Adding a New Machine to the Network
Sometimes, URY's Computing team will come across a need to network a new device. This could be a new server, or maybe the fabled Talkback.
Checklist
- Has the device been recently? New equipment should be by before being placed into production (YUSU offer to do it, but are entered into a 3 year [as of 2013] exclusive contract with a company that takes weeks to respond - you can also try Computer Science Hardware support [Pete Cooper], Electronics, or one of the free PAT days the University offers at the start of the academic year).
- Is the device earmarked to go into the Server Cupboard? If so, it must be a rack mount device. It improves airflow, accessibility and prettyness. If you don't have a suitable case, ask around the team - we have "contacts" that can "source" them for you (Read: have collections of old servers).
- Has the device been allocated an IP address in one of the subnets allocated to us by IT Services? Have you updated the Google Doc (at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtlIZR-runbWdEphYXdNQkcxU25BeFJfUGtQeFRRWnc&usp=drive_web)?
- Have you informed IT Services that the new device exists? See #Registering with LAN DB
- Have you configured the IP Address for the device *statically*, with DNS Servers 144.32.64.164, 144.32.128.242, 144.32.128.243? A sample /etc/network/interfaces file is below in #Static IP Configuration
- If Windows, has it been Domain Joined? If Linux/FreeBSD, have you set up Samba as per #Single Sign On with Samba?
Registering with LAN DB
Men & Mice, The LAN Database, or The Evil Central Repository of Stupid, is the central IT Service database of devices that use the campus network (excluding NAS and eduroam devices). They will set you on fire if you put a device into production without telling them it exists. Create a Footprints (using either https://footprints.york.ac.uk or emailing itsupport@york.ac.uk) that looks similar to the following:
Hi,
Could I have a new device added to the LAN Database as follows please:
Object name: (DNS prefix, e.g. uryserver3)
Machine type: Unsupported Office PC
Operating System: (OS and Version e.g. FreeBSD 10.0)
Department/contact: Students Union / (Your Name)
Location: V/URY
Interface type: Ethernet
MAC address: (The MAC address)
Attachment Point: ury
IP address: 144.32.64.xxx (or 10.64.160.xxx)
Gateway: 144.32.64.161 (or 10.64.160.xxx)
(Your Signoff Here)
Single Sign On with Samba
FreeBSD
- Follow the following guide: http://www.whitneytechnologies.com/?p=119
- Change the home directory path configuration from above to just be /home/%U (no domain in the path)
- Edit /etc/pam.d/system to have
auth sufficient /usr/local/lib/pam_winbind.so
- Edit sudoers to use
%domain\x20admins ALL=(ALL) ALL
- If you are using ZFS data anywhere and plan to share over NFS or SMB, also look at https://mywushublog.com/2012/05/zfs-and-acls-with-samba/
Debian
We haven't tried this with Debian yet. We should try this with Debian.
Static IP Configuration
/etc/network/interfaces:
iface eth0 inet static
address 144.32.64.xxx
netmask 255.255.255.224
network 144.32.64.160
broadcast 144.32.64.191
gateway 144.32.64.161
dns-search york.ac.uk
mtu 1500
/etc/resolv.conf:
domain ury.york.ac.uk york.ac.uk
nameserver 144.32.64.164
nameserver 144.32.128.242
nameserver 144.32.128.243