory and Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Viewing I/Port Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Viewing Blade Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Appendix A: Using Grid Center with e100 and Capio I/Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Contents • i

Console Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Client Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Contacting Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Contents • ii

Figures

Figure 1 Grid Center All-in-One Installer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Figure 2 Setup Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Figure 3 Grid Center Administration Console Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Figure 4 Grid Center Administration Console Welcome Screen. . . . . . . . . . . 19

Figure 5 Icons for Blades, I/Ports, and Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Figure 6 Network Configuration View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Figure 7 Edit Groups View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Figure 8 Switching View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Figure 9 Allocation View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Figure 10 Update View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Figure 11 Inventory and Health View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Figure 12 I/Port Client Connection to Blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Figure 13 I/Port Client Login Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Figure 14 Dedicated I/Port to Blade Mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Figure 15 Shared I/Port to Blade Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Figure 16 Authentication Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Figure 17 Replicating Authentication Database Entries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Figure 18 Blade Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Figure 19 Blade Client Configuration Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Figure 20 I/Port Configuration Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Figure 21 Setting the I/Port Refresh Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Figure 22 Getting I/Port Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Figure 23 Allocation Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Figure 24 Creating an I/Port Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Figure 25 Allocation View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Figure 26 Adding a Shared Resource. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Figure 27 Choosing a Blade for Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Figure 28 Deleting a User Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Figure 29 Switching View with Default Blade Group Selected . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Figure 30 Selected I/Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Figure 31 Selecting a Blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Figure 32 Confirm Dialog for Switching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Figure 33 Selecting an I/Port for Updating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Figure 34 I/Port Inventory and Health View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Figure 35 I/Port System Information Description Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Figure 36 Blade Health Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Figure A-1 ClearCube I/Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Grid Center 4.1 Administrator’s Guide Figures • iii

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iv • Figures Grid Center 4.1 Administrator’s Guide

Introduction

ClearCube Grid Center 4.11

ClearCube Grid Center™ 4.11 is a web-based application that provides a complete management interface for an I/Port environment. Grid Center can be accessed from any machine that has IP connectivity to the machine where Grid Center is installed, thus enabling world-wide remote systems management.

New Features

Grid Center 4.11 provides the following new features:

• Support for new XPe-based Eon e100 I/Ports

• Support for new Linux-based Capio One and Eon e100 I/Ports

• Redundant Consoles for higher availability

• Ability to block end user from changing assigned Blade

• Multiple spare groups

• Ability to define Blade and I/Port groups as shared or dedicated

• Improved Blade selection algorithm

• Support for dual NIC Blades

• All-in-One installer that streamlines new Console and Blade client installation

• Improved usability

• Improved manageability with trusted machines list

• Improved input error checking

• DCI service enhancements

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Introduction • 1

Management Capabilities in Grid Center

Grid Center provides several unique management capabilities in the following six View windows:

• Configuration View

• Edit Groups View

• Switching View

• Allocation View

• Updates View

• Inventory and Health View

Each View provides access to specialized tools for configuring and managing an I/Port environment, along with convenient links to the other Views.

Configuration View

The Configuration View provides the fundamentals for configuring a network built around an I/Port environment.

Edit Groups View

Grid Center applies the concept of groups to I/Ports and Blades. Quite simply, a group is a collection of zero or more I/Ports or Blades that has been created by an administrator. A group can be left empty, to be populated later. A group can contain a single I/Port or Blade, to allow dedicated mappings between I/Ports and Blades. A group can contain several I/Ports or Blades, to allow shared mappings between I/Ports or Blades. With Grid Center, groups can be set up without limitation on size or location. This capability gives a wide range of options to system administrators for load-balancing and resource sharing, and can be dynamically adjusted to meet changing resource demands. The Edit Groups View allows creating and configuring groups.

Switching View

With the Switching View, Grid Center delivers server-level availability to end users by allowing administrators to easily switch I/Ports to spare Blades if a problem occurs. This dramatically reduces downtime because the end user does not need to wait for deskside support. The end user resumes working on a spare Blade while an IT technician troubleshoots the problem Blade.

Allocation View

Allocation is the assigning of resources to users based on their computing needs. In any user environment, some people need only a little access or processing power, and some people are “power users” who need a dedicated processor—or several

2 • Introduction Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

dedicated processors. Usually, these users are already divided into groups with similar computing needs.

Allocation defines the allowable connections between the I/Ports and the Blades, with connections defined by the administrator. For example, the I/Ports in the Sales Group can be configured to connect only to the Blades dedicated to the Sales Group. When a user logs in, Grid Center automatically connects the user’s I/Port to the least loaded Blade in the group, using a built-in algorithm that monitors the processor load and memory utilization on each Blade. On the other hand, the power users in the software development group could be set up to have their I/Ports connect to specific Blades, ensuring they always have ample computing resources.

Updates View

This update feature allows administrators to package and deploy driver updates, software patches, and new applications to individual or multiple I/Ports. The Grid Center 4.11 update adds support for ClearCube’s new Eon e100 and Capio One Linux-based I/Ports.

Inventory and Health View

Grid Center lets administrators monitor I/Port health status and see asset management information such as installed applications, memory capacity, and OS settings. In addition, administrators can see real-time CPU loading and memory utilization for any Blade.

Grid Center provides management for I/Ports. If your network also contains C/Ports, use ClearCube Switch Manager (sold separately) to manage C/Ports. Grid Center and Switch Manager can be installed on the same Console system.

Packaging

Grid Center 4.11 is shipped with an All-in-One installer application (see page 9) that automates the correct installation of certain components (see page 5). Additionally, all these components are provided on the Grid Center 4.11 installation CD as independently installable applications. Grid Center requires that these components be installed in a specific order prior to installing the application.

This manual is the most current version as of the initial release ship date for the Grid Center 4.11 application. For free updated manual versions, please visit the Tech Docs section at

If you are updating from Grid Center 4.0, you need to apply updates to your I/Ports to enable many of the new features in Grid Center 4.11. Please see the README on the

http://support.clearcube.com.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Introduction • 3

installation CD for more information, or contact ClearCube using the resources listed in Contacting Support on page 67.

Migrating Grid Center Data

Grid Center 4.11 allows for the migration of Discovery lists from a Grid Center 4.0 installation to Grid Center 4.11. Because of the numerous new features in each new version, not all data can be migrated. Saving Discovery lists significantly speeds configuring your Grid Center 4.11 installation. For more information, see Migrating Discovery Lists on page 13.

4 • Introduction Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Grid Center Installation

The Grid Center Administration Console can be installed on Windows 2000/2003 Server or Windows XP Professional. The Grid Center Blade client can be installed on Windows XP Professional. The Grid Center I/Port clients can be installed on I8800, Eon e100, and Capio One I/Ports. The Grid Center Administration Console and the Grid Center Blade client should not be installed on the same system. Installation of either package requires local administrator access privileges.

For Grid Center to function properly, the following components must be installed. All these components are provided as part of the All-in-One installer.

• Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 1.4.2—Grid Center 4.11 requires

JRE version 1.4.2_03 or later. The correct JRE version is provided on the Grid Center 4.11 CD shipped from ClearCube. The version of a previously installed Java package can be checked in Add or Remove Programs from the Control Panel, or by running the returns the installed Java version. Versions previous to 1.4.2_03 should be removed.

Version 1.4.2 or later of the Java 2 Enterprise Edition 1.4 Software Development Kit (SDK), which adds support for EJBs, JSPs, XML, and Web Services APIs, can also be used (not provided on the Grid Center 4.11 installation CD).

Version 1.5 or higher is not supported.

Java -version command at the DOS prompt, which

• ActiveState Perl 5.6.1—Grid Center 4.11 requires ActiveState Perl 5.6.1. The

correct version of ActiveState Perl is provided on the Grid Center 4.11 CD shipped from ClearCube. The version of a previously installed ActiveState Perl can be checked in Add or Remove Programs from the Control Panel, or by running the

Perl -version command at the DOS prompt, which returns the installed Perl

version. Versions previous to 5.6.1 should be removed.

Versions higher than 5.6.x are not supported.

The ActiveState Repository has a large collection of modules and extensions in binary packages that are easy to install and use. To view and install these packages, use the Perl Package Manager (PPM) which is included with ActivePerl.

• ClearCube Distributed Computing Infrastructure (DCI)—Grid Center 4.11

requires ClearCube DCI version 2.0.8. The correct version is provided on the Grid Center 4.11 CD shipped from ClearCube. Before installing Grid Center 4.11,

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Grid Center Installation • 5

please make sure that the current DCI is installed. The installed DCI version can be verified through Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel. Versions previous to 2.0.8 should be removed prior to installing Grid Center 4.11.

• ClearCube Perl PlugIn—Grid Center 4.11 requires ClearCube Perl PlugIn

version 1.1. The correct version is provided on the Grid Center 4.11 CD. The installed Perl PlugIn version can be verified through Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel. Version 1.0 should be removed.

Installing Grid Center 4.11

The Grid Center 4.11 Administration Console provides the capability of installing a secondary, or redundant Console. The main benefit of this feature is that it allows maintaining control of the managed systems if the Primary Console system fails or is disconnected. When this happens, information about I/Ports and Blades is stored on the redundant (Secondary) Console system, and replicated to the Primary Console system when it is reconnected. Installation of a Secondary Console is not required.

Grid Center 4.11 provides two types of installation:

• Grid Center Administration Console—The Grid Center Administration Console

should be installed on a Primary Console and a Secondary Console system. Only one Secondary Console can be installed.

• Grid Center Clients—The Grid Center clients are installed on the targeted

Blades and I/Ports once the Grid Center Administration Console is installed.

Note: If you are installing the Grid Center Administration Console on a Blade that

has Blade Manager 4.0 or higher installed, you should already have the correct versions of Java, ActiveState Perl, and ClearCube DCI installed.

