Configuration file format

A CS Linux configuration file is an ASCII text file with information stored in readable text format. You can set up or check your configuration using a standard ASCII text editor.

Although you can modify configuration files using a text editor, you can do this only when the CS Linux software is not running. You are not recommended to modify the files in this way except when setting up the initial configuration (before starting the CS Linux software). To modify the configuration while the CS Linux software is running, use the command-line administration program or the Motif administration program. If you need to modify a node's configuration file using a text editor, the CS Linux software must not be running on the node or on the server for that node.If you need to modify the domain configuration file using a text editor, you must first stop the CS Linux software on all servers, modify the file on the controller server, and then restart the CS Linux software on the controller server before restarting it on any other servers.

Note:

Both CS Linux configuration files are regenerated by the owning server when a configuration command is issued or when configuration is changed using the Motif interface. If you have changed the file using a text editor while the CS Linux software is running, these conditions will overwrite your changes to the file, and the sequence of fields in the file may be changed.

A configuration file consists of a [define_node_config_file] or [define_domain_config_file] header record followed by a series of [define_*] and [set_*] administration records. Each administration record contains the parameters for a CS Linux administration command. Header records and administration records are used as follows:

  • The header record contains information such as the CS Linux version number.
  • The [define_*] administration records define the available resources: a local node and its resources (node resources), or resources not associated with a specific node (domain resources).
  • The [set_*] administration records set parameters that determine how CS Linux operates, such as the locations of diagnostics files and the types of diagnostics information to record.

A node configuration file consists of a [define_node_config_file] header record, a [define_node] record defining the node, and a series of [define_*] and [set_*] records defining the node's resources. The domain configuration file consists of a [define_domain_config_file] header record and a series of [define_*] records and [set_*] records defining the domain resources.

The other types of administration commands (such as start_*, stop_*, and delete_*) are not used in a configuration file; those commands are used only when administering a running CS Linux system.

For information about the order of these records within the file, see Record ordering in a configuration file.