Checklist: Initial Configuration of your HPC Cluster

Applies To: Microsoft HPC Pack 2008 R2, Microsoft HPC Pack 2012, Microsoft HPC Pack 2012 R2, Windows HPC Server 2008 R2

The following checklist includes the tasks that you need to complete in order to configure your HPC cluster. Several of these tasks are available in the Deployment To-do List in HPC Cluster Manager. Other tasks are available in the Navigation Pane.

Task	Reference
Configure the cluster network by using the Network Configuration Wizard.	Configure the HPC Cluster Network
Specify the credentials to use for system configuration and when adding new nodes to the cluster.	Provide Installation Credentials
Specify the naming convention to use when generating names automatically for new nodes.	Specify the Node Naming Series
Create a template that defines the steps to follow when configuring a node.	Create a Node Template
If you will be deploying nodes from bare metal, run a set of diagnostic tests to identify common problems that can affect node deployment.	Validate your Environment Before Deploying Nodes (Recommended)
If you will be deploying nodes from bare metal, create a new operating system image or load an existing image that can be used to install the Windows Server operating system on the nodes.	Add an Operating System Image (Optional)
If you will be deploying nodes from bare metal and those nodes require special device drivers, add drivers for the operating system images that you created for your node template on the previous task.	Add Drivers for Operating System Images (Optional)
If you will be giving access to the cluster to other members of your organization, add or remove domain users or groups in a cluster role.	Add or Remove Cluster Users (Optional)
Add nodes to your HPC cluster by using the Add Node Wizard.	Adding Nodes to a Cluster
Create job templates to limit the kinds of jobs that can be submitted to your cluster, what resources are assigned to jobs, and which users can submit jobs.	Create a Job Template (Optional)
If you will run Service-Oriented Application (SOA) jobs on your cluster, configure one or more nodes to be a Windows Communications Foundation (WCF) broker node.	Configuring WCF Broker Nodes (Optional)