The Grid Center 4.11 All-in-One installer application checks for the necessary components, and installs all components not detected. In addition, separate installers for each application are provided on the Grid Center installation CD.

Note: If you already have Grid Center Console 4.1 or Grid Center Blade client 4.1

installed, do not remove or reinstall the Grid Center Console or Blade client.

Before You Install

Before you begin your installation, you need to gather the following information:

• The version number of your Grid Center installation (if installed).

• The name of the system to be designated as the Primary Grid Center

Administration Console, and the name of the system to be designated as the

6 • Grid Center Installation Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Secondary Console, if desired.

• Administrator logins and passwords for the Consoles, Blades, and I/Ports.

• IP subnet ranges for the Blades and I/Ports.

You should plan your I/Port and Blade groups before installing Grid Center. You can always create, edit, and delete groups after you configure your network.

On the Blade and Console systems, you need to stop the CC DCI service before installing or uninstalling Grid Center or its components.

Back up existing Discovery lists if desired. See Migrating Discovery Lists on page 13.

On the Blade and Console systems, check the versions of the JRE, ActiveState Perl, ClearCube DCI, and Perl PlugIn (if these products are installed), and remove any previous versions. Installations of Grid Center 4.0 or earlier should also be removed (see Migrating Grid Center Data on page 13 before uninstalling Grid Center). The Grid Center installer contains a dialog box reminding you to remove previous versions. Installations of Grid Center 4.1 should not be removed.

Using Grid Center’s All-in-One Installer

The Grid Center 4.11 installation CD provides an All-in-One installer for the Administration Console that simplifies the task of installation. See Figure 1.

Figure 1 Grid Center All-in-One Installer

The installer displays all the required components for the Grid Center installation. If a component needs to be installed, a check box is placed by its name. If it has already been installed, the box next to its name is empty. The installer then installs each component selected in the correct order. It is strongly recommended to use the All-in-One installer to determine the necessary components and their installation order, and to accept the settings of the installer.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Grid Center Installation • 7

Note: Verify the versions of your installed components, and uninstall outdated

versions before beginning to install Grid Center.

In all cases, allow the installer adequate time to complete its operation. The ClearCube All-in-One installer appears to pause at several times during its execution, while showing no obvious activity. The installation resumes within several seconds, and displays a dialog box with information or more instructions.

Installing the Grid Center Administration Console

If you have a Grid Center 4.0 installation, remove it before installing Grid Center 4.11. If you have a Grid Center 4.1 installation, do not remove or re-install Grid Center. Instead, go to the Installing the Linux Console Update procedure on page 9.

Install the Grid Center Administration Console using the All-in-One installer on the Grid Center CD. Installation requires local administrator access privileges.

1. Double-click the setup.exe icon on the Grid Center 4.11 installation CD.

2. Choose the components to be installed from the Select Features window (see

Figure 1). Press Next.

3. When prompted, choose the users who see the Grid Center installation by selecting “Anyone who uses this computer (all users)” or “Only for me (username).” This can be changed later. See Administration Console on page 38.

4. Select Grid Center Administration Console from the Setup Type screen

Figure 2). Press Next.

(see

Modifying User Access to the

Figure 2 Setup Type

5. Accept the default settings as the InstallShield Wizard runs. Press Next when necessary.

6. Follow the prompts as appropriate.

8 • Grid Center Installation Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

7. Enter the Grid Center Server names when you are prompted for them. The

Primary Server is the first system on which you are installing the Administration Console now. The Secondary Server is the system that you plan to designate as the Secondary Console. If you have not yet chosen the Secondary Server, enter a non-null text string. This can be easily changed later. Enter the name of the Primary Server as the name of the Secondary Server if you do not plan to use a Secondary Server. Press Next.

8. When the installation has completed, restart your system.

9. Repeat the installation on the Secondary Console, if one is being configured.

Note: If the installer prompts you to restart your system, do so, and restart the

setup.exe application after restarting.

Installing the Linux Console Update

Install the Linux Console update from the update installer in the Console Updates directory of the Grid Center 4.11 CD. Installation requires local administrator access privileges.

1. Double-click the updater icon on the Grid Center 4.11 installation CD.

2. Accept the defaults.

3. Reboot your system after completing the installation.

Installing Grid Center Clients

Once the Grid Center Administration Console is installed on the Primary and Secondary systems, Grid Center clients need to be installed on each Blade and each I/Port that Grid Center manages.

Installing the Grid Center Blade Client

Install the Grid Center Blade client from the installation program on the Grid Center CD. Installation requires administrator access privileges.

1. From the Grid Center 4.11 Blade Client folder on the ClearCube Grid Center

CD, launch the

2. Choose the components to be installed from the Select Features window (see

Figure 1). Press Next.

3. Select Grid Center Blade Client from the Setup Type screen (see Figure 2).

4. Click Next to begin installing the Grid Center Blade client.

5. Follow the prompts as appropriate.

6. Enter the Grid Center Server names when you are prompted for them. Both

fields are auto-populated with the name of the Primary Server. Enter the name of the Secondary Server in the specified field. To configure for only one Grid Center server, click Next.

7. When the installation has completed, restart your system.

setup.exe file.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Grid Center Installation • 9

Installing the I8800 I/Port Client

The Grid Center I8800 I/Port client is installed after the Blade clients are installed. This client can be installed in one of two ways:

• Locally at the I/Port

• Remotely from the Console, using the Grid Center Update function (see Updates

on page 55)

To install the Grid Center client, do the following (for both methods):

1. Change the following configuration files in the IPORT-CLIENT file before sending it as an update:

a. Edit the iportinfo.xml file to specify valid Primary and Secondary

Administration Console(s).

<dcreason>2</dcreason> <adminblade>PrimaryServer</adminblade> <secondaryserver>SecondaryServer</secondaryserver> <refreshtime>150</refreshtime>

Change to the name of the Primary Admin Console.

Change to the name of the Secondary Admin Console.

b. Edit the trustusers.xml file to include the name of the Secondary Admin

Console as a trusted Console.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <trustusers></trustusers>

Insert the name of the Secondary Administration Console

This establishes the Console systems as trusted machines for the I/Ports. A trusted machine is a system that is assumed to be safe to send data, snapins, and operating system updates to the I/Ports without requiring authentication or a challenge/ response exchange. By default, the Consoles are the trusted machines for the I/Ports. More systems can be added as trusted machines in this fashion. Trusted machines can also be configured through Grid Center after the I/Ports have been discovered.

For a local installation:

1. Copy the update files to a USB mass storage device such as a key drive and go to the I/Port.

2. Log into the I/Port as an administrator. Press and hold the Shift key and select Logoff from the Start menu. Keep the Shift key depressed until the Administrator Login dialog box is displayed. The factory default Administrator account is

administrator and the default password is clearcube. These

can be changed in the User Accounts control panel.

10 • Grid Center Installation Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

3. Turn off the Write Filter by double-clicking the Write Filter Disable icon on the

desktop. The Write Filter is a special mechanism that prevents unauthorized writes to the I/Port’s flash memory. The Write Filter status is always displayed in the toolbar by a green circle for Write Filter Enabled (flash memory cannot be written), or by a red circle for Write Filter Disabled (flash memory can be written).

4. Insert the USB storage device into an available USB port.

5. Copy the update files to C:\. (This is faster than installing through the USB

port.)

6. Launch the update installer. Accept the defaults and click through the installer.

7. Reboot your computer when prompted to do so. This reboots the I/Port.

8. When the I/Port finishes rebooting, log in as Administrator again.

9. Delete the update files from C:\ and double-click the Enable Write Filter icon

to re-enable the Write Filter.

10. When the Write Filter has been re-enabled (a green circle is displayed in the

tool bar), log out from the Administrator account and continue to the next I/Port.

Note: If you have a number of I/Ports to update, you may want to set up several

terminals (keyboard, monitor and mouse) in the same place, and update several I/Ports at one time. A KVM switch can also be used to provide this same capability.

For a remote installation:

1. Compress the IPORT-CLIENT folder to IPORT-CLIENT.zip.

2. Push out the batch file and the IPORT-CLIENT.zip file via the Administration

Console. See

Updates on page 55 for more information.

By default, the installer places the I/Port User account in the Administrators group of the I/Port. This is required for the client to function correctly. If the User account is moved from the Administrator group, or is installed in another group, the I/Port client cannot communicate with Grid Center.

Note: Grid Center I/Port clients are pre-installed on Eon e100 and Capio One

I/Ports. For more information, see

Appendix A: Using Grid Center with e100

and Capio I/Ports on page 61.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Grid Center Installation • 11

Installing Components Individually

Components on the Console and Blade client systems can be installed individually, if desired. Use the following procedures.

Install JRE

Installation of the JRE requires local administrator access privileges.

1. To begin installation, launch the j2re-1_4_2_06-windows-i586-p .exe file on the ClearCube Grid Center CD.

2. The Java License Agreement Screen is displayed. Click the I accept the terms of the license agreement radio button to accept the license agreement. Click the Next button.

3. Click the Next button to accept the Custom Setup choices.

4. Accept the default selection for Browser Registration. Click the Next button.

5. Click the Finish button to complete the installation of JRE.

Note: The Java SDK 1.4.2 or higher can also be installed. The 1.5 version is not

supported.

Install ActivePerl

Installation of ActivePerl requires local administrator access privileges.

1. To begin installation, launch the ActivePerl installer file

ActivePerl-5.6.1.638-MSWin32-x86.msi on the ClearCube Grid Center

CD. Click the Next button to continue.

2. The Active State End User License Agreement is displayed. Click the I accept the terms in the License Agreement button to accept the license agreement. Click the Next button. If you decline the agreement, installation is halted.

