LFC Mysql Remote Host

The easiest way to setup the LCG File Catalog with a remote MySQL server is to install with YAIM, then configure the MySQL database and re-configure the LFC:

First Steps

On the LFC server:

• Shutdown the running LFC catalog

 # service lfcdaemon stop

• Shutdown and disable the MySQL database running on the LFC server:

 # service mysql stop
 # chkconfig mysql off

The MySQL packages cannot be removed due to dependencies on the lcg-LFC_mysql metapackage, but they should definately be disabled.

Configure the MySQL server

On the MySQL server (N.B. you'll need 'root' access on the database):

• Copy the file /opt/lcg/share/LFC/create_lfc_tables_mysql.sql from the LFC server, then use it to create the Cns_db tables on the MySQL server:

 mysql -u root -p < create_lfc_tables_mysql.sql

• Now allow the lfc user to connect to the cns_db database from the LFC server:

 # mysql -u root -p
 Enter password:
 Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
 Your MySQL connection id is 2877194 to server version: 3.23.58-log
 
 Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer.
 
 mysql>use mysql;
 mysql>GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON cns_db.* TO ’lfc’@LFC_HOST IDENTIFIED BY ’lfc_password’;

In the above MySQL commands, lfc is the LFC user, LFC_HOST is the LFC server hostname and lfc_password should be the same string as the one setup in site-conf.def file for the LFC_DB_PASSWORD parameter.

Reconfigure the LFC Server

• On the LFC server, modify the /opt/lcg/etc/NSCONFIG file to contain:

 lfc/lfc_password@MYSQL_HOST

i.e. replace the LFC_HOST, which YAIM setup, with MYSQL_HOST

• Restart the LFC server:

 service lfcdaemon restart

• Having all the above in place, now create the /grid/VO structure from the LFC server: see LFC Admin Guide.

Troubleshooting

• Check that you can access the database from the LFC server:

 LFC_SERVER# mysql -u lfc -h MYSQL_SERVER -p
 Enter password:
 Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
 Your MySQL connection id is 2877194 to server version: 3.23.58-log
 
 Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer.
 
 mysql>use cns_db;
 mysql>show tables;
 ...

If access is not given, check the status of the lfc user in the db table of the mysql database (MySQL is rather picky about hostnames - I'd recommend using FQDNs).