New Features

The following sections describe the new features and enhancements introduced in Omnia 2.1.0.0 release.

BuildStream: Catalog-Driven Build Automation

Omnia BuildStreaM provides a comprehensive automation solution for managing infrastructure build workflows. It uses a catalog-driven approach where you define your build requirements in a structured catalog file, and BuildStreaM executes automated pipelines to create and deploy images according to your specifications.

BuildStreaM addresses the key challenges in HPC cluster image management:

  • Automation: Eliminates manual build and deployment processes

  • Integration: Works seamlessly with existing Omnia deployments

  • Traceability: Provides complete audit trails for all build operations

Support for Installation of Additional Packages

Enables the installation of additional packages on the cluster nodes, allowing to extend cluster functionality with custom software and tools.

Add and Remove Slurm Compute Nodes

Provides the ability to add and remove Slurm compute nodes from the cluster, allowing for dynamic scaling of the cluster.

Support for Apptainer

Run apptainer pull to store the SIF container image on the cluster’s NFS-mounted shared storage. This ensures uniform access across all compute nodes, enabling them to run jobs from the same SIF file.

Telemetry Collection from OME and SFM

Enables collection of telemetry data from OpenManage Enterprise (OME) and Smart Fabric Manager (SFM), providing insights into cluster health, performance, and resource utilization.

PowerVault Storage Integration

The PowerVault integration, with a preconfigured volume, provides persistent storage for critical Slurm controller components using iSCSI block storage with multipath support. This ensures data persistence for Slurm’s StateSaveLocation and the MariaDB/MySQL database.

InfiniBand Networking Support

Provides comprehensive support for InfiniBand (IB) networking in HPC clusters, including automatic DOCA-OFED driver installation for Mellanox InfiniBand cards, and static IP assignment for IB interfaces. InfiniBand Networking requires an InfiniBand subnet manager (SM) configured and running to manage the IB fabric.

If you have any feedback about Omnia documentation, please reach out at omnia.readme@dell.com.