Add_Extra_Parameters_for_confignics_Postscript

Table of Contents

• Requirement
• Design
• Implementation
• Other Design Considerations

Design_Warning

Requirement

The requirement comes from defect 3567 (http://sourceforge.net/p/xcat/bugs/3567/), "Extend confignics & configib to support connected mode and large MTUs." The final result the user wants is to set the following for the network configuration file for a specific nic.

 CONNECTED_MODE=yes
 MTU=65520

Design

1. As we know, the network configuration is setup by xCAT postscript confignics which in tern calls configeth and configib according to the nictypes defined in the nics table. We can add code in configeth and configib to support CONNECTED_MODE and MTU as environmental variables and put these settings in the nic configuration file.
2. CONNECTED_MODE and MTU values may be different for different nics. So we should have the env variables on a per nic base.
3. How to pass the environment variables all the way from mn to configeth and configib postscripts on the node?

Add a new nics table attributes called nicextraparams. It will define the additional environmental variables that will be passed to the nic configuration scripts. The format is:

nic1!env1=value1 env2=value2,nic2:env1=value1 env2=value2.

For example,

ib0!CONNECTED_MODE=yes MTU=65520,eth0!MTU=17000

The new attribute will be passed down to the postscripts as an environment variable.

Implementation

1. Add a new attribute called nicextraparams in nics table.
2. Incorporates it into the def commands
3. Add the new attribute in the default postscript template so that it can be passed down to the nodes.
4. Handle MTU environment variable in configeth postscript. Ethernet does not have connected mode setting. Handle MTU and CONNECTED_MODE environment variables in configib postscript.

Other Design Considerations

• Required reviewers: Guang Cheng
• Required approvers: Guang Cheng
• Database schema changes: Yes. A new attribute will be added in nics table. The def command will be modified to accept this new attribute.
• Affect on other components: N/A
• External interface changes, documentation, and usability issues: The tabdump -d command will show the format of the new attribute.
• Packaging, installation, dependencies: N/A
• Portability and platforms (HW/SW) supported: N/A
• Performance and scaling considerations: N/A
• Migration and coexistence: N/A
• Serviceability: N/A
• Security: N/A
• NLS and accessibility: N/A
• Invention protection: N/A