Add a client node to the Lab Management domain

You need Lab Management Domain Admin privileges to add client nodes to the domain.

1. Log in to the Lab Management application on the Lab Management Manager with an account that has Lab Management Domain Admin privileges. You see the My start page.
2. In the title bar of the My start page, click the Administration tab.
3. Under the Admin tools heading on the left side of the page, click Manage Hosts.
4. In the Manage Hosts page (Hosts tab), click the link Add a New Host.
5. In the Manage Hosts page (Add New Host tab), enter the information for the following required fields to add the first Client Node, which is a physical machine:
   • Virtual Host — Use this field to add a physical or a virtual machine. By default, the field reads, Not a Virtual Guest, which means that you are adding a physical node.
     Note: When you are adding a machine to Lab Management for the first time, the dropdown list is blank except for the default value. As you add machines, the dropdown list populates with the existing hostnames. In this example, you are adding a physical Client Node, so you accept the default value of NOT a Virtual Guest.
   • Hostname — Accept the hostname that appears in the field.

     The Web Console suggests a hostname for you by providing the next available name and automatically populates the Hostname field.

     To save time, Lab Management strongly reccommends that you accept the hostname that is provided because it is always a valid name. If you choose to enter a different name (such as 185, for example), and the host is available, Lab Management permits you to do so. However, if you enter a random name that Lab Management does not recognize, it rejects your request when you click, Add New.

     In this example, Lab Management provides the hostname, cu001.Lab Management.example.com, which you would accept.
   • Model — The Model refers to the hardware model. Use the dropdown list to select the model type that your Client Node hardware belongs to.

     In this example, the hardware model selected is HP BL460c.

   • CPU(s) — Complete the following fields to specify:
     • The number and architectural type of the CPUs (the i386, the Sun 4u and Sun 4v, which are SPARC CPUs, or the x86_64, a 64-bit x86-based CPU. These are the four CPU architectures that Lab Management supports).
     • The number of cores per CPU and its brand name type such as the Athlon, the Ultrasparc, the Opteron, and so forth. These are the most highly marketed types.
     • The CPU speed. Enter a round number that you have converted to MHz such as 2400 MHz (that was converted from 2.4 Ghz). This value can be an approximation because it is used for information only.
     In this example, the following values are specified:
     • Number of CPUs is 2
     • CPU architecture is i386
     • Number of CPU cores is 4
     • CPU name is Xeon
     • CPU MHz is 2333
   • Memory — Specify the memory size in megabytes using the dropdown list. In this example, the memory size selected is 6144.
   • Disk — Enter the disk size as the number of gigabytes. In this example, the disk size specified is 140.
   • MAC Address — If the host is a physical node, you must obtain the MAC Address from your hardware and enter it accurately. In this example, the MAC Address specified is 00:1c:c4:5a:2c:c6.
   • LOM Address — The Lights-Out Management (LOM) Address pertains to a physical node and you use it to powercycle (reboot) the machine.

     You must enter the correct LOM Address for the machine or you will not be able to powercycle it. For actual LOM machines, which are network-based, enter an IP address or a hostname in this field.

     If you are using a generic PC with the remotely-manageable PDU, you can leave it blank. Remotely-managed PDUs use a separate configuration file to effect powercycles.

     Lab Management has built mapping to connect a particular host with a specific power pack and PDU, and written a separate script to run these machine types based on the hardware model. If it is an NDE type of PC (the desktop PCs that lack LOMs), then Lab Management uses the PDU facility to powercycle the machines.

     In this example, the LOM Address specified is 192.168.0.35.
   Note: The only fields that you can leave blank are the LOM Address, Project, and the Description fields. Otherwise, you will receive an error when you try to add a new host. The IP Address, Netmask, and Gateway fields do not enable you to choose the values because Lab Management already knows what the values should be. Since they are based on the hostname, Lab Management automatically populates those fields for you.
   These fields are optional:
   • Project — You can leave the project name blank or assign one from the dropdown list.
   • Description — A field for notes or other details to record about the host. In this example, the Description specified is This is a physical host.
6. Click Add New.

