Red Hat Linux 7.3 Kernel Modifications

The Easy Installation Tool already installed the Red Hat 7.3 Linux kernel with the SCore system. You do not need to reconfigure the kernel unless you want to change it. If you would like to reconfigure the new kernel, please read this document.

From SCore 5.2.0, EIT don't install development tool on compute hosts, So you must build kernel on server host, and distribute it to compute hosts.

  1. Install kernel source from rpm on server hosts

    The kernel source rpm for SCore compute hosts is kernel-source-score-2.4.21-1SCORE.i386.rpm You can get this file from web page or CD-ROM. Please look at SCore Binary Module Extraction and Installation.

    Please install this rpm: 

        # rpm -Uvh kernel-source-score-2.4.21-1SCORE.i386.rpm
    Kernel source is instaled /usr/src/linux-2.4.21score.

  2. Add the PM-II device drivers to the kernel
    SCore includes kernel PM-II device drivers for Myrinet, 100Mbps and Gigabit Ethernet, and shared memory. Drivers must be statically linked into the kernel on all compute hosts. In other words, they must be the built-in drivers.

    1. To create new kernel source code, issue the following commands:
      	# cd /usr/src/linux-2.4.21score
    2. To create a new configuration file for the kernel, execute the following: 
      	# make distclean
	# make menuconfig

      1. Select the ``Character devices'' menu. You will find the following entries:

        RWCP PM/Myrinet (Myricom Myrinet PCI) support (NEW)
        Page Coloring (NEW)
        RWCP PM/Ethernet support (NEW)
        RWCP PM/Shmem (Shared Memory) support (NEW)

        Please select those drivers which are appropriate for your configuration, so that they are STATICALLY linked into the kernel or, in other words, as a built-in driver. To select a driver as a built-in driver, type the y key instead of typing the space key.

        ``RWCP PM/Myrinet (Myricom Myrinet PCI) support (NEW)'' MUST be selected even though the machine may not have a Myrinet card.

        If you select ``RWCP PM/Ethernet support (NEW)'', the following option will also be displayed:

        Interrupt-reaping
        Select ``Interrupt-reaping'' to increase PM/Ethernet make performance.

        Be aware that ``RWCP PM/Myrinet (Myricom Myrinet PCI) support (NEW)'' MUST be selected even though the machine may not have a Myrinet card.

      2. If you use SMP machine, please select ``Symmetric multi-processing support'' in the ``Processor type and features'' menu.
      3. Save the configuration, then exit menuconfig.

    3. Issue the following commands to make and install a new kernel, and update the lilo database. 
      	# insmod loop
	# cd /usr/src/linux
	# make dep clean
	# make bzImage
	# make modules
	# make install
	# make modules_install
      NOTE: The insmod loop command must be issued before installing the modules.

      Make sure that there are no errors to install the new kernel.

      NOTE: If you don't want to use thie kernel on server, please remove the kernel entry from boot loader configuration file. If your server is used grub, please edit /boot/grub/grub.conf. And if your server is used lilo, please edit /etc/lilo.conf and issue /sbin/lilo.

    4. Issue the following commands to copy kernel to compute hosts: Where pcc is score group of compute hosts. 
          #rcp-all /boot/*2.4.21-1SCOREcustom* pcc:/boot
    #rcp-all /lib/modules/2.4.21-1SCOREcustom pcc:/lib/modules
    5. Perform the following to make initrd file:
      	# scout -g pcc
	# scout /sbin/new-kernel-pkg --mkinitrd --depmod --install 2.4.21-1SCOREcustom
	# exit
    6. If your compute host use lilo (EIT use lilo), edit /etc/lilo.conf and install boot loader.
      Please add 2.4.21-1SCOREcustom kernel entry in /etc/lilo.conf. For example, if your /etc/lilo.conf is following: 
      prompt
timeout=50
default=linux
boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
message=/boot/message
linear

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-1SCOREsmp
        label=linux
        read-only
	initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.21-1SCOREsmp.img
        root=/dev/sda3

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-1SCORE
        label=linux-up
        read-only
	initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.21-1SCORE.img
        root=/dev/sda3
      Please add following entry: 
      image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-1SCOREcustom
        label=linux-custom
        read-only
	initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.21-1SCOREcustom.img
        root=/dev/sda3
      And please change 
      default=linux
      to 
      default=linux-custom

      And please issue lilo command. 

      	# sync
	# lilo
    7. Halt the system and install a Myrinet card, then reboot the system
      	# /sbin/halt
      If a Myrinet card has been installed, the following kernel messages will appear during the boot sequence: 
      Myrinet 9 revison(1) bus(0) iobase(e7000000) irq(c) vmem(d0800000)
      Values depend on the version of the Myrinet card and the host system.

      To make sure the PM drivers have been installed, issue the following command: 

      	# dmesg | grep -i pm
      You will see several messages. e.g., 
      PM memory support
Register pm_memory as major(123)
pm[0]: clockval = 90449044, cpu = 403, delay = 0, board = 1, sram = 100000
pm[0]: 30 contexts using 3840K bytes of memory
Register pm as major(121)
PM/Ethernet: "$Id: pm_ethernet_dev.c,v 1.68 2001/02/24 12:48:14 s-sumi Exp$"
PM/Ethernet: register etherpm device as major(122)
pmshmem: version = $Id: pm_shmem.c,v 1.6 2000/09/25 12:42:28 kameyama Exp $
pmshmem_init: register pm_shmem as major(124)
etherpm0: 8 contexts using 2048K bytes of memory, maxunit=2, maxnodes=128.
etherpm0: Interrupt Reaping on eth0, irq 10
    Be sure that the above procedures are performed on all hosts so that a new kernel is installed on all hosts.

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This document is a part of the SCore cluster system software developed at PC Cluster Consortium, Japan. Copyright (C) 2003-2004 PC Cluster Consortium.