[gpfsug-discuss] mmdsh rest api command

[Steve Daniels]

Jonathan, et al,

The https://ibm.com/ideas website is where you can submit requests for enhancements. If you are having any issues with voting, please let us know. It is simply a thumbs up for a vote. 

I had submitted the idea on behalf of my clients. I will certainly look into SaltStack. I am familiar with the other commands mentioned, below.

The main use I have for mmdsh is the collection/examination of logs and checking on the health of the network (finding down links, bad mtu, misconfigured bonds, etc) . I also have used it for connectivity checks prior to the advent of the mmnetverify command which is a better way. 

Always looking for a better way, so any ideas are welcome. 

Aren't xcat, pdsh, etc, based on passwordless root ssh as well? If so, they don't solve my clients issues. I don't see them as better than mmdsh just different authors of the same type of tool. 

Thanks for the feedback,
Steve




Steven A. Daniels
Fax and Voice: 303-810-1229

-----Original Message-----
From: gpfsug-discuss <gpfsug-discuss-bounces at gpfsug.org> On Behalf Of Jonathan Buzzard
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2025 9:21 AM
To: gpfsug-discuss at gpfsug.org
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [gpfsug-discuss] mmdsh rest api command

On 10/07/2025 17:16, Steve Daniels wrote:
> All,
> 
> 
> Please review the idea below and vote if it is important to you. The 
> mmdsh command is currently based on ssh and will not have a 
> replacement unless development is convinced it will impact your 
> ability to manage your clusters effectively.
> 

I have been thinking about this and for what it's worth here's my tuppence on the subject :-)

Having only ever used GPFS in the context of an HPC system I have never ever used mmdsh in all the many years (nearly two decades now) I have been using GPFS.

My guess is in 2025 people are using the likes of Ansible, SaltStack, Puppet etc. to manage their GPFS cluster. If not what are you doing, rocking it like it's still the naught's is unprofessional IMHO.

For the ad hoc stuff they are likely going to be using the likes of xdsh (anything deployed via xCAT/Confluent will have that out the box) or pdsh etc. for running arbitrary commands on groups of nodes.

As such mmdsh is reinventing the wheel which is a *bad* thing. There are better tools for what mmdsh does so if someone actually needs that functionality then they can install xdsh/pdsh etc. if they have not already and get the functionality regardless of the existence of mmdsh.

I would note at this point that not every node I manage runs GPFS but every node I manage *can* respond to the multi node SSH setup I am using (xdsh because Confluent, because DSS-G). This probably explains why I have never used mmdsh, because it has never covered all the bases, and as it will never cover all the basis it's just another tool to learn and well I haven't got time or the brain space for that.


JAB.

-- 
Jonathan A. Buzzard                         Tel: +44141-5483420
HPC System Administrator, ARCHIE-WeSt.
University of Strathclyde, John Anderson Building, Glasgow. G4 0NG


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