summarize xCAT network related scripts and workflow

[bybai]

1, refine the workflow on network configuration and network management with xCAT, such as networks tables, confignics and confignetworks scripts

2, refine the documentation http://xcat-docs.readthedocs.io/en/stable/guides/admin-guides/manage_clusters/ppc64le/diskful/customize_image/cfg_network_adapter.html to include the typical workflow, steps and technical descriptions on network management and network configuration in xCAT

[bybai]

xCAT network related scripts summary:
1,configure static ips (multiple ips, hostname with prefix,hostname with suffix, alias, nicextraparam) defined according to nics table: confignetwork or confignics
2,configure IB according to nics table: confignetwork or confignics
3,configure vlan/bond/bridge for redhat according to nics table: confignetwork
4,configure bridge for redhat/sles/ubuntu (do not need configure xCAT DB): xHRM
5,configure bond for redhat/sles (do not need configure xCAT DB): configbond
6,configure static ip for all nics (do not need configure xCAT DB): hardeths
7,replace/add/delete the routes to the node according to xCAT routes table: setroutes, makeroutes
8,sets up /etc/hosts from the xCAT hosts/nics table: makehosts
9,gather network information from an xCAT cluster environment and create corresponding network definitions in the xCAT database:makenetworks

xCAT network related scripts functions,examples and supported OS summaries as attachment doc.
summary of xcat network related scripts.docx

confignetwork contains all the functions that confignics has

xCAT network related doc need to be refined scope: =====> some have been done.
1,need summarize all xCAT network related scripts and recommend workflow usage;(done)
2,need add how to use nicextraparam and niccustomscripts from nics table; (done)
3,need add doc about how to configure routes using setroutes and makeroutes according to routes table;
4,need add examples how to configure using confignetwork,xHRM: (done)
eth->bridge
eth->vlan
eth->bond->bridge
eth->vlan->bridge
5,enhance doc about how to set up /etc/hosts using makehosts according to hosts and nics table

[daniceexi]

@bybai thanks for your summary.

Several quick comments:

• I recommend to use function as index to organize the new doc so that the user can easily find out which script to choose.
• By now some functions only are supported in confignetwork or confignics, that means it's possible that a user want to use both the confignetwork and confignics for certain compute node configuration. Then my question is that is there any conflict when use them together?
• Base on the current resource plan, for the new network related function or refinement, we might only support Redhat. Then we need a good way to indicate it clearly.
• confignics calls some other postscript to finish the real work, could confignetwork do the same way to save development time?

[bybai]

Thanks @daniceexi , see my comments below:

• For1: it is a good suggestion;
• For 2: most of functions do not have conflicts between confignics and confignetwork. Only one function may have conflict, confignetwork support to configure static ipv4 ip for ethernet nic too. So if we want to configure ethernet ip, can call confignics and confignetwork, they both will overwrite ifcfg-* files. And I think, if confignetwork check ethernet ip is configured, it will not overwrite ifcfg-*, this enhancement will avoid the conflict. We just recommend confignics run before confignetwork.
• For 3: this should be indicate it clearly in doc.
• For 4: confignics call configeth and configib. confignetwork call nicutils.sh. confignics and confignetwork are both framework. I think confignetwork can call configeth or configib directly, the work is to integrate the 2 frameworks into confignetwork. The effort may take more or less one sprint development time including design,develpment and lots of unit tests.

[bybai]

Since confignetwork integrated configeth and configib, so confignetwork can replace confignics now.