VZGOT


Description:

	vzgot is a package to manage linux container.
	it is working with a PLAIN linux kernel (currently 2.6.31.6-162.fc12),
	without need to make any kernel adjustementm (project mandatory).

	Most of installation is done using shell script, allowing
	host admin to make local adjustement.

	I was able to have containers (rh7.3, rh8, rh9, fc2 -> fc12, Centos 4.6 ->5.3)
	for a total of 33, up and running on a FC12 plain distribution.
	Some old distribution need small adjustement and RPM are included within
	the vzgot RPM (src.rpm included).

	Template used by vzgot are the exact same one used with openvz (this was
	project mandatory)


commands:

	Basic commands:

	vzgot boot|shutdown container_name
		To boot or shutdown the name container.
		To debug your first container:
		vzgot -d9 -f -v boot cont_name /bin/bash
	

	vzgot create container_name template_tar_filename distribution_name architecture
		Take template_tar_filename and store it in the vzgot main directory
		(/var/lib/vzgot/vzdir)

	vzgot firstboot container_name distribution_name domain_name node_name ip_list
		Configure the template to set the host name (node.domain.name),
		preparing device definition (/dev/tty, etc..), configuring network, etc...
		Some specific site configuration allow you to prepare user,group, ssh key,
		resolv.conf to be exactly the same for all generated container.
		/var/lib/vzgot/etc is where common data are stored.

	vzgot destroy container_name
		To get rid of the container directory once for all (need to
		be shutdown first.



	Complex commands:

	vzgot.mksrvz nodename.your_domain.name [distribution] [architecture]
		It used to prepare a container (create,firstboot,boot) using
		the nodename.your_domain.name resolution to extract IP.
		You may need to change the TPL enviromenet variable (within
		the script) to fit your template name of your own.
		(ours is TPL=linux-$DISTRIB-$CPUARCH-vzserver.tar.gz).

	vzgot.redoall filename_list_to_redo	
		This script check for a file /etc/vzgot/'filename_list_to_redo'
		and use it to regenerate all set container.
		There is a file /etc/vzgot/vzredoall as example, this is
		the list of all template we are able to succesfully run now
		(33 all together).


	Production command:

	service vzgot start|stop
		Classical redhat service start|stop
		this script will start all container with a file named
		/var/lib/vzgot/vzdir/cont_name/status
		with content to be "BOOT=ON"
		this script will stop all container with a file named
		/var/lib/vzgot/vzdir/cont_name/first.pid
		
		

Notes:
	We are using our own template (the one used with the openvz package),
	they are fine tuned to do what we want (be able to use container
	to compile package, check bug on distribution configuration). 
	to make sure you own template can be used we have made a successful 
	test using standard openvz template centos-5-x86_64-devel.tar.gz 
	as vzgot feed. 

	While fully operationnal for us, vzgot need to be improved
	on the resources allocation (cgroups) and quota (?), before
	to be expose to uncontrolled/adverse production usage.



Package structure:
	
	/etc/vzgot: directory with configuration file needed
	by the main host to create or manage a container.

	/var/lib/vzgot: application core directory

	/var/lib/vzgot/vzdir:	all container storage area,
	the directory name is the container name.

	/var/lib/vzgot/vzdir/cont_name:
	- rootfs is the container root directory
	- console is a file receiving ALL data transmitted
	  to container /dev/console (/sbin/init boot process)
	- first.pid is file with the /sbin/init
	- status, used to boot container, contens is
	  BOOT=ON of BOOT=OFF
	
	/var/lib/vzgot/RPM:
	tree with RPM to be added to have some distribution
	fully working (RH7.3 etc...), you can add your
	own if you like.
	
	/var/lib/vzgot/home:
	template directory to standard user to be added on
	container while created.
	
	/var/lib/vzgot/etc:
	- groups,users list of group and users you want to
	  be added at template creation
	- shadow, crypted password you want to set on 
	  container.
	- resolv.conf to be set in the container.
	- sudoers to be added to container /etc/sudoers.
	

	Please feel free to play with it and you are welcome to
	give me feed back about it

	jmp AT safe DOT ca