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#pragma section-numbers off

These steps are listed in approximately the order in which they should be performed; please try to maintain that as you add to it.

[[TableOfContents]]


=== List the Machine on the Wiki ===

Add the machine to the ["Hardware"] page.

It is a very good idea to photograph the front and back panels of the machine and put those images on the wiki page; that way remote admins and people in the data center can be sure they're talking about the same ports.

=== Set Up Out Of Band Access ===

All machines owned by hcoop should, if possible, have some out-of-band mechanism for:

 1. Keyboard access
 2. Screen access
 3. Power-cycling

Functions 1+2 are typically provided by {{{kvm.hcoop.net}}} (see KvmAccess); assuming you plan on going with that, you should connect the server's keyboard and video to the kvm switch.

Each server has its own solution for 3, usually in the form of a "service processor". You should investigate and document the appropriate service processor settings. If the service processor requires its own IP address, you should name it {{{foo-sp.hcoop.net}}} where {{{foo.hcoop.net}}} is the name of the server.

=== Add a DNS entry for the server ===

Straightforward.

=== Install Debian ===

We use Debian. Install it. We should put our standard {{{/etc/apt/sources.list}}} here.

=== Compile a Kernel ===

It is generally a good idea for hcoop to compile its own kernels. Regarding statically-compiled kernels, see StaticallyCompiledKernels for some opinions.

=== Install the AFS Client ===

First, give our preferences to {{{debconf}}}:

{{{
  debconf openafs-client/thiscell hcoop.net
  debconf openafs-client/dynroot true
  debconf openafs-client/cachesize 500000 # cache size in kB; default is way too small
}}}

You should install the {{{module-assistant}}}, {{{build-essential}}}, {{{module-init-tools}}}, {{{openafs-client}}}, {{{openafs-krb5}}}, {{{openafs-modules-source}}}, {{{openafs-dbg}}}, {{{openafs-doc}}}, {{{libopenafs-dev}}}, and {{{k5start}}} packages. Here is a block of commands to cut and paste if you are lazy:

{{{
  apt-get install krb5-user libkrb5-dev module-assistant build-essential module-init-tools k5start
  mkdir -p /tmp/openafs-packages
  cd /tmp/openafs-packages
  scp ssh.hcoop.net:/afs/hcoop.net/common/debian/openafs/1.4.6/\*.deb ./
  dpkg -i \
    openafs-client*.deb \
    openafs-krb5*.deb \
    openafs-modules-source*.deb \
    openafs-dbg*.deb \
    openafs-doc*.deb \
    libopenafs-dev*.deb
  cd /tmp
  rm -rf /tmp/openafs-packages
}}}

Once these packages are installed, you will want to run

{{{
  module-assistant a-i -t openafs-modules
}}}

... assuming you compiled your own kernel and the compiled kernel tree resides in /usr/src/linux. If this is not the case, you are on your own.

If the command above completes, it will have created and installed a .deb containing the kernel module. You may need to run

{{{
  /etc/init.d/module-init-tools start
}}}

to refresh whatever module wonkery linux maintains in obscure locations. Once this is figured out (if all else fails, reboot) you should be able to

{{{
  /etc/init.d/openafs-client start
}}}

Do this and check that {{{/afs}}} shows up.

=== Install Packages ===

Now that afs is up, you can easily install packages. The block of commands below installs the set of packages which must be on every hcoop server (this list will be expanded as necessary).

{{{
  dpkg -i /afs/hcoop.net/common/debian/libnss-ptdb/*.deb
  dpkg -i /afs/hcoop.net/common/debian/libnss-afspag/*.deb
  dpkg -i /afs/hcoop.net/common/debian/libpam-afs-session/*.deb
  dpkg -i /afs/hcoop.net/common/debian/libpam-krb5/*.deb
  dpkg -i /afs/hcoop.net/common/debian/fsr/*.deb
}}}

The first three packages are explained below; the last one is the {{{fsr}}} command (recursive "{{{fs}}}").

=== Install Network Time Protocol Daemon ===

Kerberos and AFS will not work correctly unless the clocks of the client and server are synchronized to within a certain tolerance. Therefore, it is important for us to have a daemon running that keeps the clock set properly.

{{{
  apt-get install ntpd
}}}

=== Configure Kerberos ===

'''''VERY IMPORTANT''''': put exactly the following in {{{/etc/krb5.conf}}} -- no more, no less

{{{
[libdefaults]
 default_realm = HCOOP.NET
 kdc_timesync = 1
 forwardable = true
 proxiable = true
[logging]
        default = FILE:/proc/self/fd/2
}}}

We distribute our Kerberos configuration via DNS, so it is very important that we do not "hardwire" the settings on any of the servers (except the KDCs themselves). If we did, we wouldn't notice at first, but strange problems would crop up as soon as the DNS settings were changed. So, it is important that we put only the bare minimum amount of information in {{{krb5.conf}}}.


