Helper Question...

[Richard Briggs]

I have 4,500 subnets on our network. Reading the Ignite User Guide for Sysadims... I see that I must have a helper box to boot across gateways....

...um... I have one Ignite server... Now for me to do pull installs, I have to have 4,499 helper boxes?

Anyone have a way around this?

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

My answer would be no. I have been igniting the boxes all over my subnets and across gateways. However, you need to install and boot the client from the Ignite Server. This process will update the autofile with "hpux (;0)/stand/INSTALL and copies the required boot files.

If you want to do the installation from the client , then you need helper box. This case is usually when the client is not having an OS installed already. You can also use CD to boot till the interactive menu and then point it to the ignite server.

-Sri

[Richard Briggs]

I'm only talking about pull installs...not push installs.

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

My second paragraph in earlier message is about pull installs.

[Richard Briggs]

so the answer is "Yes, you need 4,499 helper boxes to do pull installs from all my subnets" ?

[Sanjay_6]

Hi Richard,

I had been doing pull install across different subnets without the use of a helper.

At the time pf pull install, interrupt the boot process on the client and bo using the ignite server. Point the client towards the ignite server at the boot prompt using,

bo lan.a.b.c.d INSTALL

here a.b.c.d is the ip address of the ignite server. you do not need to interact with the IPL. Here you should be able to ping your ignite server from the subnet where your client is situated.

Hopefully it works for you too.

thanks

[Richard Briggs]

What!? You did pulls from a different subnet without a helper???

[Edward Alfert_2]

i'm sorry, but i don't see this working without a helper.

when you tell it to boot off the lan, it doesn't have any information about default gateways or other ways of reaching other subnets, so you can only reach other IPs on the same subnet. That is why you need a helper, to tell the system how to reach the other subnet.

I don't see any place to configure network services unless you already have the OS installed. That is why you can upgrade but can't install from scratch without a helper.

[Richard Briggs]

Me either... so my question still stands:

1 ignite server
+ 4,500 subnets =
_______________
4,499 helpers

?

[Edward Alfert_2 · Accepted solution]

Like Millionaire Show:

Final Answer is:
Yes.... 1 server, 4499 helpers.

[Richard Briggs]

dammit. I need a lifeline.

[linuxfan]

what lifeline? I thought ignite/UX IS a sysadmin's lifeline. I never heard of a lifeline for a lifeline ;-)

I am very sorry to say but i think you will need 4499 helpers.

But i am just curious, how many machines do you have in your 4500 subnets?

-Regards
Ramesh

[Richard Briggs]

I have about 45,000

[Bernie Vande Griend]

Our way around not needing helpers is to put the ignite server on all the subnets we need to build from and put an ignite server in each physical location we have servers in. So our ignite server has an interface to each subnet. This works fine with 10 subnets, but obviously won't work well with 4500! (I never heard of a company having that many subnets before- ouch!) But maybe you can do this to some extent to help eliminate a few helpers.

[Edward Alfert_2]

in answering another question on this forum i came across this:

http://docs.hp.com/cgi-bin/fsearch/framedisplay?top=/hpux/onlinedocs/B2355-90704/B2355-90704_top.html&con=/hpux/onlinedocs/B2355-90704/00/00/66-con.html&toc=/hpux/onlinedocs/B2355-90704/00/00/66-toc.html&searchterms=make_boot_tape&queryid=20010926-091634

I hope this is what you were wishing for. No need for a helper... just create a tape and keep a copy at each physical location

[Edward Alfert_2]

ITS YOU...

i must have drain bamage... sorry for the confusion... N/A for all... thanks..