6.3 BCC-Enabling Cluster Resources

Cluster resources can be configured for business continuity after they are created. Configuring a resource for business continuity consists of enabling that resource for business continuity, adding load and unload scripts search-and-replace data specific to the resource, and selecting peer clusters for the resource.

IMPORTANT:In a business continuity cluster, you should have only one NSS pool for each LUN that could be failed over to another cluster. This is necessary because in a business continuity cluster, entire LUNs fail over to other clusters, rather than individual pools, which fail over to other nodes within a cluster.

A cluster-enabled NSS pool must contain at least one volume before its cluster resource can be enabled for business continuity. You get an error message if you attempt to enable the resource for business continuity if its NSS pool does not contain a volume.

Also, if you have encrypted NSS volumes in your BCC, then all clusters in that BCC must be in the same eDirectory tree. If not, then the clusters in the other eDirectory tree cannot decrypt the NSS volumes. This rule applies to both NetWare and Linux BCCs.

6.3.1 Enabling a Cluster Resource for Business Continuity

Cluster resources must be enabled for business continuity on the primary cluster before they can be synchronized and appear as resources in the other clusters in the business continuity cluster. Enabling a cluster resource makes it possible for that cluster resource or cluster pool resource to be migrated to another cluster.

IMPORTANT:Although you can add search-and-replace data that is resource-specific after you enable a resource for business continuity, we recommend adding the search-and-replace data for the entire cluster before you enable resources for business continuity. See Adding Search-and-Replace Values to the Resource Replacement Script for instructions on adding search-and-replace data for the entire cluster.

When you enable a resource for business continuity and that resource has been synchronized and appears in the other clusters, the preferred nodes for the other clusters are by default set to all nodes in the cluster. If you want to change the resource’s preferred nodes for other clusters in your BCC, you must manually do it. Changes to the preferred nodes list in the primary cluster do not automatically replicate to the preferred nodes lists for other clusters in your BCC.

  1. (Conditional) If you are creating a new cluster resource or cluster pool resource, follow the instructions for creating a cluster resource or cluster pool resource using iManager in the NW6.5 SP8: Novell Cluster Services 1.8.5 Administration Guide, then continue with Step 2.

  2. Enable a cluster resource or cluster pool resource for business continuity:

    1. Start your Internet browser and enter the URL for iManager.

      The URL is http://server_ip_address/nps/iManager.html. Replace server_ip_address with the IP address or DNS name of the server that has iManager and the Identity Manager preconfigured templates for iManager installed.

    2. Specify your username and password, specify the tree where you want to log in, then click Login.

    3. In the left column, click Clusters, then click the Cluster Options link.

    4. Specify a cluster name, or browse and select one.

    5. Select the desired cluster resource from the list of Cluster objects.

    6. Click the Details link, then click the Business Continuity tab.

  3. Ensure that the Enable Business Continuity Features check box is selected.

  4. Continue with Step 1 in the Adding Resource Script Search-and-Replace Values section.

6.3.2 Adding Resource Script Search-and-Replace Values

If you did not previously add search-and-replace data specific to the entire cluster, you must now add it for this resource.

IMPORTANT:Adding resource script search-and-replace values for the entire cluster is recommended rather than adding those values for individual cluster resources. You should contact Novell Support prior to adding search-and-replace values for individual cluster resources.

To enable a resource for business continuity, certain values (such as IP addresses, DNS names, and tree names) specified in resource load and unload scripts need to be changed in corresponding resources in the other clusters. You need to add the search-and-replace strings that are used to transform cluster resource load and unload scripts from this cluster to another cluster.

The search-and-replace data you add is resource-specific, and it is not synchronized via Identity Manager between the clusters in the business continuity cluster.

To add resource script search-and-replace values specific to this resource:

  1. In the Resource Replacement Script section of the page, click New.

    If a resource has already been configured for business continuity, you can click Edit to change existing search-and-replace values or click Delete to delete them.

  2. Add the desired search-and-replace values, then click OK.

    The search-and-replace values you specify here apply to only to the resource you are enabling for business continuity. If you want the search-and-replace values to apply to any or all cluster resources, add them to the entire cluster instead of just to a specific resource.

    See Adding Search-and-Replace Values to the Resource Replacement Script for more information on resource script search-and-replace values and adding those values to the entire cluster.

  3. Do one of the following:

You can select the Use Regular Expressions check box to use wildcard characters in your search-and-replace values. The following links provide information on regular expressions and wildcard characters:

You can find additional information on regular expressions and wildcard characters by searching the Web.

IMPORTANT:If you change the resource-specific search-and-replace data after initially adding it, you must update the resource load or unload scripts in one of the other clusters by editing it and adding a space or a comment. This causes the script to be updated with the new search-and-replace data.

You could also update the IP address on the cluster protocols page in iManager to cause IP address search-and-replace values to be updated for both load and unload scripts. This might require you to go back and change the IP addresses specified in the resource load and unload scripts in the source cluster to their original values.

6.3.3 Selecting Peer Clusters for the Resource

Peer clusters are the other clusters that this cluster resource can be migrated to. The cluster or clusters that you select determine where the resource can be manually migrated. If you decide to migrate this resource to another cluster, you must migrate it to one of the clusters that has been selected.

  1. Select the other clusters that this resource can be migrated to.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • If you are creating a new non-pool cluster resource that contains a Reiser or Ext3 file system, click Finish.

    • If this is an existing non-pool cluster resource that contains a Reiser or Ext3 file system, click Apply.

    • If you are creating a new cluster pool resource, click Next, then add the SAN management configuration information. For information, see Adding SAN Management Configuration Information.

    • If this is an existing cluster pool resource, add the SAN management configuration information. For information, see Adding SAN Management Configuration Information.

6.3.4 Adding SAN Array Mapping Information

For information on adding SAN array mapping information, see Adding SAN Management Configuration Information.