[OpenAFS] AFSInstaller - announcement

[Michael Martinez]

AFSInstaller announcement, for those of you that didn't catch it last week; plus further brief information about what AFSInstaller does, what to expect from it, and what it doesn't do.
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AFSInstaller is a new piece of software (written in C on the Gnu glibc2.1 platform for Linux RedHat 6.2).

1) What does it do?

It asks the user some questions, and generates fully-functional database (.DB0) files and the text-based configuration files under /usr/afs/.

Once you answered the questions, AFSinstaller will populate these files on each AFS server of your choosing. You only have to answer questions once.

2) Why is this useful?

It removes the need to configure each AFS computer by issuing the admnistrative commands (vos/bos, etc..). Instead, all you have to do is run AFSInstaller. And you only have to answer the questions, once. This sets up the appropriate database files for the entire network. Different servers are installed, according to their role in the network.

3) What should I use AFSInstaller for?

Use it for setting up a brand new OpenAFS network. Don't use it to reconfigure an existing network. AFSInstaller is primarily designed to make it easier to start a fresh AFS installation.

4) What does it lack?

Well, currently, AFSInstaller is lacking the following things:

a) Does not configure or install client computers
b) Does not configure or install the volumes database, or the file system (/vicepxx).
c) Does not install modules or start-up scripts.
d) So far, tested on RH 6.2. May work on other related Linux, but hasn't been tested on the newer kernels.

5) How stable is the code?

The code is stable.

6) What to expect from AFSInstaller in the future?

Work in progress on the features that it is currently lacking (as described above).

7) How do I use AFSInstaller?

Use it in conjunction with the AFS document entitled "Quick Beginnings."

The purpose of AFSInstaller is to make this document obsolete. So far, the current version of AFSInstaller does, in fact, go about 25% towards achieving this. But you will need to refer to "Quick Beginnings" in order to perform the following maneuvers:

a) format the vicepxx filesystem(s)
b) install modules
c) install start-up script
d) issue vos commands to create volumes (but do not issue 

You can ignore most "bos" commands and you can ignore the instructions for creating users, because AFSInstaller takes care of the users.

AFSInstaller is quite flexible and quite strong. Check it out. Send me your feedback.

Regards,
Michael Martinez
info@mwmconsultants.com


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Regards,

Michael Martinez
MWM Consultants
http://www.mwmconsultants.com
(703) 216-6272
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