3. Click the Next button to accept the Custom Setup choices.

4. Click the Next button to skip the Programmer’s Package Manager and continue with installation.

5. Select all the options in the Choose Setup Options screen. Click the Next button.

6. Click the Finish button to complete the installation.

Install Distributed Computing Infrastructure (DCI)

Installation of ClearCube Distributed Computing Infrastructure (DCI) requires local administrator access privileges.

1. To begin installation, launch the dci-setup.exe file on the ClearCube Grid Center CD. Click the Next button to continue.

12 • Grid Center Installation Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

2. The ClearCube Distributed Computing Infrastructure License Agreement is

displayed. Click Yes to accept the license agreement.

3. Click the Next button to accept the default Destination Location.

4. Click the Finish button to complete the installation.

5. Once the installation is complete, you must restart the computer to finalize the

setup process. Select the Yes radio button and click the Finish button to restart your computer.

6. Once DCI is installed on the system, the service must be started. Check the

CC DCI service from Start–>Control Panel–>Administrative Tools–>Services.

7. Double-click the CC DCI service to view the properties. Click the Log On tab.

8. Set up logon parameters as appropriate.

9. Click the OK button to save changes to the logon name. Click through the

following dialog boxes.

10. Stop and then restart the DCI service for all changes to take effect.

Install Grid Center Administration Console and Blade Client

Installation of the Grid Center Administration Console and Blade clients requires local administrator access privileges.

1. To begin installation, launch the gcAdmin-setup.exe file to launch the

installer for the Administration Console, or the launch the installer for the Grid Center client.

gcClient-setup.exe file to

Note: Install the Grid Center Consoles before installing Blade clients.

2. The installer verifies whether the necessary components have been installed.

3. If all the necessary components have been installed in the correct order, the

installer proceeds in the same fashion as if it were running as the All-in-One installer. Accept the default options during installation.

4. When the installation is complete, click the Finish button.

5. If installing on a Console system, run the Grid Center Linux client updater.

Migrating Discovery Lists

If you have a previous Grid Center 4.0 installation, you can migrate your existing discovery lists to your new Grid Center 4.11 installation. This greatly speeds network configuration. Your Grid Center 4.1 data is not changed by the Grid Center 4.11 update.

Use these procedures to migrate Discovery lists. Local administrator access is generally required.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Grid Center Installation • 13

Note: You must begin this process before beginning to uninstall a previous version

of Grid Center.

Backing up the Discovery List Files

To back up the Discovery list files for Grid Center 4.0, do the following before you begin your Grid Center 4.11 installation process:

1. Go to C:\Program Files\ClearCube Management Suite\DCI\CGI-BIN\IPORT\ .

2. Copy these two files:

• shosts

• bladehosts

3. Save these files to a directory outside the ClearCube Management Suite directory.

4. Proceed with your Grid Center 4.11 installation, beginning with un-installing your previous version of Grid Center.

Removing Grid Center erases these files from the ClearCube Management Suite directory.

Restoring the Discovery List Files

To restore the Discovery list files, do the following after you complete your Grid Center 4.11 installation process:

1. Go to C:\Program Files\ClearCube Management Suite\DCI\CGI-BIN\IPORT\ .

2. Copy the backed-up shosts and bladehosts files into the IPORT directory. This overwrites the newly installed files with the data from your previous Grid Center installation.

3. Start Grid Center 4.11.

Uninstalling Grid Center

Use these procedures to uninstall Grid Center. Local administrator access is required for all uninstallations.

Note: On the Blade and Console systems, you need to stop the CC DCI service

before installing or un-installing Grid Center or its components.

14 • Grid Center Installation Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Uninstalling the Administration Console

To uninstall the Grid Center Administration Console, do the following:

1. Go to Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.

2. Select ClearCube Grid Center from the list of programs. Click the

Change/Remove button.

3. Select the radio button for Remove. Click the Next button.

4. Once the removal is complete, click the Finish button.

Uninstalling the Clients

To uninstall Grid Center Blade clients, do the following:

1. Go to Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.

2. Select ClearCube Grid Center from the list of programs. Click the

Change/Remove button.

3. Select the radio button for Remove. Click the Next button.

4. Once the removal is complete, click the Finish button.

Uninstalling Other Components

The other components necessary for Grid Center (such as Java) can be uninstalled from Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.

Note: Components must be un-installed in the following order, or system errors will

occur.

Administration Console Blade Client Side

1. Grid Center Administration Console 1. Grid Center Blade Client

2. DCI 2. DCI

3. Perl Plugin for ClearCube Technology 3. Perl Plugin for ClearCube Technology

4. ActivePerl 4. ActivePerl

5. Java 5. Java

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Grid Center Installation • 15

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16 • Grid Center Installation Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Grid Center Console

ClearCube Grid Center 4.11 is a web-based application that provides a complete management interface for an I/Port environment consisting of I8800, Eon e100, and Capio One I/Ports. I8010 I/Ports are not supported. Grid Center can be accessed from any machine that has IP connectivity to the machine where Grid Center is installed.

The Administration Console is the first of three Grid Center components. It can be installed on any Windows 2000 or 2003 server, or Windows XP Pro system. The Administration Console acts as a traffic director between I/Ports and Blades. When an I/Port client is launched, the Administration Console directs it to a specific Blade or to a group of Blades.

When an I/Port is in Dedicated mode, the Administration Console always directs it to a specific Blade. In this case, the user logs in to the same Blade every time. When an I/Port is in Shared mode, the Console directs it to a group of Blades. The Console tracks utilization on the Blades, and always directs the I/Port to the least utilized Blade in the specified group.

Grid Center uses TCP ports 6500, 9000, and 3389; and UDP ports 6500 and 9000. These ports must remain open between network nodes that use Grid Center. The first time the Grid Center Administration Console is run, it does not have any Blades or I/Ports populated in its database. To populate Blades and I/Ports, you need to specify the IP address subnet range that contains the Blades and I/Ports to be managed by this Grid Center installation. See Configuring the Administration Console on page 29 for more information. After specifying the subnet range, you need to do a process called Discovery, which searches for Blades and I/Ports in the subnet range. See Configuring the Authentication Database on page 30 for more information.

When Discovery finds a Blade or an I/Port, it stores the identifying information for each component in the database. When new components are added to the network, Discovery can be run again to locate them.

Once a Blade or I/Port has been discovered, Grid Center maintains a record of it and graphically displays whether it is active on the network. Grid Center maintains these records indefinitely, and periodically re-discovers Blades and I/Ports. When this happens, the database is updated. Blades and I/Ports can be manually deleted from the database if they are physically removed from the network, but if they are reconnected, they will be saved in the database again when Discovery is run.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Grid Center Console • 17

Launching the Administration Console

Launch the primary Grid Center Administration Console by selecting Start Menu–>All Programs–>ClearCube Management Suite–>Grid Center–>Grid Center Admin.

Grid Center can also be launched by pointing a browser to:

http://hostname:6500/iport/index.htm

where Console is installed. Once the Primary Console is installed, its settings are replicated automatically on the Secondary Console.

hostname is the system on which the Primary Grid Center Administration

Logging in for the First Time

The first screen in Grid Center is the Login screen. The first time you log in, you must use the administrator username and password for the local machine. The local system’s host name is automatically populated in the Domain Name field. Click the Login button.

Figure 3 Grid Center Administration Console Login

Once you have logged in, use the procedures found in Configuring Grid Center on page 29 to configure the Console. This process needs to be done only once, and only on the Primary Console. These settings and subsequent updates are automatically replicated on the Secondary Console.

18 • Grid Center Console Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Take a Tour

The following figures show the six Views in the Administration Console. The next chapter, Configuring Grid Center, describes how to use the tools in these Views.

When you log in to the Administration Console, the Welcome screen (shown in Figure 4) is displayed. The main menu on the left side of the screen lists the Views with their associated sub-menu items. Select any of the main menu or sub-menu items to navigate to that View.

Figure 4 Grid Center Administration Console Welcome Screen

Figure 5 shows how the groups, Blades, and I/Ports on the network entities are

represented in the Grid Center Console Views. All types of supported I/Ports are represented by the same I/Port icons.

Network icon

Group icon

I/Port Online icon

I/Port Offline icon

Blade Online icon

Blade Offline icon

Figure 5 Icons for Blades, I/Ports, and Groups

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Grid Center Console • 19

The Network Configuration View, shown in Figure 6, allows configuring Grid Center’s network database and the Blades and I/Ports (also called nodes) in the database.

Figure 6 Network Configuration View

Select I/Ports or Blades under the Configuration menu to configure I/Ports or Blades, respectively. The Auth. DB menu choice allows configuring and editing the Authentication database, which allows assigning user names and passwords for specific Blades and I/Ports. When configured and populated, this database allows the administrator to log into Blades and I/Ports without entering user names or passwords each time Blades or I/Ports need to be configured. For security reasons, this database is encrypted. See Configuring the Authentication Database on page 30 for more information.

20 • Grid Center Console Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

The Edit Groups View (shown in Figure 7) allows the administrator to create, modify, and delete I/Port and Blade groups. This View also allows designating Blade groups as Dedicated, Shared, or Spare.

Figure 7 Edit Groups View

The Switching View, shown in Figure 8, allows the administrator to switch I/Ports and I/Port groups from one Blade or Blade group to another, depending on how the I/Ports and Blades have been allocated.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Grid Center Console • 21

Figure 8 Switching View

The Allocation View in Figure 9 allows creating and managing allocations between Blades and I/Ports. Allocation reflects the mappings between I/Ports and Blades. The sections Grid Center Clients on page 25 and Allocation on page 41 provide detailed information on allocation and how to configure allocations.

Figure 9 Allocation View

22 • Grid Center Console Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

The Update View (Figure 10) allows sending updates to I/Ports, either individually or by group. The I8800 I/Port and some Eon e100s use the Windows XP Embedded (XPe) operating system. The Capio One and some Eon e100s use the NeoLinux operating system. From time to time, the operating systems and the applications running on it require updates to enhance functionality or new add features. For more information, see Appendix A: Using Grid Center with e100 and Capio I/Ports on page 61.

