Installation Guide and Reference - Basic NIM Operations and Configuration

Basic NIM Operations and Configuration

Note

AIX 5.2 provides the cdromd CD and DVD automount facility, which is included in the bos.cdmount fileset. To determine if the cdromd daemon is enabled on your system, run the following command:

# lssrc -s cdromd

The cdromd daemon can interfere with scripts, applications, or instructions that attempt to mount the CD or DVD device without first checking to see if the device is already enabled. A resource or device busy error occurs in such a condition. Use the cdumount or cdeject command to unmount the device. Then mount the device as specified in the program or instructions. Alternatively, use the cdcheck -m or mount command to determine the current mount point of the device. For further information, see the cdromd command documentation in the AIX 5L Version 5.2 Commands Reference.

The installation code allows for this automatic mounting. If cdromd is enabled and the mkcd command is run, the CD-R or DVD-RAM is ejected after the image is completed. If you do not want to have the media ejected, then the cdromd daemon should be put in the inoperative state with the following command:

# stopsrc -s cdromd

This chapter describes the following procedures for performing basic NIM operations and simple configuration tasks using the Web-based System Manager NIM interface or the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT), as well as from the command line. The procedures in this chapter identify prerequisite tasks or conditions that must be met before performing the task.

To start the Web-based System Manager NIM interface from an X-Windows session on the NIM master, type:

wsm

Notes:

For additional information about NIM operations and the required and optional attributes to customize operations, see Network Installation Management Concepts .

Using an AIX Version 5 lpp_source to install filesets on an AIX Version 4 client through NIM, is not supported. If installing Version 5 filesets on a Version 4 system is necessary, the user can NFS export the lpp_source, mount it on the client, and then use the installp command or geninstall command to perform the installation procedures.

For assistance, use the online contextual help available for both the Web-based System Manager and SMIT interfaces.

Extended help is available in the Web-based System Manager interface, offering guidance for tasks you may need to do in NIM. To view extended help, select Contents from the Help menu in the NIM container.

For tasks performed at the command line, the root user must be using ksh. Unexpected results can occur if the root user is set to another shell, such as csh.

If errors occur, it may be necessary to reset the machine before retrying the operation. For the procedure to reset a NIM client, see Resetting Machines.