[HR]

Guidelines for OpenVMS Cluster Configurations

Contents (summary)

Chapter 1 Overview of OpenVMS Cluster System Configuration
Chapter 2 Determining Business and Application Requirements
Chapter 3 Choosing OpenVMS Cluster Systems
Chapter 4 Choosing OpenVMS Cluster Interconnects
Chapter 5 Choosing OpenVMS Cluster Storage Subsystems
Chapter 6 Configuring OpenVMS Clusters for Availability
Chapter 7 Configuring an OpenVMS Cluster for Scalability
Chapter 8 OpenVMS Cluster System Management Strategies
Appendix A SCSI as an OpenVMS Cluster Interconnect
Appendix B MEMORY CHANNEL Technical Summary (Alpha Only)
Appendix C CI-to-PCI Adapter (CIPCA) Technical Summary
Appendix D Multiple-Site OpenVMS Clusters
Index
Figures
Examples
Tables

Contents

Chapter 1 Overview of OpenVMS Cluster System Configuration
- 1.1 Mixed Alpha and VAX Clusters
- 1.2 Hardware Components
- 1.3 Software Components
  - 1.3.1 OpenVMS Operating System Components
  - 1.3.2 Networking Components
  - 1.3.3 Storage Enhancement Software
  - 1.3.4 System Management Software
  - 1.3.5 Business Applications
- 1.4 Configuring an OpenVMS Cluster System
  - 1.4.1 General Configuration Rules
Chapter 2 Determining Business and Application Requirements
- 2.1 Determining Business Requirements
  - 2.1.1 Budget
  - 2.1.2 Availability
  - 2.1.3 Scalability and Future Growth
  - 2.1.4 Physical Location Requirements
  - 2.1.5 Security
- 2.2 Determining Application Requirements
  - 2.2.1 Adding Memory
  - 2.2.2 Balancing Processor, Memory, and I/O Resources
  - 2.2.3 Tools and Utilities
Chapter 3 Choosing OpenVMS Cluster Systems
- 3.1 Alpha and VAX Architectures
- 3.2 Types of Systems
- 3.3 Choosing Systems
- 3.4 Scalability Considerations
- 3.5 Availability Considerations
- 3.6 Performance Considerations
- 3.7 System Specifications
- 3.8 Alpha Systems Comparison Charts
- 3.9 VAX Systems Specifications
Chapter 4 Choosing OpenVMS Cluster Interconnects
- 4.1 Characteristics
- 4.2 Comparison of Interconnect Types
- 4.3 Multiple Interconnects
- 4.4 Mixed Interconnects
- 4.5 Interconnects Supported by Alpha and VAX Systems
- 4.6 MEMORY CHANNEL Interconnect
  - 4.6.1 Advantages
  - 4.6.2 Throughput
  - 4.6.3 Supported Adapter
- 4.7 SCSI Interconnect
  - 4.7.1 Advantages
  - 4.7.2 Throughput
  - 4.7.3 SCSI Interconnect Distances
  - 4.7.4 Supported Adapters, Bus Types, and Computers
- 4.8 CI Interconnect
  - 4.8.1 Advantages
  - 4.8.2 Throughput
  - 4.8.3 Supported Adapters and Bus Types
  - 4.8.4 Multiple CI Adapters
  - 4.8.5 Configuration Guidelines for CI Clusters
- 4.9 Digital Storage Systems Interconnect (DSSI)
  - 4.9.1 Advantages
  - 4.9.2 Maintenance Consideration
  - 4.9.3 Throughput
  - 4.9.4 DSSI Adapter Types
  - 4.9.5 Supported Adapters and Bus Types
  - 4.9.6 DSSI-Connected Storage
  - 4.9.7 Multiple DSSI Adapters
  - 4.9.8 Configuration Guidelines for DSSI Clusters
- 4.10 Ethernet Interconnect
  - 4.10.1 Advantages
  - 4.10.2 Throughput
  - 4.10.3 Multiple Ethernet Load Balancing
  - 4.10.4 Supported Adapters and Buses
  - 4.10.5 Ethernet-to-FDDI Bridges
- 4.11 Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)
  - 4.11.1 Advantages
  - 4.11.2 Types of FDDI Nodes