Figure 10 Update View

The Inventory and Health View (Figure 11) allows looking at a variety of environmental parameters on Blades and I/Ports. For detailed information about an I/Port, select I/Ports, and then click on an I/Port in the left pane. For user and usage information on individual or Blade groups, select Blades or Health Reports. Additionally, clicking on a Blade displays the users logged into that Blade.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Grid Center Console • 23

Figure 11 Inventory and Health View

24 • Grid Center Console Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Grid Center Clients

Grid Center 4.11 provides two types of clients:

• I/Port client

• Blade client

This chapter briefly discusses their interaction. Allocation on page 41 details how to configure this interaction.

I/Port Client

The I/Port client is an application that resides on each I/Port being managed by the Administration Console. When an I/Port client is launched, it polls the Administration Console that controls the appropriate Blade to which the I/Port should connect. This Blade identification is returned to the I/Port client. (See Figure 12.) The I/Port client then presents a login dialog box in which users enter credentials for the Blade to which they will connect, as shown in Figure 12.

End User

I/Port client launches and

makes request to GC Console

for Blade information.

Grid Center

Admin Console

GC Console populates

appropriate Blade name

to which I/Port will connect.

Blade

(Data Center)

I/Port connects to Blade

via RDP.

Figure 12 I/Port Client Connection to Blade

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Grid Center Clients • 25

Connections are accomplished via Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). When a user clicks Connect, an RDP session is initiated, and the desktop of the remote Blade is displayed after the client passes through the login credentials.

Blade Client

Click to refresh

Blade list

Click to select

last-connected Blade

Figure 13 I/Port Client Login Screen

The Blade client is an application that resides on each Blade being managed by the Grid Center Administration Console. Blade clients are simple agents that run on ClearCube Blades and maintain communication with the Console, reporting information such as resource utilization and the I/Ports connected to the Blade.

Blades can run in single-user mode (shown in Figure 14), or multi-user mode if WinConnect is being used (shown in Figure 15). With Grid Center, a Blade can allow as many as four I/Ports to connect to it simultaneously.

26 • Grid Center Clients Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

End User

Grid Center

Admin Console

Using dedicated mappings, as many as

four I/Ports can connect to a specified Blade.

The I/Ports connect to the same Blade

each time the I/Port client is launched.

Figure 14 Dedicated I/Port to Blade Mapping

Grid Center

Admin Console

Blade

(Data Center)

Blade

(Data Center)

Using shared mappings, a group of

I/Ports is mapped to a group of Blades.

In this scenario, an I/Port always

connects to the least utilized Blade

in the Blade group.

Figure 15 Shared I/Port to Blade Mapping

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Grid Center Clients • 27

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28 • Grid Center Clients Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Configuring Grid Center

Once you have logged into Grid Center for the first time, you need to configure the Administration Console, the Blades, and the I/Ports on the network before you can actually begin managing your network.

Configuring the Administration Console

Figure 6 on page 20 shows the Network Configuration View, which opens by default to the User Database. To configure or edit this database, click the Configuration link in the Main menu, then enter the settings for the following:

Table 1: Configuration Database Fields

Field Name Description

Database Server The system on which the database resides. The default value is localhost.

Database Type The type of the database being used by Grid Center 4.1. The default value is MS Access.

Database Name Required only when using a database other than MS Access.

Database Username User name of the administrator logging into the database. Not required for MS Access.

Database Password Password for the database. Enter a password, if desired. Not required for MS Access.

Confirm Password Password for the database. Re-enter the password, if one is to be set.

Operating Mode Workgroup or Domain. The authentication system works in one of two modes. In Domain

mode, group membership and user name/password combinations are authenticated against a domain controller. In the default Workgroup mode, group membership and user name/ password combinations are authenticated against the local machine.

Security Group Determines the group of users that should be authenticated to log in to the Grid Center

Session Timeout (Min.) Specifies the period of time that causes Grid Center to automatically force the administrator

Subnet Range

I/Port Refresh Time (Min.) If an I/Port does not poll the Console within this interval, it is considered idle and appears in

Console. If the Operating Mode is changed, the Grid Center page should be refreshed in order to populate the correct Security Groups.

to log in again.

Used for I/Port and Blade auto-discovery. Type the desired subnet range in the format

XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX–XXX. XXX.XXX.XXX

To use a range larger than a Class C, enter multiple subnets by separating them with a

the GUI with a clock on the icon.

. The addresses specified should be of Class C type.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Configuring Grid Center • 29

Table 1: Configuration Database Fields (Continued)

Field Name Description

Blade Refresh Time (Min.) If a Blade does not poll the Console within this interval, it is considered idle.

Server Type Primary, Secondary, or Stand-Alone. Click Configure to toggle between types.

Primary Server Name Name of the Primary Server.

Secondary Server Name Name of the Secondary Server.

Click the Save button to save the configuration. Grid Center connects to the specified database and stores the changes.

Note: Enter valid data in the database server, type, name, username, and password

fields. If you configure a database with any settings other than the defaults, and the data is incorrect, when you save it, an error message is generated because Grid Center is unable to locate and connect with that database.

Configuring the Authentication Database

The Authentication database allows assigning user names and passwords for specific Blades and I/Ports, allowing the administrator to log into Blades and I/Ports without entering user names or passwords each time Blades or I/Ports need to be configured.

Figure 16 Authentication Database

30 • Configuring Grid Center Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Discover Network Nodes

Click Use Last Discovery to pick up the machines in the lists of previously discovered I/Ports and Blades. This option is useful when a pre-populated discovery list is available, because it avoids a potentially lengthy discovery process. If you migrated your Discovery lists, click Use Last Discovery to restore these network nodes to the Authentication database.

Click Add New Blades to discover new Blades on the network and populate the Authentication database with them. Click Add New I/Ports to discover new I/Ports on the network and populate the Authentication database with them. These nodes are added to the existing entries in the Authentication database.

The Blades and I/Ports are listed in the Authentication database in the following order:

• Blades, alphanumerically

• I/Ports, alphanumerically after the list of Blades

On the original discovery, Blades are identified by their Windows host names or by their IP addresses, and I/Ports by their MAC addresses. You may want to change these names for easier identifiability.

Configure the Consoles as Trusted Machines

A trusted machine is a system that is assumed to be safe to send data, snapins, and operating system updates to the I/Ports without requiring authentication or a challenge/response exchange. By default, the Consoles are the trusted machines for the I/Ports. More systems can be added as trusted machines in this fashion. Trusted machines can also be configured through Grid Center after the I/Ports have been discovered. By default, the Consoles are the trusted machines for the I/Port. More systems can be added as trusted machines.

The procedure described in Installing the I8800 I/Port Client on page 10 shows one way to configure trusted machines. They can also be configured through Grid Center once the I/Ports have been discovered. The procedure in the I/Ports section on page 34 discusses this.

Add Authentication Data

Once the Authentication database is populated, user authentication data can be added. User/password information can be added one record at a time, or replicated one page at a time. Since the Grid Center administrator will be the primary user of this database, it makes sense to methodically set up this data.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Configuring Grid Center • 31

Figure 17 Replicating Authentication Database Entries

Figure 17 shows a populated Authentication database. To add user/password entries,

enter a user name and a password in the top row of the database. Press Save Record(s) to save the entries. To replicate entries, as has been done in Figure 17,

click the top check box. All the entries on the page are marked. Enter a user name and a password in the top row of the database. Press Replicate User Credentials to copy the entries into all the records on the page, and press Save.

Replication copies user/password entries only from the top row, and only to all the records shown on one page. If more than one page of records is available, a clickable list of page numbers is displayed near the lower right hand corner of the screen. Replication can be repeated as desired on other pages. Remember that Blades are listed first, in alphanumeric order, then I/Ports in alphanumeric order.

Clicking a box in the left column selects an individual record. The Clear All button de-selects all selected record(s). The Delete Selected Record(s) button deletes all selected records.

Configuring Network Nodes

Once the database has been configured, the I/Ports and Blades (network nodes) can be configured and assigned to groups. This task can be simplified if you have a list of users to be allocated to their respective Blades and I/Ports. Please see Allocation on page 41 for more information on allocation.

32 • Configuring Grid Center Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Blades

The Blade Configuration screen, shown in Figure 18, allows connecting to individual Blades to configure them. The left-hand tree shows all the discovered Blades. If Blades are part of a group, then they are displayed in their respective groups. If they have not yet been assigned to a group, they are displayed in the Last Discovered list.

There are two methods for configuring the Grid Center Blade client:

• Via the Grid Center Administration Console

• Directly from the Blade

From the Grid Center Administration Console, click the Configuration link in the left menu and click the Configure Network icon at the bottom of the screen. Select Blade Network and click on the Blade to configure.

Launch the Grid Center client locally on the Blade by selecting Start Menu–>All Programs–>ClearCube Management Suite–>Grid Center–>Grid Center Client.

Figure 18 Blade Configuration Screen

When logging into a Grid Center Blade client, use either the domain credentials of any valid domain account, or the local credentials of a valid local account. If local is chosen, enter the local system name instead of the workgroup name.

1. To configure Blade clients on the network, select a Blade from the left-hand

pane and click Blade Config. The Grid Center Blade client Login dialog box is displayed. If the Authentication database has been populated with the correct username and password, you are logged in automatically.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Configuring Grid Center • 33

2. Enter the Username, Password, and (if required) the Domain Name for this Blade. Click Login.

3. Enter the Primary Server, Secondary Server, and Refresh Time in the Configuration window.

Figure 19 Blade Client Configuration Window

The parameters in the Client Configuration window are:

• Primary Server – the machine running the Administration Console.

