The requirements in this section must be met prior to installing Novell Business Continuity Clustering software.
Novell Business Continuity Clustering software requires a paper license agreement for each business continuity cluster. For purchasing information, see Novell Business Continuity Clustering.
Novell Open Enterprise Server 1 (OES 1) Support Pack 2 for Linux (OES 1 SP2 Linux) must be installed and running on all servers that will be part of the business continuity cluster.
IMPORTANT:Novell Business Continuity Clustering 1.1 for Linux is not supported on Novell Open Enterprise Server 2 for Linux (OES 2 Linux).
The latest OES 1 Linux patches from the patch channel are required prior to installing Business Continuity Clustering 1.1. For instructions on updating OES 1 Linux with the latest patches, see Patching an OES 1 Linux Server in the OES 1 Linux Installation Guide.
For more information on applying patches by using the YaST online update or Red Carpet®, see the Novell Linux Registration and Updates page.
See the OES Linux Installation Guidefor information on installing and configuring OES 1 Linux.
Novell eDirectory™ 8.8 is supported with Business Continuity Clustering 1.1 Support Pack 1. See the eDirectory 8.8 documentation for more information.
IMPORTANT:When you install the Business Continuity Clustering engine software, the eDirectory schema is automatically extended in the eDirectory tree where the BCC software is installed. You need to be able to provide the credentials to authorize the schema extension during the install.
If the eDirectory administrator username or password contains special characters (such as $, #, and so on), make sure to escape each special character by preceding it with a backslash (\) when you enter credentials.
The Identity Manager engine and eDirectory driver must be installed on one node in each cluster. The node where Identity Manager is installed must have an eDirectory full replica with at least read/write access to all eDirectory objects that will be synchronized between clusters. This does not apply to all eDirectory objects in the tree.
IMPORTANT:Full eDirectory replicas are required. Filtered eDirectory replicas are not supported with this version of Business Continuity Clustering software.
The eDirectory full replica must have at least read/write access to the following containers:
The Identity Manager driver set container.
The container where the Cluster object resides.
The container where the server objects reside.
If server objects reside in multiple containers, this must be a container high enough in the tree to be above all containers that contain server objects.
Best practice is to have all server objects in one container.
The container where the cluster pool and volume objects are placed when they are synchronized to this cluster. This container is referred to as the landing zone. The NCP server objects for the virtual server of a BCC-enabled resource are also placed in the landing zone.
If the eDirectory full replica does not have read/write access to the containers listed above, cluster resource synchronization and user object synchronization do not work properly.
You need two to four clusters with Novell Cluster Services™ 1.8.2 (the version that ships with OES 1 SP2) installed and running on each node in the cluster.
Each cluster must have a unique name, even if the clusters reside in different Novell eDirectory trees, and clusters must not have the same name as any of the eDirectory trees in the business continuity cluster.
See the OES 1 SP2: Novell Cluster Services 1.8.2 Administration Guide for Linux for information on installing and configuring Novell Cluster Services.
The hardware requirements for Novell Business Continuity Clustering software are the same as for Novell Cluster Services. For more information, see Hardware Requirements
and Shared Disk Requirements
in the OES 1 SP2: Novell Cluster Services 1.8.2 Administration Guide for Linux.
Some SAN vendors require you to purchase or license their CLI (Command Line Interface) separately. The CLI for the SAN might not initially be included with your hardware.
Also, some SAN hardware may not be SMI-S compliant and cannot be managed by using SMI-S commands.
The recommended configuration is to have each cluster in the same eDirectory tree. You can have a business continuity cluster with clusters in separate eDirectory trees. See Section A.0, Implementing a Multiple-Tree BCC for more information.
In order to add or change cluster peer credentials, you must access iManager on a server that is in the same eDirectory tree as the cluster you are adding or changing peer credentials for.
Novell iManager (the version released with OES 1 SP2) must be installed and running on a server in the eDirectory tree where you are installing Business Continuity Clustering software. As part of the install process, you will be installing snap-ins for the Identity Manager role that are management templates for configuring a business continuity cluster.
The Identity Manager management utilities should be installed on the same server where you have installed iManager. See Business Continuity Cluster Component Locations for specific information on where to install Identity Manager components.
The Identity Manager 2.x or 3.01 engine and the eDirectory driver must be installed on one node in each Novell Cluster Services for Linux cluster that you want to be in the business continuity cluster. (Identity Manager was formerly called DirXML®.) The Identity Manager management utilities must also be installed. The same Identity Manager installation program used to install the Identity Manager engine is also used to install the Identity Manager drivers and management utilities.
Business Continuity Clustering 1.1 Support Pack 1 requires Identity Manager 2.x. Identity Manager 2.0.2 is part of the Identity Manager 2 Bundle Edition (formerly referred to as a Starter Pack) that is included with OES 1 SP2. For installation instructions, see Installing Identity Manager on Unix Platforms
in the Novell Nsure Identity Manager 2.0.1 Administration Guide.
NOTE:The Identity Manager 2.0.1 documentation also applies to Identity Manager 2.0.2 and later versions.
Identity Manager 3.0.1 is supported with Novell Business Continuity Clustering 1.1 Support Pack 1. It is included with the Identity Manager 3.0.1 Bundle Edition. Instructions for installing and configuring the Identity Manager 3.0.1 Bundle Edition can be found with the Identity Manager 3.0.1 Bundle Edition documentation.
The node where the Identity Manager engine and the eDirectory driver are installed must have an eDirectory full replica with at least read/write access to all eDirectory objects that will be synchronized between clusters. This does not apply to all eDirectory objects in the tree. For information about the eDirectory full replica requirements, see Section 2.1.3, Novell eDirectory 8.8.
The Identity Manager utilities can be installed on a cluster node, but installing them on a non-cluster node is the recommended configuration. The management utilities should be installed on the same server as iManager.
See Business Continuity Cluster Component Locations for specific information on where to install Identity Manager components.
You must have SLP (Server Location Protocol) set up and configured properly. See Configuring OpenSLP for eDirectory
in the Novell eDirectory 8.7.3 Administration Guide.
OpenWBEM must be running and configured to start using chkconfig. See the OpenWBEM Services Administration Guide for OES.
BASH must be installed on all nodes that participate in the business continuity cluster. The BASH shell does not need to be running, only installed.
The sys:\system\autoexec.ncf file must be modified so that the call to sys:/bin/unixenv.ncf is before the call to openwbem.ncf.
For Business Continuity Clustering 1.1 on Linux, a shared disk system (Storage Area Network or SAN) is required for each cluster in the business continuity cluster. See Shared Disk System Requirements
in the OES Novell Cluster Services 1.8.2 for Linux Administration Guide.
For real-time mirroring, link speeds should be 1 GB or better, the Fibre Channel cable length between sites should be less than 200 kilometers, and the links should be dedicated.
Many factors should be considered for distances greater than 200 kilometers, some of which include:
The amount of data being transferred
The bandwidth of the link
Whether or not snapshot technology is being used