  - 4.11.3 Distance
  - 4.11.4 Throughput
  - 4.11.5 Supported Adapters and Bus Types
  - 4.11.6 Configuration Guidelines for FDDI-Based Clusters
  - 4.11.7 Multiple FDDI Adapters
  - 4.11.8 Multiple FDDI Load Balancing
Chapter 5 Choosing OpenVMS Cluster Storage Subsystems
- 5.1 Understanding Storage Product Choices
  - 5.1.1 Criteria for Choosing Devices
  - 5.1.2 How Interconnects Affect Storage Choices
  - 5.1.3 How Floor Space Affects Storage Choices
- 5.2 Determining Storage Capacity Requirements
  - 5.2.1 Estimating Disk Capacity Requirements
  - 5.2.2 Additional Disk Capacity Requirements
- 5.3 Choosing Disk Performance Optimizers
  - 5.3.1 Performance Optimizers
- 5.4 Determining Disk Availability Requirements
  - 5.4.1 Availability Requirements
  - 5.4.2 Device and Data Availability Optimizers
- 5.5 CI Based Storage
  - 5.5.1 Supported Controllers and Devices
- 5.6 DSSI Storage
  - 5.6.1 Supported Devices
- 5.7 SCSI-Based Storage
  - 5.7.1 Supported Devices
- 5.8 Host-Based Storage
  - 5.8.1 Internal Buses
  - 5.8.2 Local Adapters
Chapter 6 Configuring OpenVMS Clusters for Availability
- 6.1 Availability Requirements
- 6.2 How OpenVMS Clusters Provide Availability
  - 6.2.1 Shared Access to Storage
  - 6.2.2 Component Redundancy
  - 6.2.3 Failover Mechanisms
  - 6.2.4 Related Software Products
- 6.3 Strategies for Configuring Highly Available OpenVMS Clusters
  - 6.3.1 Availability Strategies
- 6.4 Strategies for Maintaining Highly Available OpenVMS Clusters
  - 6.4.1 Strategies for Maintaining Availability
- 6.5 Availability in a LAN OpenVMS Cluster
  - 6.5.1 Components
  - 6.5.2 Advantages
  - 6.5.3 Disadvantages
  - 6.5.4 Key Availability Strategies
- 6.6 Configuring Multiple LANs
  - 6.6.1 Selecting MOP Servers
  - 6.6.2 Configuring Two LAN Segments
  - 6.6.3 Configuring Three LAN Segments
- 6.7 Availability in a DSSI OpenVMS Cluster
  - 6.7.1 Components
  - 6.7.2 Advantages
  - 6.7.3 Disadvantages
  - 6.7.4 Key Availability Strategies
- 6.8 Availability in a CI OpenVMS Cluster
  - 6.8.1 Components
  - 6.8.2 Advantages
  - 6.8.3 Disadvantages
  - 6.8.4 Key Availability Strategies
- 6.9 Availability in a MEMORY CHANNEL OpenVMS Cluster
  - 6.9.1 Components
  - 6.9.2 Advantages
  - 6.9.3 Disadvantages
  - 6.9.4 Key Availability Strategies
- 6.10 Availability in an OpenVMS Cluster with Satellites
  - 6.10.1 Components
  - 6.10.2 Advantages
  - 6.10.3 Disadvantages
  - 6.10.4 Key Availability Strategies
- 6.11 Multiple-Site OpenVMS Cluster System
  - 6.11.1 Components
  - 6.11.2 Advantages
- 6.12 Disaster-Tolerant BRS System
  - 6.12.1 Components
  - 6.12.2 Advantages
Chapter 7 Configuring an OpenVMS Cluster for Scalability
- 7.1 What Is Scalability?
  - 7.1.1 Scalable Dimensions
- 7.2 Strategies for Configuring a Highly Scalable OpenVMS Cluster
  - 7.2.1 Scalability Strategies
- 7.3 Scalability in CI OpenVMS Clusters
  - 7.3.1 Two-Node CI OpenVMS Cluster
  - 7.3.2 Three-Node CI OpenVMS Cluster
  - 7.3.3 Seven-Node CI OpenVMS Cluster
  - 7.3.4 Guidelines for CI OpenVMS Clusters
  - 7.3.5 Guidelines for Volume Shadowing in CI OpenVMS Clusters
- 7.4 Scalability in DSSI OpenVMS Clusters
- 7.5 Scalability in MEMORY CHANNEL OpenVMS Clusters