• Secondary Server – the machine running the Secondary Console, if one

is configured.

• Refresh Time – the time increment (in seconds) for the client to poll its

Primary Grid Center Console. If the Blade has not polled the Console within the designated time period, it drops the client from the list. The default time is 150 seconds.

4. If this Blade needs to be mapped to just one Grid Center Console, click the link in the Click

5. Click the Save button to save the new configuration.

This procedure should be repeated for each Blade in this subnet.

here to configure to Stand-Alone Server line.

I/Ports

To configure I/Ports on the network, do the following:

1. Click the I/Port Config link in the menu bar near the top of the Configuration View, or I/Ports in the Configuration menu. The I/Port Configuration screen

Figure 20) is displayed.

(

2. Right-click on the I/Port Network link to re-discover I/Ports in the subnet range specified in the Network Configuration screen. This ensures your list is up-to-date.

3. Click on an individual I/Port icon to open its client configuration window. This window lets you change the Grid Center Console assigned to the I/Port, which is the Console polled by the I/Port to locate its Blade allocation and refresh time. An I/Port can be configured or reconfigured only when the Console is added as a trusted machine in the I/Port trusted machine list. If you have the I/Port’s user name and password already set in the Authentication database, an administrator can log in automatically.

34 • Configuring Grid Center Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Figure 20 I/Port Configuration Screen

4. Only trusted machines can push software updates to I/Ports. To add a trusted

machine to an I/Port’s list of trusted machines, click the here link on the screen. A login screen is displayed. Enter the I/Port’s local system user credentials or domain user credentials to add new trusted machines or delete previous ones.

5. Click the Configure I/Port link to see the I/Port Client Manager configuration

and make changes.

6. Enter the Primary and Secondary Server names and the I/Port Refresh Time

Figure 21). The refresh time is the frequency with which the I/Port polls

(see its Grid Center Console. Click the Save button.

Figure 21 Setting the I/Port Refresh Time

This procedure should be repeated for each I/Port in this subnet.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Configuring Grid Center • 35

To see details regarding the I/Port client, click the Get I/Port Client Information link. The I/Port Client Manager window is displayed (Figure 22) is displayed.

Figure 22 Getting I/Port Information

Debugging Blade Discovery

Occasionally, Blade discovery may not seem to work properly. Use this checklist and set of debugging procedures to isolate and resolve the most common problems.

Checklist

These items should be check to ensure correct Blade discovery:

• Check the left hand tree to see whether it is in the “collapsed” state. After

performing a discovery, click on the root icon to expand it.

• Verify that the correct subnet range is specified in the GC configuration.

• Verify that all the Blades have Grid Center Blade client installed.

• Verify that the Grid Center installation has not been corrupted by the

ServiceDirectory.xml file being overwritten. This can happen when older

versions of ClearCube software are installed on a blade after Grid Center. If Grid Center is the most recent ClearCube software installed, this is not the problem. A

36 • Configuring Grid Center Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

“clean” copy of the ServiceDirectory.xml file is available on the ClearCube Support website.

Debugging

Take these steps to diagnose Blade client problems:

• Open the %cc_install_dir%\cgi-bin\iport\projects\bladehosts file and check its contents. Are any discovered hosts present?

• Open a command prompt and run the following command:

cd %cc_install_dir%\iport set classpath=%classpath%;.

Usage: java MultiThreadUDPGCClient 6500 25 subnet_range

Example:

C:\Program Files\ClearCube Management Suite\DCI\iport>java MultiThreadUDPGCClient 6500 25 192.168.0.1-192.168.0.254

Return Value: The list of discovered Blades in the network.

If no Blades are returned, it could be because the subnet range is incorrectly set, Port 6500 has been blocked by some switch or firewall, or that the Grid Center client is not running on the Blades. Check service status on the Blade to determine.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Configuring Grid Center • 37

• Check these if the discovery appears to work:

Check to see whether all the Blades that have Grid Center Blade client installed also have following service directory tag in their

serviceDirectory.xml file: <Service Name="gcclient">

<Executable>chkgcclient.bat</Executable> <Arguments/>

If the tag does not exist, then the installation has been corrupted somehow. Reinstallation should resolve the issue.

• Run the following command line to check the correct functioning of the service

directory:

cd %cc_install_dir% set classpath=%classpath%;.

Usage: java requestSender gcclient " " BLADE_IP asynch

Example:

C:\Program Files\ClearCube Management Suite\DCI>java requestSender gcclient " " 192.168.0.12 asynch

Return Value: The names of Blades discovered on the network.

Modifying User Access to the Administration Console

You may find that other users with separate accounts need access to Grid Center on the Console system. To modify access, and display Grid Center in the Start menu, do the following:

1. Determine which users need access.

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2. Navigate to the user profile folder that contains the Start menu files for Grid Center.

For example: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\ClearCube Management Suite.

3. Copy the ClearCube Management Suite folder and paste it into the Programs folder for the user(s) requiring access.

4. Edit the program icons appropriately.

5. Restart the system.

Alternatively, the ClearCube Management Suite folder can be moved from the Programs folder or deleted. If you do this, ensure that you copy the folder before deleting it.

38 • Configuring Grid Center Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Configuring Grid Center • 39

40 • Configuring Grid Center Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Allocation

Grid Center utilizes the concepts of I/Port groups and Blade groups for the purpose of mapping, or allocating, I/Ports to Blades. A group can contain a single I/Port or Blade, or many. Allocation defines the allowable connections (mappings) between the I/Port groups and Blade groups.

Allocation allows administrators to allocate dynamic or static mappings between groups of Blades and I/Ports. Allocation consists of these tasks:

• Create groups

• Add Blades and I/Ports to the groups

• Assign Blades and I/Ports between the groups

• Create shared mappings if desired

After they are created, allocations can be easily modified to allow for changing network needs and use. Three types of allocations are possible:

• Dedicated – connects the I/Port to the same assigned Blade each time.

• Shared – connects an I/Port to any available Blade in a group, based on the least

load average.

• Spare – allows switching an I/Port to any available spare Blade in the event of a Blade failure. Typically, Spared Blades do not have any active connections. These Blades are, as the name suggests, reserved for use only when necessary as a replacement. More than one Spare Blade group can be created.

When a Blade group is designated as a Dedicated group, I/Ports can connect only to a specified Blade in that group. This is a static mapping. It does not change between sessions.

When a Blade group is designated as a Shared group, I/Ports can connect to any Blade in the group, based on the least-load average algorithm, which monitors system usage and automatically assigns I/Ports to the Blade in the group that has the least load when the connection is attempted. This is a dynamic mapping in the sense that it may be different at the start of any given session.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Allocation • 41

When a Blade group is designated as a Spare group, I/Ports can be re-mapped, or spared, to any available Blade in that group, regardless of their allocation to a Dedicated or Shared Blade group.

For example, the I/Ports in an I/Port group named “Sales I/Ports” could be configured to connect only to the Blades in a Blade group named “Sales Blades.” When an end user logs in, the Grid Center Console directs that user to a specific Blade, or to any Blade in a particular group, as allocated.

Figure 23 shows the possible ways in which I/Ports, I/Port groups, Blades, and Blade groups can be allocated, or mapped.

I/Port Group

Spare

Blade Group

Valid

Mapping

I/Port Group

Shared

Blade Group

Mapping

Not Allowed

I/Port

Dedicated

Blade Group

Figure 23 Allocation Strategies

Any number of I/Port groups can be mapped to a Spare Blade group by using the I/Port group configuration tools. Spare Blade groups are not displayed as selectable groups in the Allocation View. Only one I/Port group can be mapped to a Shared Blade group. I/Port groups cannot be mapped to Dedicated Blade groups. However, individual I/Ports can be mapped to a Dedicated Blade in any quantity and from any I/Port group.

Note: The Microsoft license restricts RDP connections between Blades and I/Ports

to no more than four simultaneous RDP connections per Blade. If more than four I/Ports are mapped to a Blade, only the first four RDP connections initiated will connect successfully.

Creating Groups

Before allocating I/Ports and Blades, you must first create I/Port groups and Blade groups.

42 • Allocation Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Creating a Blade Group

1. From the main menu, click Blade Groups under Edit Groups.

In the Group Edit View, click Blade Groups in the menu bar.

2. Enter the Group Name, Description, and Location. Select a Users Class

parameter from the Users Class pull-down menu. These parameters are:

• Name — the name of the group

• Description — a meaningful description of the group

• Location — the group’s location, either physical or virtual

• Users Class— Shared, Dedicated, or Spare, depending on how these

Blades will be allocated.

The first three fields are free text fields and accept alphanumeric characters, including spaces. Special characters such as . * & % # / \ > < | cannot be used. If you enter one of these, a dialog box reminds you not to enter special characters.

Note: If you enter a name longer than 17 characters, only the first 17 characters will

be displayed in the center pane.

3. Press Save or Add Group and confirm this action. The new Blade group is

saved in the database and the group name is added to the Blade Group pull-down menu at the right end of the menu bar.

The Blade group can be modified at any time by selecting its name from the Blade Group pull-down menu in the Group Edit View – Blade Groups screen.

To delete a Blade group, select it from the Blade Group pull-down menu and press the Delete button in the lower right corner of the screen. You will be prompted to confirm the deletion.

Adding Blades to a Blade Group

To add Blades to a new or existing Blade group, do the following:

1. Select a Blade group from the Blade Group pull-down menu at the right end of

the menu bar.

2. Click on a Blade name or icon in the left pane. A Blade icon with its name is

placed in the right pane.

3. Click Save.

Note: Blades cannot be added to more than one group. Each Blade can belong to

only one group.

