Daniel Hilst
4a8c2fb147
node-specific-second-stage.conf and no-reply.conf were never invoked by any dhcpfixture.sh subcommand or any case in cases0. A scenario file that nothing runs is not coverage; it is a claim about the server that no CI failure will ever contradict. Both are gone, along with the README rows and the header comments in static-vs-dynamic.conf that pointed readers at them. What node-specific-second-stage.conf described is real behaviour, so it is asserted where it actually runs: netboot-methods.conf already defines a node whose netboot method is xnba, and now asserts that the same node announcing user class xNBA is handed .../xcat/xnba/nodes/<node> -- in both encodings of option 77. That is S-25, and it makes the neighbouring first-stage scenario S-26 as well: the second-stage rule must not change what the firmware sees. The chainload scenarios asserted only that the second stage differed from the first. An empty boot file satisfies that, and so does a wrong URL, so both backends could pass while handing the loader something it cannot run. They now assert the exact per-network script URL, and a UEFI pair is added for S-23, where the URL takes a .uefi suffix that a server keying on the user class alone will not produce. hierarchy-dhcpserver.conf had `bootfile !=` with nothing on the right-hand side; it asserts the node's own loader instead. Three header comments still said the backends were free to differ over what an unknown machine is told to boot. The specification settled that in S-56 -- the answer has to come from the subnet, on both backends, or a machine cannot reach the state where anyone could define it -- so the comments now say so. Also drops the riscv64http branch of arch_loader, which had no caller left once the HTTP-boot scenario began asserting on the TFTP loader's name as a substring of the URL.
xCAT
xCAT is a toolkit for deployment and administration of clusters of all sizes.
The xCAT sunset was only a quick eclipse
Dear xCAT Community,
The xCAT sunset has changed course. VersatusHPC has been invited to join the xCAT Consortium, and future development will move toward direct upstream contributions coordinated with the Consortium and its existing member companies.
That matters most for Enterprise Linux 10 (EL10). EL10 support is coming to xCAT, restoring a future operating-system path for sites that still rely on xCAT. This is an important change from the previous sunset guidance, where the lack of an EL10 path was one of the strongest reasons to move away from xCAT.
The xCAT Consortium continues to recommend Confluent as the long-term successor to xCAT, and that remains the Consortium position. Users planning new cluster-management deployments should evaluate Confluent and its xCAT comparison documentation.
At the same time, xCAT is no longer sunsetted. The Consortium and participating companies will continue updating xCAT while there is community and user demand for it.
In summary:
- xCAT development is continuing upstream through the Consortium and participating companies.
- Enterprise Linux 10 support is coming.
- Confluent remains the Consortium-recommended successor and migration path.
- xCAT updates will continue while there is community and user demand.
We want to thank the xCAT Consortium and community for keeping this project moving. The sun went behind the moon for a moment, but xCAT is still here.
For more information on Confluent and how to get started, please visit the Confluent: Project Page, Documentation or Confluent vs xCAT comparison.
With thanks,
The xCAT Consortium
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