xcat-core/xCAT-genesis-builder

xCAT Genesis builder

OpenEmbedded builder

OpenEmbedded is the current Genesis build path. It builds a small, pinned system instead of copying files from the build host.

Install the host packages required by OpenEmbedded, then install kas in a Python virtual environment:

python3 -m venv .venv
. .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r xCAT-genesis-builder/oe/requirements.txt
xCAT-genesis-builder/oe/build x86_64

The build command accepts x86, x86_64, ppc64, ppc64le, armv7hf, aarch64, and riscv64. Multiple architectures are built in the order given. Artifacts are written below xCAT-genesis-builder/oe/.work/build/tmp/deploy/images. The x86 artifact uses an i686 CPU baseline. The build carries the reviewed Yocto release key in oe/keys and verifies its fingerprint locally.

The serial console normally opens a read-only Newt status screen. F1 shows help, F2 shows diagnostics, and F3 shows live logs. F12 opens a confirmed root maintenance shell; exiting returns to the status screen. Add xcat.console=plain to the kernel command line for line output. In plain mode, type shell and press Enter to open the same confirmed maintenance shell.

Export an image for xCAT after the build:

xCAT-genesis-builder/oe/export x86_64 \
    xCAT-genesis-builder/oe/.work/build/tmp/deploy \
    /tmp/xcat-genesis-x86_64

Copy the exported directory intact to the management node at /opt/xcat/share/xcat/netboot/genesis/x86_64, then publish it:

mknb x86_64

mknb verifies the kernel and initramfs checksums before replacing the files under the configured TFTP root.

Signed extensions

Build an extension recipe with the same machine configuration as the Genesis image. Then export it with the site's Ed25519 release key:

xCAT-genesis-builder/oe/export-extension x86_64 my-extension \
    xCAT-genesis-builder/oe/.work/build/tmp/deploy \
    /secure/genesis-extension.key /secure/genesis-extension.pub \
    /tmp/my-extension-bundle

The private key stays outside the source tree. The exported bundle contains the extension image, manifest, signature, public key, and checksums.

A site layer can include that directory in its Genesis image with a small append file:

FILESEXTRAPATHS:prepend := "${THISDIR}/files:"
SRC_URI += "file://my-extension-bundle"
XCAT_GENESIS_EXTENSION_BUNDLE = "my-extension-bundle"

Place the exported directory below the append file's files directory. Genesis verifies every bundled extension before registration and stops the boot workflow if the image, manifest, signature, key, release, or architecture does not match.

Genesis records registration time and memory use in /run/xcat/metrics.env. After copying that file from a test VM, create a report with image sizes and runtime measurements:

xCAT-genesis-builder/oe/report --runtime /tmp/metrics.env \
    x86_64 /tmp/xcat-genesis-x86_64 > /tmp/report.env

Compare a later build with the saved report:

xCAT-genesis-builder/oe/report --runtime /tmp/metrics.env \
    --baseline /tmp/report.env \
    x86_64 /tmp/xcat-genesis-x86_64

Positive deltas mean a larger image, more memory use, or a slower registration.

See the architecture plan for the network, hardware, license, and signed-extension contracts.

Legacy RPM builder

The distribution-derived builder below is retained for the existing Genesis packages. It is not used by the OpenEmbedded images.

For every architecture in your cluster, be it x86_64, or ppc64, you need to have a default initrd image for performing the initial boot and deploying the diskless operating system.

If for some reason, the versions included in the xCAT xcat-dep repository are insufficient, you can simply run this utility on the target architecture which will build a xCAT-genesis-base RPM designed for the target architecture. You can then transfer that RPM to your xCAT Management Node, install it, and then rebuild the various netboot images.

Pre-requisites

The xCAT-genesis-builder package is designed to be run from a Red Hat compatible operating system that support the Red Hat Package Manager (rpm) development tools. The script buildrpm will attempt to install some of these core packages if they are not already present.

Instructions for buiding xCAT-genesis-builder RPM

Latest version 2.16.3 of xCAT-genesis-builder RPM available at https://www.xcat.org/files/xcat/xcat-dep/2.x_Linux/beta and was verified to install and run on Fedora28 and Red Hat 8. Earlier version 2.14.5 of xCAT-genesis-builder RPM available at https://www.xcat.org/files/xcat/xcat-dep/2.x_Linux/beta and was verified to install and run on Fedora26 and Red Hat 7. If a new version of xCAT-genesis-builder RPM needs to be built:

1. Clone xcat-core git repository:

git clone -b master https://github.com/xcat2/xcat-core.git

2. Build new xCAT-genesis-builder RPM:

cd xcat-core
./makerpm-genesisbuilder

Instructions for buiding xCAT-genesis-base RPM

First, you need to clone the xcat-core repo to the target architecture using the following command:

git clone -b master https://github.com/xcat2/xcat-core.git

Once there, you can choose to either build the entire package, or more simply, do the following (assuming 2.16.10 is your xCAT version):

cd xcat-core/xCAT-genesis-builder

If needed, update version number inside xCAT-genesis-base.spec

./buildrpm

If this command is successful, runs error free, it will generate a xCAT-genesis-base RPM that you can transfer to your xCAT server and install and then rebuild your netboot images prior to deploying the netboot images to your nodes.

The RPM will be placed into the following directory /root/rpmbuild/RPMS/noarch if the build is successful.

