1.3 Deployment Overview

Novell Linux Point of Service requires the following components for a functional system:

The way in which these components are deployed depends on your system requirements. For example, systems that maintain hundreds of client images might require a dedicated image building server, whereas smaller systems can have the image building utilities installed on the Administration Server. Similarly, some customers might install the Administration and Branch Servers on a single box, while others deploy the Branch Server on a Point of Service terminal.

The flexibility of the architecture provides broad scalability so that in large environments components can be distributed to improve system performance, while in smaller environments components can be consolidated to maximize the use of system resources.

1.3.1 Design Guidelines for Large Environments

Every retail environment is different in terms of network speed, server hardware, Point of Service terminal hardware, size of images, frequency of updates, etc. This section presents some design guidelines for large environments, based on scalability and reliability improvements made in Novell Linux Point of Service 9 SSP3. These recommendations do not apply to previous releases of Novell Linux Point of Service 9.

The recommended maximum number of Point of Service terminals being serviced by a single Branch Server is 100. You can adjust this number up or down depending on how frequently the Point of Service terminals are reimaged and whether you can control when the terminals come online.

NOTE:For every 100 terminals coming online at the same time, it can take up to 10 minutes for the terminals to download larger desktop images. If the terminals are simply booting from an existing image, it can take 2-3 minutes per 100 terminals.

1.3.2 Installation Summary

The following summary outlines the general steps required to deploy a Novell Linux Point of Service system. It also identifies the configuration options for each system component and notes where you can go to find detailed instructions.

  1. If you are migrating from SUSE Linux Retail Solution 8 (SLRS 8) to Novell Linux Point of Service 9, back up the LDAP directory and any SLRS 8 image files you want to continue to deploy to Point of Service terminals.

    For detailed instructions, see Section 3.0, Migrating from SLRS 8 to Novell Linux Point of Service 9.

  2. Install the Administration Server using one of the following configurations:

  3. Create the LDAP directory on your Administration Server using one of the following methods:

  4. Create the Point of Service images required to deploy your Point of Service terminals.

    1. Copy the image source files to your Image Building Server.

      For detailed instructions, see Copying the Novell Linux Point of Service CDs in the Novell Linux Point of Service 9 Administration Guide.

    2. Define the location of the image source files.

      For detailed instructions, see Generating AdminServer.conf or Distribution.xml in the Novell Linux Point of Service 9 Administration Guide.

    3. Build the Point of Service image files.

      For detailed instructions, see Building Images with scr or Building Images with xscr in the Novell Linux Point of Service 9 Administration Guide.

    4. Copy the image files you have created to the appropriate directories on the Administration Server so they will be ready for the Branch Servers to download.

      IMPORTANT:Client images must be located in /opt/SLES/POS/rsync/image/ and boot images must be located in /opt/SLES/POS/rsync/boot/ on the Administration Server before the RSYNC service can transmit the images to the Branch Server.

  5. Create the required LDAP objects for each Branch Server and its Point of Service terminals in the LDAP tree.

    For detailed instructions, see Creating Branch Server Objects in LDAP.

  6. Install the Branch Servers using one of the following configurations:

    NOTE:If you install an Admin/Branch Server combination, this step is already completed. For instructions on how to configure the Admin/Branch Server combination, see Section 8.0, Setting Up an Admin/Branch Server Combo.

    • Install a standard Branch Server.

      For detailed instructions, see Section 6.0, Setting Up a Branch Server.

    • Install a high availability Branch Server cluster of two nodes in an active/passive setup.

      For detailed instructions, see Section 7.0, Setting Up High Availability Branch Servers.

    • For stores where the Branch Server is only running the Point of Service infrastructure (that is, the Branch Server is running no additional applications), the Branch Server can be installed as a control terminal running on Point of Service hardware.

      For more information, see Section 9.0, Setting Up a POSBranch Terminal.

    • If the Branch Server is in a remote location where no onsite system expertise is available, you can create an Automatic Branch Server Installation image. The resulting ISO file can then be burned to a CD and used to install the Branch Server at the remote location.

      For detailed instructions, see Section 10.0, Automatic Branch Server Installation.

  7. After a Branch Server is installed, you must complete the following steps to initialize the Branch Server before attempting to boot its Point of Service terminals:

    1. Run the posInitBranchserver.sh script to initialize and configure the Branch Server.

      For detailed instructions, see Configuring the Branch Server.

    2. Run possyncimages.pl to download the Point of Service images from the Administration Server to the /tftpboot/ directories on the Branch Server.

      For detailed instructions, see Downloading Images from the Administration Server.

    3. Start the core script (posleases2ldap) as a daemon process on the Branch Server. This script controls all other scripts.

      For more information, see Starting the Core Script.

  8. Deploy the Point of Service terminals, following the general instructions in Section 11.0, Deploying Point of Service Terminals.

    Depending on your network configuration and terminal hardware, you must prepare the Point of Service terminals to boot using one of the following procedures:

    • If the Point of Service terminals have access to the network, the terminals can PXE boot and download their image files from the Branch Server. This method is typically used for diskless workstations.

      For more information on this process, see Network PXE Boot.

    • If the Point of Service terminals do not have access to the network, create a CDBoot image and deploy the image at the terminal. This method can be used for either diskless or diskful workstations that have a CD drive.

      For information on creating a CDBoot image, see Building a CDBoot Image in the Novell Linux Point of Service 9 Administration Guide.

      For information on the CDBoot process, see CDBoot.

    • If a Point of Service terminal cannot boot from the network or from a CD, it attempts to boot from the hard drive.

      For more information, see Booting the Point of Service Terminal.

  9. Test your Novell Linux Point of Service installation to ensure that it is functioning correctly.

    For detailed instructions, see Section 12.0, Testing Your Novell Linux Point of Service Environment.