   The new machine, cu001.Lab Management.example.com (a physical Client Node), is now added to the Lab Management Domain and appears in the Hosts tab.

   The headings for the Client Nodes (Figure 20) are as follows:
   • Name — Name of the Client Node.
   • Model — The associated hardware model of the host (or Client Node).
   • CPU — The number and type of CPUs.
   • Memory — The amount of memory for the particular machine.
   • Disk — The disk size.
   • Profile — Lab Management profile currently assigned to this host. For a newly created host, set it to None. When you collect information for the Lab Management deployment, be sure to obtain the most accurate and complete machine data such as the number of CPUs, the type, the memory size, and the disk size because it is used in the profile.
   • Project — The project that this machine is assigned to. When you create the host, you can leave the project name blank and assign it later. Alternatively, you can enter the project name when you create the host if you know the project that you want to assign to it.
   • Owner — The owner that this machine is assigned to.
   • State — The state of the machine:
     • Free — The machine is available; no one has used it.
     • Allocated — The machine has been assigned to a particular user.
     • Rebuild — The machine has been directed to be rebuilt.
     • Rebuilding — The machine is in the process of being rebuilt.
     • Migrate — The virtual machine has been directed to move from one host to another.
     • Migrating — The virtual machine is in the process of moving from one host to another.
     • Immutable — The machine is locked and you cannot rebuild the host until you unlock it (used as a safety precaution to preserve a machine and prevent it from being changed or deleted by mistake).
     • Powercycle — The machine has been directed to be powered-off and then powered-on again.

   Lab Management automatically manages the machine states for you. For example, when you want to migrate a virtual machine to a different host, you click Migrate. The machine state changes from Allocated to Migrate. After a few minutes, once the migration is in process, the machine state changes to Migrating. When the process is complete, the machine state changes to Allocated, and the machine is ready to use. In some cases, a machine shows an Allocated state but it is down (turned off or not functioning), so it is unavailable.

7. Review the list to see that the host, cu001, which you just added to the list of Client Nodes:
   • Has no Profile (shown as None) because it is brand new
   • Has no Owner (shown as -) because its state is Free, which means that no one has taken possession of it
   • Has an initial status of Unknown because it has not yet collected any status data but, in several minutes, the status changes to Down because the machine is not yet built. In about 5 or 10 minutes, the machine will either be up or down. Give the machine time to collect its status data. You have completed the steps to specify the configuration for the physical Client Node. Your next steps are to assign the machine (the physical Client Node) to a user, assign it a Profile, and build it.
8. Click the machine name, cu001, in the Name column to access it.
9. In the Host’s Admin tab, click the Allocate button on the upper right-hand side of the screen

   When you click the Allocate button, you are assigning the host to yourself.

10. In the Choose Allocation Time section of the page, specify the length of time that you want to allocate the host (Figure 22). Use one of three options to specify:
    • A certain time and day using a calendar tool
    • A period of time in hours, days, weeks, or months using the dropdown list
    • An indefinite amount of time (the default option)
11. Click Confirm Allocation.
12. In the Configuration tab, go to the Configuration section of the page, and select a Profile from the dropdown list.

    In this example, the host has been allocated to the user (who has posed as you), Lurking Grue.

    In the Profile dropdown list (Figure 24), select centos5_base.

    Note that the fields in the Configuration section of the page change to reflect your profile selection, centos5_base (Figure 25).

13. Click Assign profile centos5_base version 1 to cu001.Lab Management.example.com, and in the pop-up window, click Confirm Assign. The rebuild process of this host starts in three minutes. To cancel the rebuild process in this three-minute window, click Cancel Rebuild.
    After three minutes elapses, you see:

    • The host changes state from Rebuild to Rebuilding.
    • A message in the Configuration section of the page stating that the host has a pending profile of centos5_base at version 1.

    When the host completes the rebuilding process, you see:

    • The host has an Allocated state
    • A message in the Configuration section of the page stating that the host is currently assigned the profile of centos5_base at version 1.