=== Configure Name Service ===

A "name service" is Linux's mechanism for answering these queries:

 1. the userid for a given username and vice versa
 2. the groupid for a given groupname and vice versa
 3. the home directory for a user
 4. the shell for a user
 5. what groups a user is in

The {{{libnss-ptdb}}} package lets linux use the AFS user database (the {{{ptserver}}} or protection server) as a name service. The {{{libnss-afspag}}} package makes PAGs show up as a special group. To enable these changes, edit {{{/etc/nsswitch.conf}}} and change the {{{passwd}}} and {{{group}}} lines to look like this:

{{{
passwd: ptdb files
group: afspag files
}}}

=== Install Name Service Caching Daemon ===

Our version of {{{libnss-ptdb}}} is configured to do no caching. Therefore, to get acceptable performance, we need to run {{{nscd}}}.

{{{
  apt-get install nscd
}}}

=== Configure PAM ===

PAM is Linux's mechanism to do the following:

 1. decide if somebody is who they say they are (authentication; in our case via kerberos)
 2. set up ''sessions'' (in the case of AFS, this means creating PAGs)
 3. change passwords (in our case, changing the password in the KDC)

FIXME

Mostly this consists of copying mire's {{{/etc/pam.d/*}}}, although it would be a good idea to state precisely which parts of that need to be copied. Also should document the mechanism used on deleuze and other non-member servers to restrict logins to admins only.

=== Configure SSH ===

==== Configure SSH Client ====

Insert these lines in {{{/etc/ssh/ssh_config}}} so that ''outbound'' ssh connections will always try to use Kerberos if available:

{{{
  Host *
    GSSAPIAuthentication yes
    GSSAPIDelegateCredentials no
}}}

==== Configure SSH Server ====


You will need to create a "host principal" for the new server; if you are setting up {{{server.hcoop.net}}}, then it must have the name

{{{
   host/server.hcoop.net@HCOOP.NET
}}}

Add this principal to the KDC like this (execute these commands on the new server, as root, while holding admin tickets):

{{{
   rm -f /etc/krb5.keytab # important -- if it already exists the new key will merely be appended
   kadmin -r HCOOP.NET -q 'ank -randkey host/server.hcoop.net@HCOOP.NET'
   kadmin -r HCOOP.NET -q 'ktadd -k /etc/krb5.keytab host/server.hcoop.net@HCOOP.NET'
   chown root:root /etc/krb5.keytab
   chmod go-rwx /etc/krb5.keytab
}}}

Then these lines to {{{/etc/ssh/sshd_config}}}:

{{{
  GssapiKeyExchange yes
  GssapiAuthentication yes
  GSSAPICleanupCredentials no
  UsePAM yes
}}}

=== Populate sudoers ===

Don't forget to give all of the admins lines in {{{/etc/sudoers}}}.

=== Optional Steps ===

==== Performance-Tune the OpenAFS Client ====

FIXME: AdamM needs to fill this in

==== runit ====
The runit package is a mechanism for starting, stopping, and monitoring daemons. It is an alternative to the traditional {{{/etc/init.d}}} and {{{start-stop-daemon}}} scheme. Its chief advantages are:

  1. It launches daemons with '''clean process state'''; the daemon inherits nothing from the administrator invoking the start/stop command because the daemon is not forked as a child of the administrator's shell (rather, a request is sent {{{runit}}} daemon asking it to fork the daemon). This is very important when dealing with tokens and pags.
  2. Runit monitors the processes that it forks, and restarts them if they die.
  3. Runit eliminates the need for pidfiles and the associated risk of starting multiple copies of a daemon.
  4. Runit captures the daemon's {{{stdout}}} and either sends it to a logger (if specified) or else displays it in the process name (output of {{{ps}}})

{{{
   apt-get install runit
}}}
When you move a process from {{{/etc/init.d/}}} control to {{{runit}}} supervision, you should inform debian that you have done so:
{{{
  # assuming /var/service/$SERVICE/run is the runit script
  dpkg-divert --rename /etc/init.d/$SERVICE
  ln -s /usr/bin/sv /etc/init.d/$SERVICE
}}}
This will cause invocations of {{{/etc/init.d/script {start|stop} }}} to do "the right thing".

==== dnscache ====

You can install the dnscache package to make the server self-sufficient for dns resolution purposes (it acts as a tiny dns server just for localhost). This improves the reliability of the overall infrastructure. There is a copy of this package in {{{/afs/megacz.com/debian/dnscache/}}}; the author of the software recently changed its license, so it will be a standard package in the next release of debian (it may even be in etch-backports already; when it is, this paragraph should be updated to recommend that instead).

Starting dnscache via runit is often a good idea; this ensures that it starts early in the boot process and that it is restarted if it dies for any reason.

==== ssmtp ====

Life is simpler when you run {{{ssmtp}}}. You can direct the mail stream either to {{{deleuze}}} (preferred) or to a copy of {{{exim}}} running locally (but why bother running it?).
Very nice site!
----
CategoryCategory

Very nice site!


CategoryCategory

SetupNewMachines (last edited 2012-12-20 21:13:00 by ClintonEbadi)