[evla-sw-discuss] Central server

[James Robnett]

    Let me read through this some (won't be today).  I don't
think there's an issue ... other than overloading of terms.

    Boot server and central fileserver don't have to be the
same thing,

james

Kevin Ryan wrote:
> Hi Michael,
> 
> Well, I thought I was thinking long term. :)
> 
> Maybe I was asking for the wrong thing.   We want to be able to point  
> to a directory (say /home/widar) and know that no matter what process  
> is accessing that directory, be it a GUI on someone's laptop far away  
> (via URL), or a CMIB writing data products via NFS to a file, it will  
> be the same location for everyone and everything.
> 
> What brought this up is the Test Executor GUI's that have directory  
> path fields.  Those paths are relative to the CMIB's boot server  
> (CMIBS don't have their own disks); the problem arises when we add  
> more boot servers.  If they all mounted the same /home/widar  
> directory, then it would not matter.
> 
> I'm pretty sure this is something that will be required (or at least  
> be handy) even on the final system for things like property and  
> configuration files and perhaps temporary CMIB data products for  
> maintenance/testing.  It would be nice to keep other things like the  
> web start applications in this directory also.
> 
> Does this make any more sense?  I should have said central  
> 'directory' rather than 'server'.  How the James Gang implements this  
> directory would be up to them.
> 
> Kevin
> 
> On May 6, 2008, at 2:31 PM, Michael Rupen wrote:
> 
>> Hi Kevin,
>>    are you thinking of the 4-station PTC or the 10-station system  
>> or beyond?
>> In the long run it's not obvious to me that many of these files  
>> should reside
>> on a single central file system, though initially this may be useful.
>>
>>            Michael
>>
>> On Tue, 6 May 2008, Kevin Ryan wrote:
>>
>>> Hi gang,
>>>
>>> This is more of a James question but I think that many on this list
>>> might be interested in the outcome.
>>>
>>> Work on the WIDAR correlator TestExecutor software suite has gotten
>>> me thinking about how (or if) we will implement a 'Central Server'.
>>> We want configuration files (the ones that set up the various
>>> correlator modes), data output files such as those generated by the
>>> Station Boards during OTS testing, property files and the Java Web
>>> Start GUI application files all to reside on one central file system
>>> that is mounted by all processors in the correlator including each of
>>> the 256 CMIBs.  ... I think.
>>>
>>> Presently, the Java Web Start application files and the system
>>> property files reside on 'filehost'(?) at '/home/asg/www/widar'.
>>> This translates to the URL 'http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/asg/widar/' used
>>> by Java for access to these files.
>>>
>>> Also, presently, the CMIBs access a directory on 'cmibhost' (the CMIB
>>> bootserver in Bruce & Kevin's office) called '/opt/widar' where
>>> configuration files are kept for now.  When the system goes online
>>> there will be more than one CMIB bootserver which will cause
>>> confusion since there will no longer be a single central '/opt/widar'
>>> directory.
>>>
>>> It would be nice if we could combine the '/home/asg' and 'opt/widar'
>>> areas on 'filehost' and 'cmibhost' into one area common to (and
>>> mounted on) all processors in the correlator.  This machine must also
>>> be a web server.
>>>
>>> I don't think this machine should be one of the online units like
>>> MCCC.  I don't even know if it has to reside in the correlator room,
>>> but keep in mind that there will be occasions where CMIBs will be
>>> writing output data products to it via NFS.
>>>
>>> Suggestions James or anyone?  Is this something that the mirrored (or
>>> whatever it's called) 'filehost' at the VLA could do?  Does the EVLA
>>> already have something like this running out there that we could  
>>> share?
>>>
>>> Kevin
>>>
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