Hardware Configuration of NeXT Clusters
Campus Computing · University of Missouri - Columbia · 200 Heinkel Building · 314-882-2000
Update 16 August 1994 by ccpaulh@monad.missouri.edu. Subject to change!
This document outlines the system configuration for the MU NeXT Cluster.
Hardware
- MUEB: (1) NeXT Cube 68040 system with 32MB RAM, 660MB hard disk, monochrome monitor, 2.88MB floppy disk drive (DOS and Macintosh compatible).
- This is to be the server.
- MUEB: (19) NeXT Station 68040 systems each with 8MB RAM, 105MB hard disk, monichrome monitor, and 2.88MB floppy disk drive (DOS and Macintosh compatible).
- These are to be used as client workstations.
- MUEB: (1) NeXT Station 68040 system 16MB RAM, 400MB hard disk, color monitor, 2.88MB floppy disk drive (DOS and Macintosh compatible).
- This is a client workstation.
- MUEB: (2) NeXT Laser Printers.
- 400 dots per inch.
- MUGC: (1) NeXT Cube 68040 system with 64MB RAM, 1.2 GB hard disk, monochrome monitor, 2.88MB floppy disk drive (DOS and Macintosh compatible).
- This is to be a server.
- MUGC: (1) NeXT Cube 68040 system with 20MB RAM, 660 MB hard disk, monochrome monitor, 2.88MB floppy disk drive (DOS and Macintosh compatible).
- This is to be a server.
- MUGC: (31) NeXT Stations 68040 system 24MB RAM, 400MB hard disk, color monitor, 2.88MB floppy disk drive (DOS and Macintosh compatible).
- These are client workstations.
- MUPH: (1) NeXT Cube 68040 system with 48MB RAM, 660 MB hard disk, monochrome monitor, 2.88MB floppy disk drive (DOS and Macintosh compatible).
- This is to be a server.
- MUPH: (16) NeXT Station 68040 systems with 16 MB, 400 MB hard disks, 11 color and 5 monochrome monitors, 2.88MB floppy disk drive (DOS and Macintosh compatible).
- These are client workstations.
--- Ethernet connections for this local network, connections to the campus backbone and the rest of the Internet.
Hardware items that we are considering obtaining, $ allowing:
- Tape backup.
- Additional RAM for the NextStations. When running large applications such as Mathematica, any slowness is generally due to a lack of memory (and virtual storage thrashing) rather than a processor bottleneck. This is known, but an upgrade to 16MB will cost $500-$600 per work station.
- Graphics tablet or scanner
If you can provide written justification of your needs in this regard, and send this to the NeXT coordinator, this can influence the priority with which such improvements are considered.
System Software
The cube servers run NeXT operating system 3.2. The NextStations (aka "slabs", "pizza boxes") also use system version 3.2. Note that without the "Extended version" software, the slabs by themselves have few useful applications beyond WriteNow and Unix: no Mathematica, no C-compiler, no on-line documentation, no interesting sound or image files. However, by networking and mounting the server's files appropriately, each station has access to the full set of NeXT software and locally developed files.
Unix
The flavor of Unix used by NeXT is Mach. Mach is BSD 4.3 compatible. You can start a shell via the Terminal application (in /NextApps) or via the Work Space Manager (File Viewer) menu "Tools, New Shell", or via the Work Space Manager Command+U. Unix "man" pages can be accessed by the standard "man" command, but are more easily searched using the Librarian application. You may want to copy to your home directory the .cshrc, .bindings, and .macros files in /usr/local/bin, in order to add to csh an improved login prompt, ability to retrieve previous commands, etc.
The Stuart application in /LocalApps is an enhanced version of Terminal. Most NeXT applications are coded in Objective-C, but C++ and C are supported. See Unix Manual Pages in Librarian for documentation of NeXT programming libraries. /LocalLibrary /Questions contains references to informative books on Unix and frequently-asked questions about Unix and NeXT.
Commercial Products
Lotus' Improv spreadsheet is available.
X-windows is available in both public domain and a very reasonably-priced, well-regarded commercial version. If you need X, you can use /Net/apphost/PublicApps/Xfe.app.
