Documentation reorg for v4.6.0

Signed-off-by: Jonathon Anderson <janderson@ciq.com>

userdocs/getting-started/glossary.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+========
+Glossary
+========
+
+Cluster network
+    A dedicated network for the Warewulf cluster. Used for provisioning
+    communication between cluster nodes and the Warewulf server.
+
+External services
+    The Warewulf server can configure external services to support the
+    provisioning process. For example, the Warewulf server typically deploys and
+    configures a DHCP server (either ISC DHCP or dnsqmasq) and a TFTP server.
+
+Image
+    The node images that Warewulf manages and provisions. Images may be imported
+    from OCI image registries, OCI image archives, Apptainer sandboxes, and
+    manual chroot directories.
+
+    Warewulf images are maintained as an uncompressed "virtual node file system"
+    (VNFS, sometimes also referred to as a "chroot"). These virtual file systems
+    are then built as single-file images which may be used to provision a node.
+
+Kernel
+    In addition to an image, Warewulf also requires a kernel (typically a Linux
+    kernel) in order to provision a node.
+
+    Warewulf (after v4.3.0) automatically provisions a kernel detected and
+    extracted from the image itself. In most cases, kernels may be installed in
+    the image using normal system packages, and no special consideration is
+    necessary.
+
+Node
+    Warewulf nodes are the systems that are being provisioned by Warewulf. The
+    roles of these systems could be "compute", "storage", "GPU", "IO", etc.
+
+nodes.conf
+    One of two primary Warewulf configuration files, ``nodes.conf`` is a YAML
+    document which records all configuration parameters for Warewulf's nodes and
+    profiles. It does not contain the images or overlays, but refers to them by
+    name.
+
+    This file is sometimes referred to as the "nodes database" or "node
+    registry."
+
+Overlay
+    Warewulf overlays provide customization for the provisioned image. Overlays
+    may be configured on nodes or profiles, as either **system** or **runtime**
+    overlays.
+
+    **System overlays** are applied only once, when a node is first provisioned.
+
+    **Runtime overlays** are applied when a node is first provisioned and
+    periodically during the runtime of the node. (The default period is 1
+    minute.)
+
+    Warewulf includes a number of **distribution overlays**; but additional
+    **site overlays** can be added to a Warewulf environment.
+
+Profile
+    Warewulf profiles are abstract nodes that carry the same configuration
+    attributes but do not provision any specific node. Warewulf nodes may then
+    refer to one or more such profiles for their configuration. In this way,
+    profiles provide a simple mechanism for applying configuration to a group of
+    nodes, and this configuration may be mixed with configuration from other
+    profiles.
+
+Server, Warewulf
+    The Warewulf controller runs the Warewulf daemon (``warewulfd``) and is
+    responsible for the management, control, and administration of the cluster.
+    This system may also sometimes be referred to as the "master," "head," or
+    "admin" node.
+
+    A typical Warewulf controller also runs a DHCP service and a TFTP service,
+    and often an NFS service; though these services may be managed separately
+    and on separate servers.
+
+Two-stage boot
+    A two-stage boot uses an intermediate image (often called "initrd," or
+    "initramfs") to initialize hardware and load the final image. This contrasts
+    with Warewulf's default "single stage" behavior, which effectively uses the
+    final image as a large initial root file system.
+
+    The Warewulf two-stage boot process currently supports Dracut-based images.
+
+warewulf.conf
+    One of two primary Warewulf configuration files, ``warewulf.conf`` is a YAML
+    document which records all configuration parameters for the Warewulf server
+    and its optional subservices.
+
+wwclient
+    Warewulf adds a ``wwclient`` daemon to provisioned nodes. This daemon is
+    responsible for periodically fetching and applying runtime overlays.
+
+wwctl
+    The main administrative interface for Warewulf is the ``wwctl`` command,
+    which provides commands to manage nodes, profiles, images, overlays,
+    kernels, and more.
+
+wwinit
+    Warewulf performs some setup during the provisioning process before control
+    is passed to the provisioned operating system. This process is referred to
+    as "wwinit," and is implemented and configured by a script and overlay of
+    the same name.