How to: Create minimal configuration for smartengines

Modified on Fri, 10 Jan, 2020 at 7:26 PM

INTRODUCTION

When working with smartengine clusters, you have to initially configure smartengines to be a part of it. Also, if the network of the cluster were to change at any point after the initial setup, one will need to update all the cluster members to conform to it. These tasks could be tedious especially when dealing with large clusters. Starting with version 4.5.1 of the smartmanager software, users now have the ability to create minimal configuration files which can then be loaded on the smartengines for them to join the cluster quickly.


GENERATING SMARTENGINE CONFIGURATION FILES

Steps to follow

This is what you will see

Step 1.  Login to the smartdirector using admin credentials.

Step 2.  From the Applications Menu, click on Admin Tools.

Step 3. In the System Configurationsection, click on Download to back-up the system configuration to disk.

After the system configuration file has been downloaded successfully, you can proceed to creating and downloading minimal configuration files for the smartengine(s) in the cluster.

 

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Step 4. Next, go to the section called Actions and click on Manage Cluster

 

 

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Step 5. The Cluster Management page will appear. For the smartdirector listing, click on the Actions button on the right.

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Step 6. You will see a pane which allows you to either download the current configuration or to edit and generate a new configuration. You will want to choose the latter and click on the Edit button.

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Step 7. The Configuration section will appear.

  • In the event the cluster is using DHCP, one can start downloading configuration files by modifying the Engine ID and Engine Name as these have to be unique.

 

  • In the event Static IP addressing is in place, one will need to uncheckthe box for automatic assignment of IP address. This will expose other IP parameters that you can modify for your specific requirements. Since we are creating minimal configuration files for the smartengines of the same cluster, you will need to change the Engine ID, the Engine Name, and the IP Address. It is highly unlikely that the Subnet and/or the Gateway will need to be touched.

 

 



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Step 8. In this example, we are creating a configuration file for eng-1 in the cluster. Notice the 3 items that we have changed to reflect that in the illustration.

 

 

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Step 9. Click on the Download button to save the configuration file on to your PC once the desired parameters have been entered.

Depending on your web browser setting you may either get prompted to save the file or it will get saved automatically to the designated folder for all web downloads. Based on the example, the name of the newly created minimal configuration file will be engine.eng-1.cfg. Notice the file name has the reference to the engine name for easy identification. 

 

Repeat the process for however many smartengines you are adding in as new (and/or are replacing) in the cluster but making sure the Engine ID, Engine Nameand IP Address are unique! That is extremely important as duplication will cause these engines to not properly join the cluster.

 

Now these newly created configuration files can simply be uploaded on to the designated smartengines and they will cluster up with the smartdirector to get their operational instructions.

 

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