[baylisa] Re: wtf: hostid gives '0' as a hostid

[Jeff Younker]

>
>> There are advantages to using an infrastructure specific identifier.
>> The
>> switch port that a machine lives on would be a good one.  This way
>> location determines function, and you can replace a system simply by
>> unracking the old box, racking the new box, and turning it on.
>
> easier said than done IME.  Figuring out which port a machine is on  
> relies
> on a lot of chained trusts between network gear, often of different  
> vintages
> and different authentication options.

Acknowledged that it's not a simple problem, but it's not an  
unsolvable problem.
It definitely requires cooperation from the networking folks too.

> Knowing what VLAN is a lot easier, and often works well enough, but  
> again
> only with a planned environment (essentially, a dedicated VLAN per  
> type of
> host/installation), though it does lend itself well to transition:   
> as hosts
> ...
> deliverables by however long it took to fix the problem and follow- 
> through)

That's a good approach, but it doesn't let you do things like  
distinguish boards
within a blade server.  In all of this you have to have a planned  
environment,
and the advantages of maintaining order have to be such that people see
the immediate benefit.   (The path of most benefit must also be the  
path of
least resistance.)

-jeff