Steps for Building a Baseline Image

Our images are primarily derived from a stock distributions OS. Currently we're following the Ubuntu distribution line. The only core service required during installation is the ssh server. The partition size should be kept small to simplify the image gathering process. Due to limitations with the Frisbee tools we can only use ext2/ext3 file systems.

The major modifications that will be required are:

• Configuring partitions and mount tables
  • We expect a 15G root partition (/dev/sda1) and no other partitions. Swap will be handled via a file in the file system.
• Setting up serial console
  • Grub serial / Boot Fail config (including kernel flags)
  • Getty serial config (for login in from the serial console, other wise it looks like it hangs)
• Modify fstab/rcS to avoid file system checks
• Setting Root user to have password less login (and dropping all other user records/directories)
  • Modifying console logins (for serial console)
  • Modifying ssh logins (the two are coupled)
• Installing necessary omf/oml packages
• Blacklisting modules of wireless interfaces
• adding the ntp package and then touch a file named /etc/ntp.conf.dhcp
• Remove the file /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules
  • prepare.sh usually handles this
• Removing unnecessary packages and docs to minimize image size
  • prepare.sh usually handles this
• Get hostname from dhcp

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Base OS configuration

1. Install base OS with a single 15GB partition. It should have no Swap. Openssh Server service should be installed.
2. To configure grub/kernel messages to goto serial and prevent grub from looking for user input add/modify the following lines in /etc/default/grub and run update-grub:

   GRUB_DEFAULT=0
   GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT=0
   GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT_QUIET=true
   GRUB_TIMEOUT=10
   GRUB_RECORDFAIL_TIMEOUT=0
   GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`
   GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200n8"
   GRUB_TERMINAL=serial
   GRUB_SERIAL_COMMAND="serial --speed=115200 --unit=0 --word=8 --parity=no --stop=1"
   

   To configure the serial console for login create a file named /etc/init/ttyS0.conf and give it the following contents:

   # ttyS0 - getty
   #
   # This service maintains a getty on ttyS0 from the point the system is
   # started until it is shut down again.
   
   start on stopped rc or RUNLEVEL=[2345]
   stop on runlevel [!2345]
   
   respawn
   exec /sbin/getty -L 115200 ttyS0 vt102
   

   then start it with up start:

   sudo start ttyS0
   

3. Edit /etc/default/rcS and change the value of FSCKFIX

   FSCKFIX=yes
   

4. Edit /etc/fstab to have the single disk (/dev/sda1) mount point

   proc      /proc           proc    nodev,noexec,nosuid 0       0
   /dev/sda1 /               ext3    errors=continue 0       1
   

5. To configure root with no password edit /etc/shadow, the first line should look like:

   root:!:15363:0:99999:7:::
   

   remove the ! that follows the root. This will make the root account active and set the password to nil. Console logins for root will now not require a password.
   
   To get ssh to accept the changes we need to modify /etc/ssh/sshd_config make sure a couple of lines have specific values. They are:

   PermitRootLogin yes
   StrictModes no
   PermitEmptyPasswords yes
   UsePAM no
   

6. Copy the modules blacklist tar file​ directory into the /etc/modprobe.d directory. The contents should look like:

   root@node1-1:/etc/modprobe.d# ls -al
   total 52
   drwxr-xr-x  2 root root 4096 2011-06-05 23:03 .
   drwxr-xr-x 80 root root 4096 2012-02-28 12:22 ..
   -rw-r--r--  1 root root  323 2011-03-02 16:29 blacklist-ath5k.conf
   -rw-r--r--  1 root root   16 2011-03-02 16:30 blacklist-ath9k.conf
   -rw-r--r--  1 root root  325 2010-10-01 11:33 blacklist-ath_pci.conf
   -rw-r--r--  1 root root 1603 2010-10-01 11:33 blacklist.conf
   -rw-r--r--  1 root root  210 2010-10-01 11:33 blacklist-firewire.conf
   -rw-r--r--  1 root root  660 2010-10-01 11:33 blacklist-framebuffer.conf
   -rw-r--r--  1 root root   44 2011-06-05 23:03 blacklist-i2400m_usb.conf
   -rw-r--r--  1 root root   36 2011-06-05 23:03 blacklist-iwlagn.conf
   -rw-r--r--  1 root root  583 2011-04-01 10:05 blacklist-rare-network.conf
   -rw-r--r--  1 root root 1077 2010-10-01 11:33 blacklist-watchdog.conf
   -rw-r--r--  1 root root   29 2010-10-01 11:33 intel-5300-iwlagn-disable11n.conf
   

7. Setup NTP

   apt-get install ntp
   touch /etc/ntp.conf.dhcp.
   

8. In order to get dhcp to set the hostname we'll need to make a link for the the /var/lib/dhcp directory and remove the send hostname line of the dhclient config. First run

   ln -s /var/lib/dhcp /var/lib/dhcp3
   

   and in /etc/dhcp/dhclient.conf comment this line

   #send host-name "<hostname>";
   

   then delete /etc/hostname.
9. Add a symbolic link for lsusb

   ln -s /usr/bin/lsusb /sbin/lsusb
   

10. Add the making a swap file script​ to /etc/init.d

    cd /etc/init.d/
    wget http://www.orbit-lab.org/raw-attachment/wiki/Documentation/SupportedImages/BuildingBaselineImage/mkswap.sh
    chmod +x mkswap.sh
    update-rc.d mkswap.sh defaults 99
    cd /
    

11. You may need to edit /etc/fstab to make sure that the mount point for / is /dev/sda1 (instead of the uuid), and edit /etc/default/grub to set the do not use UUID flag to true. There were some issues with image saves and uuids.

OMF configuration

1. To install the necessary packages from the mytestbed.net repository we need to first configure /etc/apt/sources.list . We will need only the precise repository. Edit the /etc/apt/sources.list

add the following line.

deb http://pkg.mytestbed.net/ubuntu precise/

1. Add the following packages and files

   apt-get install omf-resctl-5.4 oml2-apps iperf-oml2
   gem install oml4r
   cd /usr/local/bin; wget http://witestlab.poly.edu/repos/misc/wmxstat
   cd /etc/omf-resctl-5.4/;
   wget http://www.orbit-lab.org/raw-attachment/wiki/Documentation/SupportedImages/BuildingBaselineImage/omf-resctl.yaml
   cd /root;
   

Final Steps

1. Run the prepare file​

   cd /root
   wget http://www.orbit-lab.org/raw-attachment/wiki/Documentation/SupportedImages/BuildingBaselineImage/prepare.sh
   chmod +x prepare.sh
   ./prepare.sh
   

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Version Specific Notes

• Ubuntu 12.10
  • This version of ubuntu enumerates the devices with a new naming scheme. It breaks many of our instrumentation scripts. To rectify the problem make this adjustment to /etc/default/grub:

    GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="biosdevname=0"
    GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200n8 biosdevname=0"