Section 13.3. Setting Up NIM

13.3. Setting Up NIM

Some people prefer not to make CDs or DVDs and prefer instead to simply leave their mksysb images on the file server and read directly from them during a recovery. If you want to do this, you need to use Network Install Manager (NIM). The advantage to this method is that you do not need to load any physical media to perform the restore. The drawback is that your restore is limited by the speed of your Ethernet network, and problems with the Ethernet network can complicate a restore.

If you don't already have a NIM server, you'll need to set one up for this purpose. The good news is that, while NIM is fairly complex, setting up a NIM environment just for this purpose is not that hard. You need to set up the server, add the client to the NIM server, and add a mksysb definition for that client.

13.3.1. Setting Up a NIM Server

The purpose of the NIM server is to provide a boot image to the client over the network using BOOTP and TFTP. In our case, we want to boot and install a mksysb that we have previously created.

The easiest way to set up NIM is to use the eznim wizard introduced in AIX 5.2:

NIM_Server # smit eznim

For versions before 5.2, there is the regular smit panel for NIM, which has a setup option:

NIM_Server # smit nim

Setting up NIM through the smit panels is the easiest and most thorough method. If you choose to install it using the command-line interface (CLI), read the manpage for nim_master_setup for any options to specify relative to your environment. The following instructions create a quick and easy CLI setup:

1. From the latest recommended maintenance level of AIX that you are installing on, find the POWER Version X Volume 1 CD.

2. Insert and mount the CD.

3. Locate and run the nim_master_setup command:

4. NIM_Server # nim_master_setup                      

   
   

5. This command sets up a default NIM server. It creates /tftpboot and /export in the root filesystem.

13.3.2. Adding a Client Definition to NIM

This step adds the host that we want to back up to the NIM server. We need to do this so that the NIM server knows who to serve images to.

The easiest way to add a client is to use the smit fastpath:

NIM_Server # smit nim_mkmac

It can also be installed and set up using CLI. The following instructions apply to a typical client. Both the client and server need to be able to resolve each other via DNS. The example's hostname is client, and it has a chrp mp architecture that uses twisted pair. For a more detailed usage of the CLI, see the manpage for the niminit command. We run the niminit command from the client, not the server. This has the added benefit of making sure that the client can talk to the NIM server.

client # niminit -a name=client -a master=NIM_server -a pif_name=en0  -a platform=chrp -a netboot_kernel=mp -a cable_type1=tp 

13.3.3. Setting a mksysb Definition for a Client

Now that we have defined a client, we can select the installation type. This tells the NIM server which image the client should install.

The easiest way to select which mksysb to have a client boot is to use the smit fastpath. To do this, select mksysb as the image resource and set the location:

client # smit update_client_eznim

In the smit panel, select the installation type "mksysb - Install from a mksysb," and set that to the mksysb image that you want to restore.

This can also be set up using CLI. Again, for a more detailed usage of CLI, see the manpage for the nim command. In this example, we want the host we are on (client) to NIM boot from NIM_Server using the mksysb file /export/backups/client-6-1-06.msb_image. We also assign a resource name of mksysb_res1 to client-6-1-06.msb_image:

client # nim -o define -t mksysb -a server=NIM_Server a  location=/export/backups/ client-6-1-06.msb_image mksysb_res1