  - 7.5.1 Two-Node MEMORY CHANNEL Cluster
  - 7.5.2 Three-Node MEMORY CHANNEL Cluster
  - 7.5.3 Four-Node MEMORY CHANNEL OpenVMS Cluster
- 7.6 Scalability in SCSI OpenVMS Clusters
  - 7.6.1 Two-Node Narrow-Fast SCSI Cluster
  - 7.6.2 Two-Node Fast-Wide SCSI Cluster
  - 7.6.3 Two-Node Fast-Wide SCSI Cluster with HSZ Storage
  - 7.6.4 Three-Node Fast-Wide SCSI Cluster
  - 7.6.5 Three-Node Fast-Wide SCSI Hub Configuration
- 7.7 Scalability in OpenVMS Clusters with Satellites
- 7.8 Scaling for I/Os
  - 7.8.1 MSCP Served Access to Storage
  - 7.8.2 Disk Technologies
  - 7.8.3 Read/Write Ratio
  - 7.8.4 I/O Size
  - 7.8.5 Caches
  - 7.8.6 Managing "Hot" Files
  - 7.8.7 Volume Shadowing
Chapter 8 OpenVMS Cluster System Management Strategies
- 8.1 Simple and Complex Configurations
- 8.2 System Disk Strategies
  - 8.2.1 Single System Disk
  - 8.2.2 Multiple System Disks
  - 8.2.3 Multiple System-Disk OpenVMS Cluster
  - 8.2.4 Dividing an OpenVMS Cluster System
  - 8.2.5 Summary: Single Versus Multiple System Disks
- 8.3 OpenVMS Cluster Environment Strategies
  - 8.3.1 Common Environment
  - 8.3.2 Putting Environment Files on a Separate, Common Disk
  - 8.3.3 Multiple Environments
- 8.4 Additional Multiple-Environment Strategies
  - 8.4.1 Using Multiple SYSUAF.DAT Files
  - 8.4.2 Using Multiple Queue Managers
- 8.5 Quorum Strategies
  - 8.5.1 Quorum Strategy Options
- 8.6 State Transition Strategies
  - 8.6.1 Dealing with State Transitions
- 8.7 Migration and Warranted Support for Multiple OpenVMS Versions
- 8.8 Alpha and VAX Systems in the Same OpenVMS Cluster
  - 8.8.1 OpenVMS Cluster Satellite Booting Across Architectures
  - 8.8.2 Restrictions
- 8.9 Determining Backup and Storage Management Strategies
  - 8.9.1 Steps for Determining a Backup Strategy
- 8.10 Disk Backup
- 8.11 Tape Backup
  - 8.11.1 For More Information
  - 8.11.2 Benefits of Unattended Backup
  - 8.11.3 Archive/Backup System for OpenVMS
  - 8.11.4 StorageTek 4400 ACS
  - 8.11.5 Tape-Drive Performance and Capacity
Appendix A SCSI as an OpenVMS Cluster Interconnect
- A.1 Conventions Used in This Appendix
  - A.1.1 SCSI ANSI Standard
  - A.1.2 Symbols Used in Figures
- A.2 Accessing SCSI Storage
  - A.2.1 Single-Host SCSI Access in OpenVMS Cluster Systems
  - A.2.2 Multihost SCSI Access in OpenVMS Cluster Systems
- A.3 Configuration Requirements and Hardware Support
  - A.3.1 Configuration Requirements
  - A.3.2 Hardware Support
- A.4 SCSI Interconnect Concepts
  - A.4.1 Number of Devices
  - A.4.2 Performance
  - A.4.3 Distance
  - A.4.4 Cabling and Termination
- A.5 SCSI OpenVMS Cluster Hardware Configurations
  - A.5.1 Systems Using Add-On SCSI Adapters
  - A.5.2 Building a System Using Internal SCSI Adapters
- A.6 Installation
  - A.6.1 Step 1: Meet SCSI Grounding Requirements
  - A.6.2 Step 2: Configure SCSI Node IDs
    - A.6.2.1 Configuring Device IDs on Multihost SCSI Buses
    - A.6.2.2 Configuring Device IDs on Single-Host SCSI Buses
  - A.6.3 Step 3: Power Up and Verify SCSI Devices
  - A.6.4 Step 4: Show and Set SCSI Console Parameters
  - A.6.5 Step 5: Install the OpenVMS Operating System
  - A.6.6 Step 6: Configure Additional Systems