To delete a Blade from a Blade group, do the following:

1. Click on the check box next to the Blade to be deleted in the right pane.

2. Click Delete Blades in the center pane.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Allocation • 43

3. You are prompted for confirmation before the Blade is removed from the group.

4. Click the Save button.

Multiple Blades in a group can be selected for deletion. If you do not click Save, the changes are discarded and the group remains unchanged.

Note: This process removes the Blade from the group in the Grid Center database.

The Blade itself remains untouched, and is available to be added to a different group.

You can create a Blade group and populate it in a single step by entering the name and other parameters for the group, clicking on Blades in the left pane, and clicking Add or Save.

You can create an essentially unlimited number of Blade groups and leave them unpopulated if you wish. This is useful for planning future network expansions. Remember that each Blade can be a member of only one group.

Creating an I/Port Group

Creating and modifying I/Port groups is almost identical to the process for creating and modifying Blade groups. The major difference is that selecting the Users Class for Blade groups affects how Blade Spare groups are presented for mapping to I/Port groups.

1. From the main menu, click I/Port Groups under Edit Groups.

In the Group Edit View, click I/Port Groups in the menu bar.

2. Enter the new Group Name, Description, and Location. Select a Blade group from the Spare Group pull-down menu. See parameters are:

•Name — the name of the group

• Description — a meaningful description of the group

• Location — the group’s location, either physical or virtual

• Spare Group— a Blade group that has been designated as a spare, or

None.

Note: If you enter a name longer than 17 characters, only the first 17

The Spare Group menu is populated only with Blade groups that have already been designated as Spare. If no Spare Blade groups exist, the only

characters will be displayed in the center pane.

Figure 24. These

44 • Allocation Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

choice is None. However, you can add or modify a Blade group and designate it as a Spare group, and change the I/Port group spare mapping later.

3. Press Save or Add Group and confirm this action. The new I/Port group is

saved in the database and the group name is added to the I/Port Group pull-down menu at the right end of the menu bar.

An I/Port group can be modified at any time by selecting its name from the I/Port Group pull-down menu in the Group Edit View — I/Port Groups screen.

To delete an I/Port group, select it from the I/Port Group pull-down menu and press the Delete button in the lower right corner of the screen. You will be prompted to confirm the deletion.

Adding I/Ports to an I/Port Group

Figure 24 shows an unpopulated I/Port group. To add I/Ports to a new or existing I/Port group, do the following:

1. Select the I/Port Group from the I/Port Group pull-down menu at the right end

of the menu bar.

2. Click on an I/Port name or icon in the left pane. The I/Port is shown in the right

pane, and is added to the database.

3. Click Save.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Allocation • 45

Figure 24 Creating an I/Port Group

Note: I/Ports cannot be added to more that one group. Each I/Port can belong to

only one group.

To delete an I/Port from an I/Port group, do the following:

1. Click on the check box next to the I/Port to be deleted in the right pane.

2. Click Delete I/Ports in the center pane.

3. You are prompted for confirmation before the I/Port is removed from the group.

4. Click the Save button.

Multiple I/Ports in a group can be selected for deletion. If you do not click Save, the changes are discarded and the group remains unchanged.

As with Blades in a Blade group, this process removes the I/Port from the group in the Grid Center database. The I/Port itself remains untouched, and is available to be added to a different group.

You can create an I/Port group and populate it in a single step by entering the name and other parameters for the group, clicking on I/Ports in the left pane, and clicking

Add or Save.

46 • Allocation Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

You can create an essentially unlimited number of I/Port groups and leave them unpopulated if you wish. This is useful for planning future network expansions. Remember that each I/Port can be a member of only one group.

Allocating I/Ports and Blades

Allocation allows administrators to allocate dynamic connections between groups of Blades and I/Ports. After they are created, allocations can be easily modified to allow for changing network needs and use. Two types of allocations are possible:

• Dedicated – connects the I/Port to the same assigned Blade each time.

• Shared – connects an I/Port to a Blade based on the least-load average.

When a Blade group is designated as a Dedicated group, I/Ports can only connect to that Blade. When a Blade group is designated as a Shared group, I/Ports can connect to any Blade in the group, based on the least-load average algorithm, which monitors system usage and automatically assigns I/Ports to the Blade in the group that has the least load when the connection is attempted.

In both types of allocation, as many as four I/Ports can connect to a Blade at one time. With Dedicated allocation, administrators can select as few as one or as many as four I/Ports to be connected to their dedicated Blade. In this way, administrators can allocate the right amount of computing power to each user, according to their varied needs.

For example, a power user should be given a Dedicated allocation as a single user on a Blade. One way to do this is to create a Blade group containing only one Blade, and an I/Port containing only one I/Port, which is located in the power user’s work area.

For environments where computer usage is light or varied, such as computerized point-of-sale terminals, an Internet cafe, or a telemarketing group, it would make sense to create both relatively large I/Port groups and Blade groups, keeping in mind the limit of four I/Ports per Blade. Since allocations and mappings can be changed at any time, administrators also gain the ability to perform load-balancing on their networks.

Setting Allocations

Allocations are added, modified, and deleted from the Allocation View. To manage allocations, click the Allocation link in the main menu. The Dedicated Resource Users list is displayed, as shown in Figure 25. This is the default behavior when Allocation is chosen from the main menu. To see the Shared Resource Users list, click Shared Allocations.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Allocation • 47

Figure 25 Allocation View

The Resource Users lists show the existing allocations between I/Port groups and Blade groups. To delete an allocation from one of these lists, click the check box to the left of the record, and click Delete. You are asked for confirmation. To allow or disallow the user from being able to change his assigned Blade, click the link under

Blade Selection that corresponds to the group or the I/Port. This toggles between User Override, which allows changing Blades, and No User Override, which

prevents the user from changing Blades. This is displayed on the user login screen by making the Blade Name field editable. The user must know the name of the Blade to enter it. Alternatively, clicking the Last Connected button autopopulates the last-connected Blade name in the Blade Name field. The user may need to press the Refresh button if the User Override setting has been changed recently. See Figure 13 on page 26.

To add a record, click Add. The Allocation View – Dedicated Resource Users screen (Figure 25) is displayed. To add a dedicated group allocation, do the following:

1. Click Refresh Nodes in the middle pane. This ensures that you have the most recent network information.

2. Click on an I/Port group in the left pane. The group information is placed in the I/Port Group information table in the bottom pane.

3. Click on a Blade group from the pull-down menu in the right pane. The group information is placed in the Blade Group information table in the bottom pane.

4. Click Save.

48 • Allocation Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Figure 26 Adding a Shared Resource

Creating a Shared User Mapping

Before creating a shared user mapping, each Blade client must be configured as a Shared resource type (see Creating a Blade Group on page 43). The Blade group and I/Port groups must also be configured as Shared resource types (see Creating a Blade Group on page 43 and Creating an I/Port Group on page 44).

1. From the Allocation View, click the Add link.

2. Select Shared Resource Users from the drop-down menu in the upper gray

bar.

3. Click on the I/Port Group name in the left pane.

4. Select the Blade Group to be shared from the drop-down menu in the upper

gray bar.

5. Click on any of the Blades shown in the right pane.

6. Click the Save button to save the shared user mapping.

7. To verify mapping was saved, click the Allocation link in the left menu and

click the link in the right pane to see the Shared Resource Users List.

Creating a Dedicated User Mapping

Before creating a dedicated user mapping, you must configure the Blade clients as a Dedicated resource type (see Creating a Blade Group on page 43). The Blade group and I/Port groups must also be configured as Dedicated resource types (see Creating a Blade Group on page 43 and Creating an I/Port Group on page 44).

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Allocation • 49

1. From the Allocation View, click the Add link.

2. Select Dedicated Resource Users from the drop-down menu in the upper gray bar.

3. Click on the I/Port Group name in the left pane.

4. Select an individual I/Port.

5. Select the Blade Group to be used from the drop-down menu in the upper gray bar.

6. Click on any of the Blades shown in the right pane.

Figure 27 Choosing a Blade for Mapping

7. Click the Save button to save the shared user mapping.

8. To verify mapping was saved, click the Allocation link in the left menu and click the link in the right pane to see the Dedicated Resource Users List.

Deleting a User Mapping

1. Click the Allocation link in the left menu, then click a menu choice from the menu bar in the right pane to see the Dedicated Resource Users or Shared Resource Users list, as desired.

2. Select the check box next to the mapping to be deleted.

3. Click the Delete link.

Figure 28 Deleting a User Mapping

50 • Allocation Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Switching and Sparing

The Switching View lets administrators view and switch any I/Port to any Blade on the network. To access the Switching View, click the Switching link in the left-hand frame in the Grid Center Console. The tree in the left pane shows the available I/Port groups. The drop-down list in the top gray bar shows the Blade group currently selected. By default, information for the first Blade group is shown, as in Figure 29.

Figure 29 Switching View with Default Blade Group Selected

Double-click the I/Port network link to expand the I/Port network tree. Click the Expand icon next to each I/Port group to see the I/Ports in that group.

Note: I/Ports with small clocks on them show that they are currently offline or are

otherwise unavailable. An I/Port determined to be offline is one that has not polled within the configured polling interval, including new I/Ports that have not yet been added to the Authentication database.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Switching and Sparing • 51

When an I/Port or a Blade is selected, its information is shown at the bottom of the screen, as shown in Figure 30.

Figure 30 Selected I/Port

When to Switch and When to Spare

When an administrator needs to move a user from one Blade to another, the decision should be made with both the administrator’s and the user’s needs in mind.

First, why is the user being switched? If the switch is being made to perform a brief maintenance task such as exchanging a Blade, the administrator typically has ample time to select a Blade to which the user can be switched. On the other hand, if the user’s Blade has failed, sparing them over gets them back online in the shortest possible time.

Next, what are the user’s computing demands? If the user is a “power user” who needs a lot of power and is in a Dedicated allocation, moving the user to a spare Blade may be the best choice. Since spare Blades typically are unused, this would provide the largest amount of available computing power for the user. Switching a “power user” to a shared Blade already occupied by three other users would probably result in noticeably degraded performance for all four users.

