We currently have a production cluster managed by xCAT - Lenovo-based, 16
compute nodes, management node, storage node. Each node has dual 1 Gb NICs,
plus two 10 Gb NICs used as interconnect. All Intel CPUs.
What I am looking for is to set up a lab environment "on the cheap" using
old retired hardware (or possibly a virtual environment). I can get my hand
on retired HP or Dell servers easily, and probably also on some networking
hardware (although not 10 Gb). By necessity, this cluster can't be a clone
of the production environment. It will have fewer cores per node, fewer
nodes, less memory, different networking setup.
The goal is four-fold:
- Learn more about xCAT without breaking the production cluster.
- Test improvements for the production cluster.
- Test and dry-run future major future software upgrades (such as, from
RedHat 6.7 to 7.4).
- Test installing additional application software for end-users before it
goes on the production cluster.
What I'm looking for is recommendations on what to pay attention to in
order to make this "playground" as useful as possible, within the
constraints.
Thanks!
--
_______________________________________________________________________
Kevin Keane | Systems Architect | University of San Diego ITS |
[email protected]
Maher Hall, 192 |5998 Alcalá Park | San Diego, CA 92110-2492 | 619.260.6859
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