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Installing AXIS GridLink on a New Farm

Permissions and User Rights

Please note that the controller needs to be running at all times under a specially dedicated service account on each machine in the farm. This account should have Full Control permissions to the following directories:

  • directory where GridLink Controller is going to be installed
  • AXIS executables installation directory
  • AXIS datasets directories
  • AXIS temporary files directory (C:\SPARE)
  • Import/Export database directory
  • DataLink source file directory

For more information about required permissions and user rights, please refer to "Permissions and User Rights Required for GridLink User Accounts".

Windows Firewall Issue

Please note that: if your machines are protected by Windows Firewall which blocks some communication required to manage Distributed Processing feature of AXIS, you need to add all AXIS versions into the Windows Firewall exception list on all machines (open "Windows Firewall" from "Control Panel", go to "Exceptions" tab, click on "Add Programs" button, and then add AXIS.exe of all versions one by one) before you use the farm to run AXIS remote jobs.

Alternatively, you can let GridLink add AXIS into the exception list automatically by turning on "Unblock AXIS automatically (Windows XP SP2 only)" in "Farm Settings" dialog in GridLink Utility.

Step-by-Step Instructions

In the following instructions, we assume that you have four computers in your processor farm:

MACHINE1, MACHINE2, MACHINE3 and MACHINE4.

Please download AXIS GridLink Utility from here and then follow the instructions below on the workstation of the person who will be responsible for administering the farm.

1. Install GridLink Utility using the installation package (e.g. GridLinkUtil300.exe) to a folder that you choose.

2. In that folder, run GridLinkUtil.exe.

3. The utility is password-protected. The default password is "Admin". You can change it later using "Maintenance - Change password" menu.

4. In the "Log on" dialog, type the name of one of the servers with GridLink licence in the Profile Host Name edit box.

5. The utility prompts you to install GridLink service on the Profile Host first. Please note that the user account under which the utility is run needs to have the administrator's right on the Profile Host.

  • When the utility asks you if you want to unblock the controller from Windows Firewall, answer "Yes".
  • specify the installation path, and a user account under which the service will be run.

After the service has been installed on the Profile Host, if it is not properly licenced, it will show an error "Failed to retrieve profiles from [server name]. This server can't be a Profile Host because it doesn't have a valid GridLink Licence". This may happen if this server is licenced after this particular GridLink version is released so the installation package doesn't have this server's licence information. If you have received a new licence file from GGY, you can press "Yes" button and select the file to update the licence information on this server.

6. Then you will see "Create Farm Profile" dialog. 

  • Enter the name that you would like to assign to your farm (e.g. TLAB)
  • select "empty server list and default settings" for the new farm source option
  • Click "OK"

If you wish to transfer all farm settings from an existing old farm to the new one, you can choose the option "The new farm uses configurations retrieved from an existing server", enter the name of one of the servers on the old farm, turn on the option "Only retrieve the farm settings, excluding the list of computers" and click on "OK" button.

7. The new farm profile should be created, and you should see an empty list.

8. Select menu "Farm Profile - Add server to farm", type MACHINE1 in "Server name" editor, click "OK".

9. Repeat step 8 to add machine MACHINE2, MACHINE3 and MACHINE4.

10. Select menu "Farm Profile - Farm Settings", you will see the "Farm Settings" dialog with tabs. In "Authorized users" tab, add all user who may use the farm to run their batch jobs. Use Add, Modify, Remove buttons to do so. You should be entering users login Ids so that GridLink can authenticate them. Select "Unrestricted" in "Access Group" combo box.

11. If you are using mapped network drives (e.g. X: drive) to store your datasets, Import/Export database, etc., you need to specify all drive mapping information that AXIS might use in "Network Drive Mapping" tab.

12. Click on "AXIS Paths" tab to set AXIS installation path and temporary files path.

Please note the structure for AXIS Installation path (see screen below) - you must install the versions of AXIS on each of the machines in the directories following these exact rules for GridLink to function properly. 

13. Decide whether you need to make the window of the AXIS remote master/helper visible.

Click on "Job Status" tab and you will see this option on the top of the dialog.

If this option is enabled, users will be able to see and interact with windows of AXIS launched by GridLink service when they log on to the server's console session.

If this option is disabled, AXIS will be run on a non-interactive desktop.

Please note that in the case that this option is disabled and more than 4 copies of AXIS are run on the server (e.g. the server has 8 CPU cores), the operating system may run out of non-interactive desktop heap space and AXIS will crash. In this case, you need to either turn on this option or modify the registry to allocate more memory for non-interactive desktop heap. For more information, please refer to Microsoft KB article #184802 (PRB: User32.dll or Kernel32.dll fails to initialize):

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;184802

Please note that if you have modified this registry value after GridLink service has been installed on a server, you need to restart GridLink service on this server.

14. Click OK to close.

15. Now you can remotely install GridLink service on the farm from a central location. Please note that you need to have the administrator's right on all servers.

Select "Service - Install" from the menu and :

  • When the utility asks you if you want to unblock the controller from Windows Firewall, answer "Yes".
  • specify the installation path, and a user account under which the service will be run.

16. Disable Server Message Block Version 2 File System Local Cache on Windows Server 2008/HPC Serve 2008

Server Message Block (SMB) Version 2 is a network file system protocol implemented in Windows Server 2008, Windows HPC Server 2008 and other operating systems. When it is in use, the local caching on the client side may become out-of-sync with the file system and this may cause AXIS Distributed Processing to fail. The problem can be avoided by changing some registry settings. To do so, select the menu "Tools - Server Message Block 2.0 Settings - Set SMB2 Settings in Registry" and then set the cache life time to 0. (GridLink 4.30 or later version required.)

Please refer to our online KB article "Resolve SMB2 Problems in AXIS Distributed Processing" for more information.

Now the farm is ready for use.

For setting up Access Groups on the farm, please see Access Group.

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