On the other hand, if the user has only modest needs and is in a Shared group, switching them to another Blade within the same group is the best option, and is likeliest to be the least visible to the user. If the user ends their RDP session, on re-establishing a connection they will rejoin their assigned group according to the least-used selection method. But if network security policies are in place, switching them to a different Shared Blade group may leave them without access to their networked files or applications.

52 • Switching and Sparing Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Switching an I/Port

Switching an I/Port is possible only when the I/Port user has already connected to a Blade using the Grid Center I/Port client.

Switching an I/Port to Another Blade

1. Select the I/Port to be switched from the left pane. The I/Port description at the

bottom shows the user name and the Blade to which it is currently connected.

2. Using the Blade Group menu, select the Blade group containing the Blade you

want connected to the selected I/Port. Click on the target Blade in the right pane. The Blade description at the bottom shows the name of the I/Ports that are connected to that Blade.

Figure 31 Selecting a Blade

3. Click the Switch button to switch the I/Port to the selected Blade. If other

I/Ports are already connected to the Blade, the following screen is shown:

Figure 32 Confirm Dialog for Switching

Clicking on Disconnect All disconnects all the currently connected I/Ports, and then connects the selected I/Port to the Blade. Clicking the Connect This button connects the selected I/Port to the Blade while leaving all other I/Port connections intact.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Switching and Sparing • 53

Sparing an I/Port

The Administration Console also allows switching an I/Port to a spare Blade.

1. Select the I/Port to be spared from the left pane.

2. Using the Blade Group menu, select the Spare Blade group.

3. Click the Spare button to switch the I/Port to the spare Blade. Grid Center then connects the selected I/Port to an available spare Blade from the Spare group not currently connected to an I/Port.

54 • Switching and Sparing Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Updates

Updating an I/Port

Grid Center lets the administrator update software on I/Ports without having to physically be at the I/Port location. To update an I/Port or I/Port group, two files are required – the update file (a updated files for installation, and the answer file (a the files contained in the update file to the specified locations.

Updates don’t necessarily have to always deploy files. They can modify the system environment, reboot a machine, delete files, change the contents of files, or perform other modifications.

Updates make it simple to refresh the software on an I/Port. For instance, updates can be used to deploy new peripheral drivers without ever visiting an I/Port. Updates can also modify and replace vulnerable system files with patched versions, thus removing security or reliability defects. To update an I/Port, do the following:

.zip or .tar archive file) that contains the new or

.bat or .2do file) file that installs

1. From the Update View, click on the individual I/Port to be updated, as shown

Figure 33, or double-click the I/Port group name to select the entire group.

Figure 33 Selecting an I/Port for Updating

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Updates • 55

2. Click the first Browse button to locate the update file.

3. Click the second Browse button to locate the answer file.

4. Click the Update button.

Note: The Browse function checks only that a file is specified, and not a directory.

File extensions are checked when the Update button is clicked, and the extensions for the update and answer files are verified.

Use .zip and .bat files for the I8800 and XPe Eon e100 I/Ports, and .tar and .2do files for the Capio One and Linux Eon e100 I/Ports. The Linux files are interchangeable between the Capio One and the Linux Eon e100, but the XPe files are not interchangeable between the I8800 and the XPe Eon e100. If you send an I8800 file to an Eon e100, or vice versa, you will corrupt the operating system and will need to re-image the operating system. The Eon e100 can be re-imaged in the field. The I8800 needs to be returned to ClearCube for re-imaging.

See Appendix A: Using Grid Center with e100 and Capio I/Ports on page 61 for more information.

56 • Updates Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Inventory and Health

Viewing I/Port Health

Health of individual I/Ports can be seen from the Inventory and Health View.

1. Click the Inventory and Health link in the left menu.

2. Click on an individual I/Port from left tree to see the health categories.

3. Click a category link in the right pane to see the details of the I/Port. If the

I/Port is offline, its health statistics are not shown.

Figure 34 I/Port Inventory and Health View

4. For details within the category, click the icon next to the description.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Inventory and Health • 57

Figure 35 I/Port System Information Description Window

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58 • Inventory and Health Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Viewing Blade Health

Health of individual Blades can be seen from the Inventory and Health View. To see a Blade’s status, do the following:

1. From the Health and Inventory View, select Blade Health Stats.

2. Click on a Blade in the left pane to see its health stats.

Figure 36 Blade Health Window

3. Click the Expand button next to the Blade name to see additional details.

4. Click a user name link to see currently running tasks for that user.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Inventory and Health • 59

60 • Inventory and Health Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Appendix A: Using Grid Center

with e100 and Capio I/Ports

Grid Center 4.11 adds support for ClearCube’s new I/Ports, the Eon e100 and Capio One. These two new architectures differ from ClearCube’s previous I/Ports, although Grid Center’s management capabilities are essentially unchanged. The most significant changes are:

• Updates and snapins for the new I/Ports do not work with the I8800 I/Port, and vice versa. Loading an update to the wrong kind of I/Port can render the I/Port’s operating system unusable.

• The new I/Ports use a different application for loading operating system updates and operating system snapins, Neoware ezRemote Manager.

This appendix describes the new features and configuration requirements for the Eon e100 and Capio One I/Ports, and touches on significant differences between the new architectures and ClearCube’s existing I/Port architectures.

Capio One

I8800

Eon e100

Figure A-1 ClearCube I/Ports

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Appendix A: Using Grid Center with e100 and Capio I/Ports • 61

Console Software

The new I/Ports use the following console applications:

• Grid Center 4.11

• Neoware ezRemote Manager

Grid Center is used in its traditional fashion to monitor and manage I/Ports. The ezRemote Manager application is used to push system updates and snapins for the new I/Ports.

Table A-1 Grid Center and ezRemote Manager Functionality Overview

Action Grid Center ezRemote Manager

Update Grid Center client software

Track and manage I/Ports with auto-discovery

Set up and manage dynamic and dedicated connections to Blades

Spare users between Blades

View Blade utilization statistics

View client asset information

Install peripheral drivers

Install local applications

Install Microsoft security updates

Re-image I/Ports

Shadow (mirror) a user's RDP session

Best application choice for this task.

√

Grid Center can perform these functions, but in order to leverage the snap-ins that

have already been completed and validated by Neoware, these update packages will primarily be made available in the ezRemote Manager format.

√ √ √

* * *

√ √ √ √ √

Grid Center

To provide full support for the new I/Ports, you need to run the Grid Center Linux Update Installer on your Grid Center Console system. This installer places the required files for the Linux I/Port Client on the Grid Center Console. You must have Grid Center 4.1 or higher installed to use this update.

62 • Appendix A: Using Grid Center with e100 and Capio I/Ports Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

With the Grid Center clients installed on the I/Ports and the new Grid Center Linux Update installed on the Grid Center Console, Grid Center ‘s management functionality between the old and the new I/Ports is essentially the same. The two most notable differences are that the Eon e100 I/Ports with XPe report a larger set of parameters in the Inventory and Health View; and ezRemote Manager must be used to push operating system updates to the new I/Ports.

Grid Center snapins for XPe-based I/Ports, including the I8800, will be pushed using Grid Center.

ezRemote Manager

The Eon e100 and Capio I/Ports require Neoware ezRemote Manager to perform software updates. ezRemote Manager can be downloaded from

http://www.neoware.com/.

Two versions are available: ezRemote Manager Enterprise Edition, and ezRemote Manager Limited Edition. ezRemote Manager Enterprise Edition requires Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2003 Server to run, requires obtaining a software key from Neoware, and allows managing an unlimited number of clients. ezRemote Manager Limited Edition runs on Windows 2000 or Windows XP Professional (installed on the ClearCube Blades) as well as Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2003 Server and does not require a software key, but can manage only 5 clients at a time.

You need a serial number from one of your I/Ports to download ezRemote Manager. When you download the software, get the manual as well. If you plan to use ezRemote Manager Enterprise Edition, register for a software key as well. The software key is delivered by email, or can be obtained by phone from Neoware. Details are provided in the ezRemote Manager User Manual.

If you are using your I/Port as a client managed by Grid Center, do the following from the Grid Center Console to set up connectivity:

1. Discover the I/Port.

2. Configure the I/Port with the Primary and Secondary Consoles’ names to

establish them as trusted machines.

3. Add the I/Port to the Grid Center authentication database.

By default, the Consoles are trusted machines for the I/Port. More systems can be addedas trusted machines. More information is provided in other sections of this manual.

All Neoware snapins will be pushed using ezRemote Manager. All reimages and image updates except for the I8800 will be pushed using ezRemote Manager. If you are using your I/Port as a client managed by ezRemote Manager, please see the ezRemote Manager User Manual for full information.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Appendix A: Using Grid Center with e100 and Capio I/Ports • 63

Client Software

Grid Center 4.11 maintains full compatibility with the I8800 I/Port, and adds client support for the Eon e100 XPe I/Ports, and Eon e100 and Capio One NeoLinux I/Ports.

The Eon e100 is available with either XPe or NeoLinux. The Capio One is available only with NeoLinux. The NeoLinux operating system and client can be installed on an Eon e100, although this is not recommended.

Eon e100 and Capio One I/Ports from ClearCube are shipped with Grid Center Client software pre-installed. This section provides information on how to verify that this software is correctly installed and functions properly. It also provides information on how to install, reinstall, or update the client software or other software snapins. Finally, it gives information on updating or re-imaging the operating system.

I/Port System and Client Verification

The Grid Center client is programmed to start automatically on system startup on the NeoLinux I/Ports. The XPe Eon e100 I/Port requires you to login to the I/Port before starting the Grid Center client. (This behavior differs from the I8800 I/Port, which auto-starts the Grid Center client and auto-connects to an allocated Blade via RDP, and provides the user with a Windows login screen on the Blade.) On both operating systems, a ClearCube splash screen is displayed during startup. This should be visually verified when installing an I/Port on the desktop.