When running the buildrpm the output should look similar to the following:

[root@vmhost6 xcat-core]# cd xCAT-genesis-builder
[root@vmhost6 xCAT-genesis-builder]# ./buildrpm
Last metadata expiration check: 3:03:21 ago on Fri 27 Aug 2021 06:07:01 AM EDT.
Package rpmdevtools-8.10-8.el8.noarch is already installed.
Package rpm-build-4.14.3-14.el8_4.x86_64 is already installed.
Package screen-4.6.2-12.el8.x86_64 is already installed.
Package lldpad-1.0.1-13.git036e314.el8.x86_64 is already installed.
Package mstflint-4.15.0-1.el8.x86_64 is already installed.
Dependencies resolved.
Nothing to do.
Complete!
Last metadata expiration check: 3:03:23 ago on Fri 27 Aug 2021 06:07:01 AM EDT.
Package efibootmgr-16-1.el8.x86_64 is already installed.
Package bc-1.07.1-5.el8.x86_64 is already installed.
Dependencies resolved.
Nothing to do.
Complete!
/root/xcat-core/xCAT-genesis-builder
cp: -r not specified; omitting directory '/root/xcat-core/xCAT-genesis-builder/debian'
Creating the initramfs in /tmp/xcatgenesis.351827.rfs using dracut ...

Expanding the initramfs into /tmp/xcatgenesis.351827/opt/xcat/share/xcat/netboot/genesis/x86_64/fs ...
623218 blocks
Adding perl libary /usr/share/perl5
Adding perl libary /usr/lib64/perl5
Adding kernel /boot/vmlinuz-x86_64 ...
/root/xcat-core/xCAT-genesis-builder
Tarring /tmp/xcatgenesis.351827/opt into /root/rpmbuild/SOURCES/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64.tar.bz2 ...
Building xCAT-genesis-base rpm from /root/rpmbuild/SOURCES/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64.tar.bz2 and /root/xcat-core/xCAT-genesis-builder/xCAT-genesis-base.spec ...
Executing(%prep): /bin/sh -e /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.z5jzb9
+ umask 022
+ cd /root/rpmbuild/BUILD
+ exit 0
Executing(%build): /bin/sh -e /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.Q5Rg87
+ umask 022
+ cd /root/rpmbuild/BUILD
+ exit 0
Executing(%install): /bin/sh -e /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.F7t435
+ umask 022
+ cd /root/rpmbuild/BUILD
+ '[' /root/rpmbuild/BUILDROOT/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64-2.16.10-snap202108270912.x86_64 '!=' / ']'
+ rm -rf /root/rpmbuild/BUILDROOT/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64-2.16.10-snap202108270912.x86_64
++ dirname /root/rpmbuild/BUILDROOT/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64-2.16.10-snap202108270912.x86_64
+ mkdir -p /root/rpmbuild/BUILDROOT
+ mkdir /root/rpmbuild/BUILDROOT/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64-2.16.10-snap202108270912.x86_64
+ rm -rf /root/rpmbuild/BUILDROOT/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64-2.16.10-snap202108270912.x86_64
+ mkdir -p /root/rpmbuild/BUILDROOT/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64-2.16.10-snap202108270912.x86_64
+ cd /root/rpmbuild/BUILDROOT/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64-2.16.10-snap202108270912.x86_64
+ tar jxf /root/rpmbuild/SOURCES/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64.tar.bz2
+ cd -
/root/rpmbuild/BUILD
+ :
Processing files: xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64-2.16.10-snap202108270912.noarch
Provides: xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64 = 2:2.16.10-snap202108270912
Requires(interp): /bin/sh
Requires(rpmlib): rpmlib(BuiltinLuaScripts) <= 4.2.2-1 rpmlib(CompressedFileNames) <= 3.0.4-1 rpmlib(FileDigests) <= 4.6.0-1 rpmlib(PartialHardlinkSets) <= 4.0.4-1 rpmlib(PayloadFilesHavePrefix) <= 4.0-1
Requires(post): /bin/sh
Conflicts: xCAT-genesis-scripts-x86_64 < 1:2.13.10
warning: Arch dependent binaries in noarch package
Checking for unpackaged file(s): /usr/lib/rpm/check-files /root/rpmbuild/BUILDROOT/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64-2.16.10-snap202108270912.x86_64
Wrote: /root/rpmbuild/SRPMS/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64-2.16.10-snap202108270912.src.rpm
Wrote: /root/rpmbuild/RPMS/noarch/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64-2.16.10-snap202108270912.noarch.rpm
Executing(%clean): /bin/sh -e /var/tmp/rpm-tmp.yShjx5
+ umask 022
+ cd /root/rpmbuild/BUILD
+ /usr/bin/rm -rf /root/rpmbuild/BUILDROOT/xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64-2.16.10-snap202108270912.x86_64
+ exit 0

Once you transfer the RPM to your xCAT server, you should install it. However, if there is already an xCAT-genesis-base-* RPM for your architecture installed, you will have to uninstall it first using the command below, assuming x86_64 architecture. We use the --nodeps option as the uninstall will fail due to other dependencies.

rpm -e --nodeps xCAT-genesis-base-x86_64*

To install the new RPM, issue the following command, using the 2.16.10 example from above:

rpm -ivh xCAT-genesis-base*.rpm

Now, assuming that the architecture that you have built the xCAT-genesis-base for was ppc64, you would then, on the xCAT server run the following command:

mknb ppc64

At this point in time, you can discover nodes by following https://xcat-docs.readthedocs.io/en/stable/guides/admin-guides/manage_clusters/ppc64le/discovery/mtms/discovery.html

Open Source License

xCAT is made available under the EPL license: https://opensource.org/licenses/eclipse-1.0.php

Developers

Want to help? Check out the developers guide!