Public Domain Software
We have installed many public domain applications and data files, including TEX, f2c (Fortran-77-to-C converter), p2c (Pascal-to-C), Matlab, and Kermit. More such applications for the NeXT or for generic Unix systems are available via Internet.
Locally-developed Software
In additition to the network configuration, two small applications have been developed to expedite matters for beginners. The Announcements program (in /PublicApps) is always displayed at login to issue brief system announcements. "Questions & Suggestions" uses NeXT email to forward requests to appropriate personnel. /usr/local/etc/ contains shell programs to assist in local system administration.
Important Directories
Besides the directories NeXT distributes, the following are locally-defined. They may contain 3rd-party, commercial, public domain, or locally-developed applications or data.
- /LocalApps/ -Applications that use the NextStep graphical user interface AND that are automatically invoked by opening files with certain file extensions. All files and subdirectories of /LocalApps are scanned at login to determine which applications are associated with which filenames. Minimizing the number of files in these directories definitely decreases user logon time. Hence /PublicApps.Note that /LocalApps/ -> /Net/apphost/LocalApps/.
- /PublicApps/ -Applications that use NextStep interface and that don't need to go into /LocalApps. Note that /PublicApps/ -> /Net/apphost/PublicApps/.
- /LocalLibrary/ -Documentation, Images, Sounds, misc. Note that /LocalLibrary/ -> /Net/apphost/LocalLibrary/
- /NextApps/ -Applications provided by NeXT. Note: Unlike the other directories mentioned here, NextApps is duplicated on each client and not mounted from the server. Mathematica.app and other frequently used applications are installed into /NextApps.
- /NextLibrary/ -Documentation & other stuff from NeXT.
- /NextDeveloper/ -Useful "demo" applications and source code examples from NeXT. Note that /NextDeveloper/ -> /Net/apphost/NextDeveloper/
- /Net/muxxnx#/Users/ -Network user Home directories.
- /usr/games/ -All game applications, whether they use NextStep or not. /PublicApps may contain soft links to the NextStep applications in /usr/games. If the need ever arises, access to non-critical "games" can be controlled. Note that /usr/games/ -> /Net/apphost/usr/games/
- /usr/local/ -Local modifications and additions. Note that /usr/local/ -> /Net/apphost/usr/local/
- /usr/local/bin/ -Unix programs like f2c that don't use NextStep user interface, obtained from public domain, or local development.
- /usr/local/etc/ -Unix utilities for system administration. Most files in this directory are not accessible to most users.
- /usr/local/mods/ -copies of mods to /etc and other NeXT default facilities.
- /usr/local/man/ -Unix man pages.
- /usr/local/src/ -Source programs.
- /NextLibrary/TeX/ -TeX files.
- /cores/ -Normally empty. System puts core dumps here.
Objectives of Cluster Configuration
- (1) Give each workstation uniform access to all system facilities.
- (2) Each workstation does virtual storage paging and stores work files on its own disk.
- (3) Utilize network userids, so that any user can login any workstation and access his or her files. File arrangement will appear as much as possible the same on any workstation, including the server workstation.
- (4) Retain enough files on each client so that if separated from the network it still can run a minimal useful set of Unix and NeXT facilities. Tentatively, this would include all the facilities packaged with the regular NextStation plus Mathematica. Note that when connected to the server, the directories containing these may be eclipsed by the network-mounted directories.
File System Implementation
A server exports most subdirectories in its root directory. Each of the clients mount these directories over the corresponding names. Directories in /private are not exported or mounted, each station has its own /private. If it is ever necessary to modify files in these directories, this must be done at the server workstation or by rlogin/telnet to it, and then with appropriate permissions.
Two server directories must be exported read/write:
- /usr/spool/mail holds mail for network userids.
- /Users contains the home directories of all network users.
Home directories will have names like:
- /Users/c123456
- /Users2/c123457
- ...etc...
This is exported read/write to the clients who mount it under the corresponding name, /Net/muxxnx#/Users/. Some clients have their own /Users directory. This allows user home directories to be stored on multiple servers and even on client disks. The number (#) and the (xx) in /Net/muxxnx#/Users directory should indicate which system contains it. (e.g. /Net/muphnx3/Users is the /Users directory on machine number three in the Physics cluster.)