To verify whether the I/Port can connect with the Grid Center server, ping the Grid Center Console system. On the NeoLinux I/Ports, open a On the XPe I/Ports, run port 6500 to be open. Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol requires TCP ports 139 and 3389 to be open.

If the I/Port can reach the Grid Center Console via client, you may need to reinstall the client software. Use ezRemote Manager to push out the client, as Grid Center requires minimal client connectivity for a push to succeed.

Note: The NeoLinux I/Ports need to be plugged into a live Ethernet connection at

startup for the network interface chip (NIC) to auto-initialize. If this does not happen, the NIC can be started manually using the ezConnect client, or by restarting the I/Port.

ping from a command window. Grid Center requires TCP

ping but not via the Grid Center

tty session to use ping.

I/Port Client Configuration

The default administrator ID/ password on the XPe I/Ports is

clearcube

. The default user ID/ password on the XPe I/Ports is

administrator /

user / clearcube

64 • Appendix A: Using Grid Center with e100 and Capio I/Ports Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

The default administrator ID/ password on the NeoLinux I/Ports is A default user ID/ password is not provided on the on the NeoLinux I/Ports.

For security reasons, these passwords should be changed. User accounts can be set up individually via RDP or at the local desktop by the administrator. In addition, Grid Center and ezRemote Manager can execute scripts on multiple I/Ports, offering an effective tool for updating authentication credentials. XPe uses the standard Windows tools and methods for account and password maintenance. The NeoLinux Grid Center client provides its own password maintenance capability.

root / clearcube

I/Port Software Updates

The Eon e100 and Capio One I/Ports use ezRemote Manager for operating system updates. These brief procedures describe how to update or re-image Eon e100 and Capio I/Ports. The ezRemote Manager User Manual provides complete details on pushing software updates or re-imaging the I/Port.

To push a snapin:

1. In ezRemote Manager, select Neoware Appliances in the left pane.

2. From the Actions menu, select Assets.

3. In the window that is displayed, click the Password button and enter the

password for the I/Ports to be updated.

4. Highlight the I/Ports to receive the snapin.

5. Select the Snapin Manager icon (the icon with the red check mark).

6. Browse for the snapin and click OK.

To re-image:

1. In ezRemote Manager, select Neoware Appliances in the left pane.

2. From the Actions menu, select Assets.

3. In the window that is displayed, click the Password button and enter the

password for the I/Ports to be updated.

4. Highlight the I/Ports to receive the snapin.

5. Select the Software Update Manager icon (the icon with the floppy disk).

6. Browse for the image file and click OK.

The I8800 I/Port uses Grid Center for software updates. See Updates on page 55 for more information. If your I8800 I/Port requires system re-imaging, contact ClearCube Technical support (see Contacting Support on page 67).

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Appendix A: Using Grid Center with e100 and Capio I/Ports • 65

Notes

When re-imaging an Eon e100 XPe I/Port, the initial system messages report that NeoLinux is loading. This is correct. NeoLinux is used to begin the XPe installation. When the installation is complete, the I/Port will restart in XPe.

Do not turn off power to the I/Port during a software update.

After updating or re-imaging an Eon e100 XPe I/Port, system response will be slower until after the system saves its user settings the first time.

When updating Eon e100 and Capio One I/Ports, be aware that the Capio One has a slower processor and will take longer to update.

If you use a KVM switch with an I/Port, overall system response will probably be slower. This is an unavoidable consequence of using the KVM switch.

The I8800 and Eon e100 I/Ports use a write filter to prevent unwanted writes to the flash memory of the I/Ports. The functionality is similar, but the write filter controls are completely different. On both I/Ports, the ability to change the write filter is visible only to the administrator.

The I8800 I/Port displays a write filter indicator in the system tray. When the write filter is enabled (the flash cannot be written), the write filter indicator is a green dot in the system tray. When the write filter is disabled (the flash can be written), the write filter indicator is a red dot. Double-click on the Disable Write Filter icon (red circle) or Enable Write Filter icon (green circle) on the administrator desktop to disable or enable the write filter.

The Eon e100 I/Port also displays its write filter indicator in the system tray. When the write filter is enabled (the flash cannot be written), the write filter icon has a red dot. When the write filter is disabled (the flash can be written), the write filter icon has a green dot. Double-click on the write filter indicator to change its state. The Eon e100 provides tooltips with its write filter icon to alert the user whether the flash can be written.

66 • Appendix A: Using Grid Center with e100 and Capio I/Ports Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Contacting Support

ClearCube

In the event you have any problems with your ClearCube software, please refer to our Web site or contact ClearCube Technical Support for guidance.

support@clearcube.com Email address to ClearCube Technical Support support.clearcube.com ClearCube Support Website

(866) 652-3400 Direct line in the US +1 (512) 652-3400 Direct line from outside the US

Active Perl

ClearCube Grid Center 4.11 utilizes ActiveState Perl technology. ActivePerl is the up-to-date, quality-assured Perl binary distribution from ActiveState. Current releases, and other professional tools for open source language developers are available at

http://www.ActiveState.com/

Commercial support for ActivePerl is available through ActiveState at:

http://www.ActiveState.com/Support/Enterprise/

For peer support resources for ActivePerl issues see:

http://www.ActiveState.com/Support/

Neoware

Neoware documentation and software can be downloaded at:

http://www.neoware.com/manuals.html/ http://www.neoware.com/downloads/management.aspx

Acknowledgements

ClearCube Grid Center 4.11 utilizes ActiveState Perl technology.

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Contacting Support • 67

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68 • Contacting Support Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

Index

ActiveState Perl

installing 5, 12

adding

Blade group 43 I/Port group 44 I/Ports to a group 45

Administration Console 18

configuring 29 installing 13

All-in-One Installer 7 allocating

Blades 47 I/Ports 47

allocation 41

dedicated 41 deleting 50 shared 41 spare 41

Allocation View 2, 22, 47

Blade

allocating 47

Blade group

adding Blades 43 creating 43

Blade health

viewing 59

Configuration View 2, 20, 30, 33, 34 configuring

Grid Center Administration Console 29 Grid Center Blade 32 Grid Center I/Port client 32

contacting support

ActivePerl 67 ClearCube 67

creating

Blade group 43 I/Port group 44

dedicated allocation 41 deleting

user mapping 50

Distributed Computing Infrastructure (DCI)

installing 5, 12

Edit Groups View 21

Grid Center

Administration Console 6 configuring Administration Console 29 installing 5 uninstalling Administrator Console 15

Grid Center Administration Console

installing 13

Grid Center Blade client

configuring 32

Grid Center client 6 Grid Center I/Port client

configuring 32

group

creating 42

Group Edit View 2, 45

I/Port

allocating 47 sparing 54 switching 53

I/Port group

adding I/Ports 45 creating 44

I/Port health

viewing 57

I/Port software

updating 55

installing

ActiveState Perl 5, 12 Administrator Console 5 Distributed Computing Infrastructure (DCI) 5, 12 Grid Center Administration Console 13 Grid Center Blade client 8 I/Port client 10 JRE 5, 12

Inventory and Health View 3, 23, 57

JRE

installing 5, 12

launching

Administration Console 18

Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide Index • 69

shared allocation 41 spare allocation 41 sparing

I/Port 54

support

ActivePerl 67 ClearCube 67

switching

I/Port 53

Switching View 2, 21, 51

uninstalling

Administrator Console 13, 14, 15

Update View 3, 23, 55 updating

I/Port software 55

viewing

Blade health 59 I/Port health 57

70 • Index Grid Center 4.11 Administrator’s Guide

ClearCube Technology, Inc.

8834 Capital of Texas Highway North Austin, Texas 78759 voice 512.652.3500

www.clearcube.com

Rev. 7/31/2005P/N 020031-B

ClearCube Grid Center Admin Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Figures

Introduction

ClearCube Grid Center 4.11

New Features

Management Capabilities in Grid Center

Configuration View

Edit Groups View

Switching View

Allocation View

Updates View

Inventory and Health View

Packaging

Migrating Grid Center Data

Grid Center Installation

Installing Grid Center 4.11

Before You Install

Using Grid Center’s All-in-One Installer

Installing the Grid Center Administration Console

Installing the Linux Console Update

Installing Grid Center Clients

Installing Components Individually

Migrating Discovery Lists

Backing up the Discovery List Files

Restoring the Discovery List Files

Uninstalling Grid Center

Uninstalling the Administration Console

Uninstalling the Clients

Uninstalling Other Components

Grid Center Console

Launching the Administration Console

Logging in for the First Time

Take a Tour

Grid Center Clients

I/Port Client

Blade Client

Configuring Grid Center

Configuring the Administration Console

Configuring the Authentication Database

Discover Network Nodes

Configure the Consoles as Trusted Machines

Add Authentication Data

Configuring Network Nodes

Blades

I/Ports

Debugging Blade Discovery

Checklist

Debugging

Modifying User Access to the Administration Console

Allocation

Creating Groups

Creating a Blade Group

Adding Blades to a Blade Group

Creating an I/Port Group

Adding I/Ports to an I/Port Group

Allocating I/Ports and Blades

Setting Allocations

Creating a Shared User Mapping

Creating a Dedicated User Mapping

Deleting a User Mapping

Switching and Sparing

When to Switch and When to Spare

Switching an I/Port

Switching an I/Port to Another Blade

Sparing an I/Port

Updates

Updating an I/Port

Inventory and Health

Viewing I/Port Health

Viewing Blade Health

Console Software

Grid Center

ezRemote Manager

Client Software

I/Port System and Client Verification

I/Port Client Configuration