- A.7 Supplementary Information
  - A.7.1 Running the OpenVMS Cluster Configuration Command Procedure
  - A.7.2 Error Reports and OPCOM Messages in Multihost SCSI Environments
    - A.7.2.1 SCSI Bus Resets
    - A.7.2.2 SCSI Timeouts
    - A.7.2.3 Mount Verify
    - A.7.2.4 Shadow Volume Processing
    - A.7.2.5 Expected OPCOM Messages in Multihost SCSI Environments
    - A.7.2.6 Error Log Basics
    - A.7.2.7 Error Log Entries in Multihost SCSI Environments
  - A.7.3 Restrictions and Known Problems
  - A.7.4 Troubleshooting
    - A.7.4.1 Termination Problems
    - A.7.4.2 Booting or Mounting Failures Caused by Incorrect Configurations
      - A.7.4.2.1 Bugchecks During the Bootstrap Process
      - A.7.4.2.2 Mount Failures
    - A.7.4.3 Grounding
    - A.7.4.4 Interconnect Lengths
  - A.7.5 SCSI Arbitration Considerations
    - A.7.5.1 Arbitration Issues in Multiple-Disk Environments
    - A.7.5.2 Solutions for Resolving Arbitration Problems
    - A.7.5.3 Arbitration and Bus Isolators
  - A.7.6 Removal and Insertion of SCSI Devices While the OpenVMS Cluster System is Operating
    - A.7.6.1 Terminology for Describing Hot Plugging
    - A.7.6.2 Rules for Hot Plugging
    - A.7.6.3 Procedures for Ensuring That a Device or Segment is Inactive
    - A.7.6.4 Procedure for Hot Plugging StorageWorks SBB Disks
    - A.7.6.5 Procedure for Hot Plugging HSZ40s
    - A.7.6.6 Procedure for Hot Plugging Host Adapters
    - A.7.6.7 Procedure for Hot Plugging DWZZAs
  - A.7.7 OpenVMS Requirements for Devices Used on Multihost SCSI OpenVMS Cluster Systems
  - A.7.8 Grounding Requirements
Appendix B MEMORY CHANNEL Technical Summary (Alpha Only)
- B.1 Product Overview
  - B.1.1 MEMORY CHANNEL Features
  - B.1.2 Hardware Components
  - B.1.3 Configurations
    - B.1.3.1 Configuration Requirements
- B.2 Technical Overview
  - B.2.1 Comparison With Traditional Networks and SMP
  - B.2.2 MEMORY CHANNEL in the OpenVMS Cluster Architecture
  - B.2.3 MEMORY CHANNEL Addressing
  - B.2.4 MEMORY CHANNEL Implementation
Appendix C CI-to-PCI Adapter (CIPCA) Technical Summary
- C.1 CIPCA Overview
- C.2 Technical Specifications
  - C.2.1 Configuration Requirements
Appendix D Multiple-Site OpenVMS Clusters
- D.1 What is a Multiple-Site OpenVMS Cluster System?
- D.2 Using FDDI to Configure Multiple-Site OpenVMS Cluster Systems
- D.3 Using WAN Services to Configure Multiple-Site OpenVMS Cluster Systems
  - D.3.1 The ATM Communications Service
  - D.3.2 The DS3 Communications Service
  - D.3.3 FDDI-to-WAN Bridges
  - D.3.4 Guidelines for Configuring ATM and DS3 in an OpenVMS Cluster System
    - D.3.4.1 Requirements
    - D.3.4.2 Recommendations
  - D.3.5 Availability Considerations
  - D.3.6 Specifications
- D.4 Managing OpenVMS Cluster Systems Across Multiple Sites
  - D.4.1 Methods and Tools
  - D.4.2 Shadowing Data
  - D.4.3 Monitoring Performance
Index
Examples
- A-1 SHOW DEVICE Command Sample Output
- A-2 Adding a Node to a SCSI Cluster
Figures
Tables

Next | [Home] | [Comments] | [Ordering info] | [Help]

[HR]

  6318PTOC.HTM
  OSSG Documentation
  26-NOV-1996 11:20:39.91

Copyright © Digital Equipment Corporation 1996. All Rights Reserved.