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Note: This web site is only kept up to date for OSG Software 1.2 (VDT 2.0.0). If you are looking for information for the most recent release, the RPM-based OSG Software 3.0, please see the OSG documentation web site

Using the VDT Updater

If you are part of Open Science Grid you may want to follow the update instructions available on their twiki which are customized for OSG installations:
https://twiki.grid.iu.edu/bin/view/ReleaseDocumentation/OSG12UpdateInstructions

These are instructions for using the VDT updater. This is a program that updates VDT 2.0.0 to the latest level.

Please read through these instructions once before starting. They’re not long and it should help to understand the process.

Also note that the actual VDT updater (second to last step) can run for quite a while, especially during the Pacman updates themselves (step 4 in the script). We have observed step 4 taking 10–15 minutes for an OSG CE. Once that step begins, it is safe to ignore the updater for a while. But, do check back after a while, because there may be some wrap-up steps for which you need to answer questions.

And last, but hardly least: It is critical to have a backup of your VDT installation. But, it is equally important to the updater script that the backup include the updater package itself, so there is a step below for making your backup at the appropriate time.

Please Note: If you are updating from VDT 2.0.0p20 or earlier you should follow these update instructions. You can use the "vdt-version" command to determine your installation version.

1. Shut down the VDT

  1. Log in to the machine as the same user who installed the VDT.
  2. Change directories to your VDT_LOCATION.
  3. If needed, source a setup file (setup.sh or setup.csh).
  4. Shut down all VDT services: 
    vdt-control --off

    Make sure all VDT processes are stopped before continuing. There’s no easy way for us to define exactly how to do this step. In a nutshell, use ps and look for processes that look like they come from your VDT install, then kill them.

2. Backup

Make a complete, exact backup of your complete installation

cp -pr $VDT_LOCATION BACKUP-LOCATION

or

rsync -a $VDT_LOCATION/ BACKUP-LOCATION

The updater script is going to verify the contents of your backup, so you should have a backup that is a file-level copy of the VDT installation. Do not use tar, for example, to make the backup or else the updater script will not be able to verify the backup for you.

3. Update, Restart

Run the updater and follow its prompts:

vdt/update/vdt-updater

If the update goes well, source a setup script again, just in case the updates affected the contents of the setup script. 

. setup.sh

Run the vdt-post-install script to configure some software. 

vdt-post-install

Then, restart VDT services:

vdt-control --on

Troubleshooting

If the VDT updater fails and you have any trouble understanding the problem and its solution, please send a request for help to vdt-support@opensciencegrid.org In your email, include the following: