9.3. Configuring the Satellite

Configuring the satellite is very similar to configuring the master. You must perform a number of steps here using the web interface on the satellite system. However, there will be no use for the web interface once the satellite is configured. It would therefore be wise to un-install or disable the web interface on the satellite once the configuration is done. Please also note that the satellite will have its own administrator user, with the default "admin" login name and default password. The password on this account should be changed to prevent others from reconfiguring the satellite station!

9.3.1. Installation and licensing

Grid Satellite functionality is also included in the standard SysOrb Server packages. The satellite functionality is enabled, like in the case of the master, with a special license file.

9.3.2. Configuring the satellite station

Like we configured the master for its participation in the grid, with a descriptive name and a unique GID, we must now configure the satellite with its parameters for grid operation.

In the web interface, under "System Setup", enter the "This Station" page. Here you can specify a descriptive name for the station (the satellite), and you can enter the unique GID. Please make sure that you use the same GID as you did when you configured this satellite previously on the master station.

9.3.3. Adding the master to the satellite's configuration

As we told the master about this satellite, we must also tell this satellite about the existence of the master. Under "System Setup", please select the "Stations" page. Select "Add station" to add the master.

The GID field must contain the GID of the station you are adding - this should be the GID of the master station.

9.3.4. Configuring the link between the satellite and the master

We have already specified on the master, how communication should commence between the satellite and the master. We must now tell the satellite how this happens as well - keeping in mind that from the satellites point of view, this will be a "reversed" configuration compared to the master. For example, if the master must only accept connections and never initiate, the satellite must be told to initiate and never accept. Like on the master, the link configuration is performed under "System Configuration" and the "Links" page.

Select "Add Link" to define a link between the satellite and the master. You can enter a descriptive name for this link. Now, enter the "reversed" configuration of what was done on the master side. Assuming the master was configured to accept and never initiate connections, you must now specify the opposite for the satellites link configuration, and you must supply an IP address for the satellite to connect to.

The satellite will expect, that when it connects to the IP address that you specify, it will find a station with the GID that you specify for this link. Please be sure that the satellite is actually allowed to initiate a TCP connection to the given port on the given IP address, and that this actually is the proper IP address of your master station.

9.3.5. Mounting domains from the master

Earlier, a domain called "remote" was created on the master station, and the GID of this satellite was added to the domain export list. We can now tell the satellite to actually mount this domain - to retrieve all configuration information under the domain, store it in the local database, and to perform any checks that might be configured on nodes under that domain.

Under "Configure", select "Add Mountpoint". Now select the GID of the master to import information from. Also specify a descriptive name for the mount - this name does not have to be the same as the name of the domain on the master. Finally, you must specify the actual domain, as named on the master, to mount. Using the example "remote" domain, you can specify ".remote" in this field, to state that you wish to import the domain named "remote" located directly under the root domain on the master.

Domains are separated with dots. If, for example, the satellite should mount a domain called "foo", under the domain "bar", under the root domain, the path would be ".bar.foo".

As soon as the satellite and the master establish their link and negotiate their end-point security, the satellite will attempt to retrieve all configuration information for the configured mountpoint. All of this is happening as background operations, and you will not actually have to wait for any of these operations to complete. You can follow the progress of the link establishment, the security negotiations, and the actual database synchronization happening in the mount process, by using the logs under the "Stations" and "Links" pages under "System Setup" on both the satellite and the master stations.

This concludes all "system level" configuration of your master and satellite setup. All remaining configuration will be done via. the web interface on the master system exclusively. The satellite will be notified by the master of any configuration changes, and will automatically start performing any checks that are configured to be run on the satellite.