2.

Installation

Requirements

You will need two or more computers running Microsoft Windows XP Professional and connected by a local area network. Each computer must have at least 1.8 GB of available hard disk space and at least 256 MB system memory.

The following setup steps must be performed on each computer that will participate in the virtual cluster.

Install the Software

The VCT is composed of three main software components. Download and install each component as outlined below.
  • WinPCAP
    The WinPCAP network packet capture library is available from https://rocketcalc.com/vct/WinPcap_3_1_beta.exe or http://www.winpcap.org/install/default.htm
    Download and run the WinPcap_3_1_beta.exe file to install WinPcap.
  • coLinux
    Download and install the base coLinux/TAP32 package from https://rocketcalc.com/vct/coLinux-0.6.2.exe. Run the coLinux-0.6.2.exe program to install coLinux. Select the components listed in the figure below. In particular, do not install the suggested root file system (see the next step).
  • Cluster Toolbox Download the Cluster Toolbox Debian-based root file system, kernel, and startup script from https://rocketcalc.com/vct/vct6010.zip. Unzip the contents of the archive in the same directory that coLinux was installed to in the last step (e.g., C:\Program Files\coLinux).

    Note that the vct6010.zip file is large, about 471MB. The md5 checksum of the file is cab53cc02ff39aa54ffe0359a138c6c4.

Note: All software associated with the VCT can be uninstalled from the Windows Add/Remove Programs control panel menu.

Set up the Network

The VCT operates on a private ethernet network that operates independently of, and concurrently with, the existing LAN connecting the computers. The virtual network and existing network must be "bridged" for the GNU/Linux operating system to have access to the network hardware.

NOTE: The network bridge will not interfere with the existing Microsoft network, except that the MAC address of each computer may change. This may cause problems in situations where the computers are assigned fixed I.P. addresses based on their MAC addresses. If this causes problems, removing the physical ethernet adapter from the bridge will restore the network parameters and MAC addresses to their original states.

Bridge the virtual network with a physical network adapter by opening the "Network connections" control panel window. Select an appropriate physical network adapter and the virtual network interface with the mouse and right-click. Select the menu option "Create network bridge" to bridge the two connections.