---
# System prepended metadata

title: Exa CSI Driver Pre-Installation Instructions

---

# Pre-Installation Instructions
The Exa CSI Driver requires installing the lustre kernel module onto your cluster nodes. OpenShifts supports installing kernel modules using the Kernel Module Manager Operator (KMM).

KMM uses a ModuleLoader image to load kernel modules onto cluster nodes. You can build a ModuleLoader image outside your cluster or you can create a ConfigMap containing a Dockerfile which KMM will use to build and store the image on your cluster. Please see the [documentation for creating ModuleLoader images here](https://openshift-kmm.netlify.app/documentation/module_loader_image/) for more information. To match the lustre package versions to your OpenShift release, please cross-reference [the Lustre version support matrix](https://wiki.whamcloud.com/display/PUB/Lustre+Support+Matrix)  with the [RHEL version utilized by your OpenShift release](https://access.redhat.com/articles/6907891). Once you know the version of lustre that matches your OpenShift cluster, you will want to note the URLs of the `lustre-client` and `kmod-lustre-client` packages hosted [here](https://downloads.whamcloud.com/public/lustre). You can export these values in a shell session to simplify the following instructions. For example, if we want lustre 2.15.3 for OpenShift 4.13:
```bash
export LUSTRE_PACKAGE=https://downloads.whamcloud.com/public/lustre/latest-release/el9.2/client/RPMS/x86_64/lustre-client-2.15.3-1.el9.x86_64.rpm
export KMOD_PACKAGE=https://downloads.whamcloud.com/public/lustre/latest-release/el9.2/client/RPMS/x86_64/kmod-lustre-client-2.15.3-1.el9.x86_64.rpm
```

Running the sample image build will also require having Red Hat entitlements [properly configured on your cluster](https://examples.openshift.pub/cluster-configuration/full-cluster-entitlement/).

1. Install the Kernel Module Management operator through the OperatorHub if it is not already installed.
2. Retrieve a sample ModuleLoader image ConfigMap: `wget samplemodule.com`
3. Substitute the URLs of the `lustre-client` and `kmod-lustre-client` packages that match your OpenShift release into the sample ConfigMap: 
```bash
sed -i "s|LUSTRE_PACKAGE|$LUSTRE_PACKAGE|g" sample-lustre-dockerfile-configmap.yaml
sed -i "s|KMOD_PACKAGE|$KMOD_PACKAGE|g" sample-lustre-dockerfile-configmap.yaml
```
4. Add the ConfigMap to your cluster in the `openshift-kmm` default namespace: 
```bash
oc apply -n openshift-kmm -f sample-lustre-dockerfile-configmap.yaml
```
5. Retrieve a sample DaemonSet that runs necessary network configuration for the kernel modules. If you know a particular interface configuration that you require, substitute that into the `lnetctl net add` line of the file (our example uses the default `br-ex` interface used by OVN-Kubernetes network provider):
```bash
wget lnet-configuration-ds.yaml
# if you want to change the network interface used
sed -i "s/br-ex/my_interface/g" lnet-configuration-ds.yaml
```
7.  Retrieve the `lnet` Module Custom Resource and apply it and the DaemonSet to your cluster in the `openshift-kmm` namespace:
```bash
wget lnet-mod.yaml
oc apply -n openshift-kmm -f lnet-mod.yaml -f lnet-configuration-ds.yaml
```
6. Adding the `lnet` Module CR to your cluster will trigger a build of the image in the previously applied ConfigMap. You can monitor the status of the build in the OpenShift Console or on the command line:
```bash
oc get -n openshift-kmm builds -w
```
7. Shortly after the build completes, you should see the status of the child pods of your Module and DaemonSet change to "Running":
```bash
oc get -n openshift-kmm pods

# Output
NAME                                               READY   STATUS    RESTARTS      AGE
kmm-operator-controller-manager-6bfc986b4b-22xv9   2/2     Running   4 (10h ago)   8d
lnet-452sc-85rs4                                   1/1     Running   0             57m
lnet-configuration-c6d6w                           1/1     Running   0             57m
```
8. Retrieve and apply the `lustre` Module CR to your cluster:
```bash
wget lustre-mod.yaml
oc apply -n openshift-kmm -f lustre-mod.yaml
```
9. To verify the modules are loaded and the configuration is set correctly on any particular node, you can open a debug session using your ModuleLoader image:
```bash
oc debug node/my-node

# Once in the debug pod session
lsmod | grep lustre # Should show the lustre kernel module is loaded

lnetctl net show # Should show a tcp interface configured on your interface, br-ex by default

# Example output:
net:
    - net type: lo
      local NI(s):
        - nid: 0@lo
          status: up
    - net type: tcp
      local NI(s):
        - nid: 10.0.14.194@tcp
          status: up
          interfaces:
              0: br-ex

```

___
## Short Version
### Prerequisites:
- [Properly configured cluster entitlements](https://examples.openshift.pub/cluster-configuration/full-cluster-entitlement/)
- The Kernel Module Management operator installed through the OpenShift web console

To quickly set up a minimally configured lustre network on your cluster:
```bash
# Export the URLs of the `lustre-client` and `kmod-lustre-client` packages that match your OpenShift release's RHEL version:
export LUSTRE_PACKAGE=https://downloads.whamcloud.com/public/lustre/latest-release/el9.2/client/RPMS/x86_64/lustre-client-2.15.3-1.el9.x86_64.rpm
export KMOD_PACKAGE=https://downloads.whamcloud.com/public/lustre/latest-release/el9.2/client/RPMS/x86_64/kmod-lustre-client-2.15.3-1.el9.x86_64.rpm

# Retrieve sample ConfigMap, substitute in your package URLS, and apply to the cluster
wget sample-lustre-dockerfile-configmap.yaml
sed -i "s|LUSTRE_PACKAGE|$LUSTRE_PACKAGE|g" sample-lustre-dockerfile-configmap.yaml
sed -i "s|KMOD_PACKAGE|$KMOD_PACKAGE|g" sample-lustre-dockerfile-configmap.yaml
oc apply -n openshift-kmm -f sample-lustre-dockerfile-configmap.yaml

# Retrieve the remaining sample resource files
wget lnet-mod.yaml lnet-configuration-ds.yaml lustre-mod.yaml

# If you want to change the network interface used
sed -i "s/br-ex/my_interface/g" lnet-configuration.yaml

# Apply lnet-mod.yaml and lnet-configuration-ds.yaml to the cluster
oc apply -n openshift-kmm -f lnet-mod.yaml lnet-configuration-ds.yaml

# Once image build is complete, apply lustre-mod.yaml
oc apply -n openshift-kmm -f lustre-mod.yaml
```

