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OpenVMS Cluster availability, scalability, and system management benefits are highly dependent on configurations, applications, and operating environments. This guide provides suggestions and guidelines to help you maximize these benefits.
Revision/Update Information: This manual supersedes Guidelines for VMScluster Configurations.
Software Version: OpenVMS Version 7.1
Digital Equipment Corporation
Maynard,
Massachusetts
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© Digital Equipment Corporation 1996. All rights reserved.
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ZK6318
The OpenVMS documentation set is available on CD-ROM.
This document can help you design an OpenVMS Cluster configuration to suit your business, application, and computing needs.
It provides information to help you choose systems, interconnects, storage devices, and software. It can also help you combine these components to achieve high availability, scalability, performance, and ease of system management.
This document is for people who purchase or recommend the purchase of OpenVMS Cluster products and for people who configure OpenVMS Cluster systems. It assumes a basic understanding of computers and OpenVMS Cluster concepts.
OpenVMS Cluster systems are designed to act as a single virtual system, even though they are made up of many components and features, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 OpenVMS Cluster System Components and Features
Understanding the components and features of an OpenVMS Cluster configuration can help you to get the most out of your cluster. Table 1 shows how this guide is organized to explain these cluster concepts.
| Read... | Chapter Title | So that you can... |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 1 | Overview of OpenVMS Cluster System Configurations | Understand OpenVMS Cluster hardware, software, and general concepts |
| Chapter 2 | Determining Business and Application Requirements | Learn to analyze your business and application needs and how they apply to your cluster |
| Chapter 3 | Choosing OpenVMS Cluster Systems | Understand your computer requirements and make appropriate choices |
| Chapter 4 | Choosing OpenVMS Cluster Interconnects | Learn about cluster interconnects and make appropriate choices |
| Chapter 5 | Choosing OpenVMS Cluster Storage Subsystems | Learn to analyze your storage requirements and make appropriate choices |
| Chapter 6 | Configuring OpenVMS Clusters for Availability | Understand how to increase the availability of a cluster system |
| Chapter 7 | Configuring OpenVMS Clusters for Scalability | Learn how to expand an OpenVMS Cluster system in all of its dimensions, while understanding the tradeoffs |
| Chapter 8 | OpenVMS Cluster System Management Strategies | Understand and deal effectively with some of the issues involved in managing an OpenVMS Cluster system |
| Appendix A | SCSI As an OpenVMS Cluster Interconnect | Configure multiple hosts and storage on a single SCSI bus so that multiple VAX and Alpha hosts can share access to SCSI devices directly |
| Appendix B | MEMORY CHANNEL Technical Summary | Learn why, when, and how to use the MEMORY CHANNEL interconnect |
| Appendix C | CI-to-PCI Adapter (CIPCA) Technical Summary | Learn why, when, and how to use the CIPCA adapter |
| Appendix D | Multiple-Site OpenVMS Clusters | Understand the benefits, the configuration options and requirements, and the management of multiple-site OpenVMS Cluster systems |
For additional information on the topics covered in this manual, refer to the following documents:
For additional information on the Open Systems Software Group (OSSG) products and services, access the Digital OpenVMS World Wide Web site. Use the following URL:
http://www.openvms.digital.com
Digital welcomes your comments on this manual.
Print or edit the online form SYS$HELP:OPENVMSDOC_COMMENTS.TXT and send us your comments by:
| Internet | openvmsdoc@zko.mts.dec.com |
| Fax | 603 881-0120, Attention: OSSG Documentation, ZKO3-4/U08 |
|
OSSG Documentation Group, ZKO3-4/U08
110 Spit Brook Rd. Nashua, NH 03062-2698 |
Use the following table to order additional documentation or information. If you need help deciding which documentation best meets your needs, call 800-DIGITAL (800-344-4825).
The name of the OpenVMS AXP operating system has been changed to the OpenVMS Alpha operating system. Any references to OpenVMS AXP or AXP are synonymous with OpenVMS Alpha or Alpha.
VMScluster systems are now referred to as OpenVMS Cluster systems. Unless otherwise specified, references to OpenVMS Clusters or clusters in this document are synonymous with VMSclusters.
In this manual, every use of DECwindows and DECwindows Motif refers to DECwindows Motif for OpenVMS software.
