README

Genders is a static cluster configuration database used for cluster
configuration management.  It is used by a variety of tools and
scripts for management of large clusters.  The genders database is
typically replicated on every node of the cluster. It describes the
layout and configuration of the cluster so that tools and scripts can
sense the variations of cluster nodes. By abstracting this information
into a plain text file, it becomes possible to change the
configuration of a cluster by modifying only one file.

This package includes:

* libgenders    
  - A C library for parsing and querying a genders database.  See
    libgenders(3).

* Libgenders.pm
  - A Perl module developed with Perl Extensions that takes advantage
    of the already available C library.  Perl extensions is limited
    and provides an unorthodox Perl API.  It is therefore recommended
    that users use Genders.pm.  See Libgenders(3).

* Genders.pm
  - A Perl module that interfaces with Libgenders.pm, hiding away the
    ugliness of Libgenders.pm.  See Genders(3).

* nodeattr
  - A genders query tool that that parses and outputs information from
    a genders database.  See nodeattr(1).

* gendlib.pl
  - Genders Perl API for backwards compatability.  For the most part,
    this is used exclusively at Lawrence Livermore National
    Laboratory.  This is probably of no use to anyone else.  See
    gendlib(3).

* Additional extensions
  - Additional extensions for Genders with C++, Java, and Python are
    also available.  See packages in src/extensions.

Comments, patches, fixes, suggestions are always welcome.  Please read
DISCLAIMER and COPYING for copyright and license information.

For a thorough introduction to Genders, please read the TUTORIAL.

Albert Chu
chu11@llnl.gov
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories