When executing multiprocessor applications, every CPU must have access to any software library required. As every CPU means every BBB in our case, every BBB must have access to the same software libraries. If we store those libraries locally, this would:
Waste a lot of memory
Cause a lot of work if we update something, because we would have to update every single node
Generate error sources because some nodes might have other versions installed, leading to inconsistency
To avoid these problems, an external network storage can be used. In this book, we will use a shared Samba folder. Samba can be easily installed on any Linux operating system. Ports for other OSes are also available. You can visit www.samba.org for more information.
In the following text, we will assume that you have a working Samba share on a server in your LAN with the following configuration:
[MPIShare] comment = MPIShare browseable = yes readonly = no valid users = ubuntu path = /any_path_you_want_on_your_smb_server...