The following conventions are also used in this manual:
| Ctrl/ x | A sequence such as Ctrl/ x indicates that you must hold down the key labeled Ctrl while you press another key or a pointing device button. |
|
PF1
x or
GOLD x |
A sequence such as PF1
x or GOLD
x indicates that you must first press and release the key
labeled PF1 or GOLD and then press and release another key or a
pointing device button.
GOLD key sequences can also have a slash (/), dash (--), or underscore (_) as a delimiter in EVE commands. |
| [Return] | In examples, a key name enclosed in a box indicates that you press a key on the keyboard. (In text, a key name is not enclosed in a box.) |
| ... |
Horizontal ellipsis points in examples indicate one of the following
possibilities:
|
|
.
. . |
Vertical ellipsis points indicate the omission of items from a code example or command format; the items are omitted because they are not important to the topic being discussed. |
| ( ) | In command format descriptions, parentheses indicate that, if you choose more than one option, you must enclose the choices in parentheses. |
| [ ] | In command format descriptions, brackets indicate optional elements. You can choose one, none, or all of the options. (Brackets are not optional, however, in the syntax of a directory name in an OpenVMS file specification or in the syntax of a substring specification in an assignment statement.) |
| { } | In command format descriptions, braces indicate a required choice of options; you must choose one of the options listed. |
| text style |
This text style represents the introduction of a new term or the name
of an argument, an attribute, or a reason.
This style is also used to show user input in Bookreader versions of the manual. |
| italic text | Italic text indicates important information, complete titles of manuals, or variables. Variables include information that varies in system output (Internal error number), in command lines (/PRODUCER= name), and in command parameters in text (where device-name contains up to five alphanumeric characters). |
| UPPERCASE TEXT | Uppercase text indicates a command, the name of a routine, the name of a file, or the abbreviation for a system privilege. |
| Monospace type |
Monospace type indicates code examples and interactive screen displays.
In the C programming language, monospace type in text identifies the following elements: keywords, the names of independently compiled external functions and files, syntax summaries, and references to variables or identifiers introduced in an example. |
| - | A hyphen at the end of a command format description, command line, or code line indicates that the command or statement continues on the following line. |
| numbers | All numbers in text are assumed to be decimal unless otherwise noted. Nondecimal radixes---binary, octal, or hexadecimal---are explicitly indicated. |
This chapter contains information about OpenVMS Cluster hardware and
software components, as well as general configuration rules.
1.1 Mixed Alpha and VAX Clusters
An OpenVMS Cluster is a group of OpenVMS Alpha and OpenVMS VAX systems, storage subsystems, interconnects, and software that work together as one virtual system.
In an OpenVMS Cluster system, each Alpha and VAX node:
In addition, an OpenVMS Cluster system is managed as a single entity.
Table 1-1 shows the benefits that an OpenVMS Cluster system offers.
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Resource sharing | Multiple systems can access the same storage devices, so that users can share files clusterwide. You can also distribute applications, batch, and print-job processing across multiple systems. Jobs that access shared resources can execute on any system. |
| Availability | Data and applications remain available during scheduled or unscheduled downtime of individual systems. A variety of configurations provide many levels of availability up to and including disaster-tolerant operation. |
| Flexibility | OpenVMS Cluster computing environments offer compatible hardware and software across a wide price and performance range. |
| Scalability | You can add processing and storage resources without disturbing the rest of the system. The full range of systems, from high-end symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) systems to smaller workstations, can be interconnected and easily reconfigured to meet growing needs. You control the level of performance and availability as you expand. |
| Ease of management | OpenVMS Cluster management is efficient and secure. Because you manage an OpenVMS Cluster as a single system, many tasks need to be performed only once. OpenVMS Clusters automatically balance user, batch, and print work loads. |
| Open systems | Adherence to IEEE® POSIX®, OSF/Motif®, OSF DCE®, ANSI SQL, and TCP/IP standards provides OpenVMS Cluster systems with application portability and interoperability. |
An OpenVMS Cluster system comprises many hardware components, such as systems, interconnects, adapters, storage subsystems, and peripheral devices. Table 1-2 describes these components and provides examples.
| Components | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| System |
A cabinet that contains one or more processors, memory, and
input/output (I/O) adapters that act as a single processing body.
