Quickstart Guide ================ The Quickstart guide is intended for deployment on **dedicated nodes or virtual machines (VMs)** running an **RPM-based Linux distribution** on **x86_64 architecture**. A minimum **high-availability (HA) master node configuration** requires: - **Three stateful nodes** (two permanent and one temporary; the temporary node may also be made permanent) - **At least one stateless compute node** - **Optional stateless GPU node** ---- Hardware Requirements --------------------- Both master nodes must include a **25 GB `/drbd` partition** to support data replication and synchronization for high availability. In addition, ensure the head node has **at least 60 GB of free disk space** in the directory where the OpenCHAI repository and RPM stack are cloned. This space is required for **offline installation**. **Minimum hardware requirements for testing:** - **Head Node** - 4 CPU cores - 4 GB RAM - *(Recommended: 8 CPU cores and 8 GB RAM)* - **Master Nodes** - 8–12 CPU cores - 8 GB RAM (each) **Software Requirements** View the OpenCHAI Software Stack .. toctree:: :maxdepth: 1 ../../documentation/releases/index ---- **OpenCHAI Manager Tool Setup** This section provides a **step-by-step guide** for installing the **Open CDAC HPC-AI Manager Tool (OpenCHAI)** on a **bare-metal server**. The guide focuses on a **quick installation workflow** with minimal explanation. A moderately experienced cluster administrator can use these steps to deploy and configure a standard HPC-AI cluster without referring to the full OpenCHAI Administrator Manual. ---- Installing the Head Node ------------------------ Step 1. Install Git ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Install the Git package on the head node: .. code-block:: bash yum install git Step 2. Clone the OpenCHAI Repository ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clone the repository into a directory with **at least 60 GB of free disk space**. This space is required to store the **offline software stack RPMs**. .. code-block:: bash git clone https://github.com/OpenHPC-AI/OpenCHAI.git # Navigate to the OpenCHAI directory cd OpenCHAI ---- Step 3. Configure the OpenCHAI Manager Tool ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3.1 Ensure that the **OpenCHAI software stack tar file** is available in the directory below to enable a smooth and reliable setup. **Offline Mode** (Recommended if Available) Copy the OpenCHAI software stack for **Alma Linux** or **Rocky Linux** from removable media (USB drive, local disk, or external storage) into: :: ls -la ./hpcsuite_registry/hostmachine_reg// For manual package downloads, refer to the **HPC-Sangrah Vault**: HPC-Sangrah Vault --------------- .. toctree:: :maxdepth: 1 ../../documentation/releases/openchai_packages/index **Online Mode** If the stack is not available locally, the OpenCHAI Manager Tool can download the required packages from the network during **Step 3.3** of the setup process. ---- 3.2 Ansible Inventory Setup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Configure the Ansible inventory on the head node to enable communication with all service nodes in the HPC-AI cluster, including: - HPC master nodes - Management nodes - AI master nodes - Login nodes - BMC nodes Edit the inventory file according to your environment: .. code-block:: bash vim chai_setup/inventory_def.txt ---- 3.3 Proceed with CHAI Manager Head Node Setup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Once the inventory is configured, initialize the **CHAI Manager Head Node**. This step prepares the primary control node for managing cluster services and orchestration workflows. During the OpenCHAI Manager head-node setup, you are presented with an option to select the OpenCHAI software packages to be installed. Review the available package options carefully and choose the configuration that best aligns with your target environment, deployment model, and workload requirements. .. toctree:: :maxdepth: 1 ../../documentation/releases/openchai_packages/index .. code-block:: bash bash ./configure_openchai_manager.sh If OpenCHAI packages are already available locally, the setup proceeds faster. Otherwise, the installer provides an option to download them during execution. ---- Step 4. Inventory Verification ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Verify inventory configuration: .. code-block:: bash ansible-inventory --list ---- Step 5. Update Cluster Environment Variables ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Update all HPC-AI cluster environment variables: .. code-block:: bash bash ./chai_setup/update_group_var_all.sh .. note:: Ensure **public network access** is enabled on all service nodes so that missing packages can be installed from public repositories. ---- Step 6: Configure the PXE Server for Service Node Booting ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Follow this section to set up the PXE server, which enables network booting and automated installation of service nodes. **Define DHCP Clients** Create or edit the DHCP client input file: :: vim ./servicenodes/dhcp_clients_mac.txt Format: :: ,, Example: :: master01,00:0C:29:43:18:B4,172.10.3.101 master02,00:0C:29:43:18:B5,172.10.3.102 login01,00:0C:29:43:18:B6,172.10.3.103 This file is used to generate static DHCP reservations. **PXE server setup** Run the PXE server setup script: :: bash servicenodes/pxe_server_setup.sh headnode **During execution** - All DHCP clients are displayed in a table - You are prompted to update MAC or IP values if required - Final confirmation is requested before execution For detailed PXE server configuration, refer to the link below. ----------------------------------------- .. toctree:: :maxdepth: 1 ../../concepts/pxe_server_configuration/index Step 7. HPC-AI Head Node Setup ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Run the head node setup script: .. code-block:: bash bash ./servicenodes/headnode_node_setup.sh ---- Step 8. Inventory Verification ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Verify connectivity with all cluster hosts: .. code-block:: bash ansible all -m ping # Verify connectivity using a specific SSH port ansible all -m ping -e "ansible_port=22" If communication issues occur, update the inventory file and reapply: .. code-block:: bash bash ./chai_setup/update_inventory_def.sh --- Step 9. HPC Master Nodes Deployment and Configuration ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .. note:: Currently, the platform supports both **online** and **offline** deployment modes in a mixed configuration. Ensure that all service nodes (including both master nodes) have **public network connectivity** available. Additionally, verify that **time synchronization (NTP/Chrony)** is properly configured and consistent across all nodes. To deploy and configure HPC master nodes, execute: .. code-block:: bash bash ./servicenodes/hpc_master_ha_node_setup.sh hpc_master -------- Feedback -------- Was this page helpful? - 👍 `Yes `_ - 👎 `No `_