Reference: See Chapter 3 for more information about Digital's OpenVMS systems. |
OpenVMS Cluster systems can contain any supported Alpha, VAX, or MicroVAX system, including SMP systems. |
| Interconnect |
The hardware connection between OpenVMS Cluster nodes over which the
nodes communicate.
Reference: See Chapter 4 for more information about OpenVMS Cluster interconnects. |
An OpenVMS Cluster system can have one or more of the following
interconnects:
|
| Storage subsystems |
Devices on which data is stored and the optional controllers that
manage the devices.
Reference: See Chapter 5 for more information about OpenVMS storage subsystems. |
Storage subsystems can include:
|
| Adapter |
Devices that connect nodes in an OpenVMS Cluster to interconnects and
storage.
Reference: See Chapter 4 for more information about adapters. |
The following adapters are used on Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) systems:
|
| Peripheral devices |
Devices that provide input to and produce output from a system.
Reference: See the Digital Systems and Options Catalog for more information about peripheral devices. |
Peripheral devices include:
|
OpenVMS Cluster system software can be divided into the following types:
The operating system manages proper operation of hardware and software components and resources.
Table 1-3 describes the operating system components necessary for OpenVMS Cluster operations. All of these components are enabled by an OpenVMS operating system license or an OpenVMS Cluster license.
| Component | Function |
|---|---|
| Record Management Services (RMS) and OpenVMS file system | Provide shared read and write access to files on disks and tapes in an OpenVMS Cluster environment. |
| Clusterwide process services | Enables clusterwide operation of OpenVMS commands, such as SHOW SYSTEM and SHOW USERS, as well as the ability to create and delete processes clusterwide. |
| Distributed Lock Manager | Synchronizes access by many users to shared resources. |
| Distributed Job Controller | Enables clusterwide sharing of batch and print queues, which optimizes the use of these resources. |
| Connection Manager | Controls the membership and quorum of the OpenVMS Cluster members. |
| SCS (System Communications Services) | Implements OpenVMS Cluster communications between nodes using Digital's System Communications Architecture (SCA). |
| MSCP server | Makes locally connected disks to which it has direct access available to other systems in the OpenVMS Cluster. |
| TMSCP server | Makes locally connected tapes to which it has direct access available to other systems in the OpenVMS Cluster. |
Figure 1-1 shows how the hardware and operating system components fit together in a typical OpenVMS Cluster system.
Figure 1-1 Hardware and Operating System Components
Table 1-4 describes the optional networking software that enables OpenVMS Cluster system nodes to communicate and share resources with other OpenVMS Cluster nodes.
| Optional Software | Function |
|---|---|
| DECnet--Plus | A network transport such as DECnet--Plus or Digital TCP/IP Services software is necessary for internode communication. |
| DECnet--Plus System Services (DSS) products | Software to let you communicate and share resources among systems over extended distances. Products include VAX Distributed File Service (DFS), VAX Distributed Name Service (DNS), and the VAX Distributed Queuing Service (DQS). |
| LAT software | Used with terminal server hardware to support Ethernet-based character cell terminals. During a system failure, LAT software automatically makes a connection to one of the remaining systems. |
| PATHWORKS | Client and server networking software that links PCs and Macintosh® systems into OpenVMS Cluster systems. |
| Digital TCP/IP Services software | Provides Network File System (NFS) server capabilities for OpenVMS and supports Internet® networking protocols. |
| InfoServer software | Software used with InfoServer systems to serve physical device media to the local area network. Systems running the client software can connect to virtual devices and use them as if they were locally attached devices. |
Optional storage enhancement software improves the performance or availability of storage subsystems.
Examples include:
System management software helps you manage your OpenVMS Cluster system.
Examples include:
Business applications are optional software packages that help you perform your business function.
Examples include:
To take advantage of OpenVMS Cluster features and benefits, proper configuration is essential. An ideal OpenVMS Cluster configuration meets the following criteria:
Configuring your OpenVMS Cluster system requires careful planning
because you need to consider many factors. You will probably modify
plans as new factors arise. As your design evolves, you can weigh
advantages against tradeoffs and make decisions that best meet your
needs.
1.4.1 General Configuration Rules
The following general rules apply to OpenVMS Cluster systems:
6318P.HTM OSSG Documentation 26-NOV-1996 11:20:07.08
Copyright © Digital Equipment Corporation 1996. All Rights Reserved.