There are several cluster-specific issues to consider as you plan to install the Windows MTA, POA, and DVA in your clustered GroupWise system:
By default, the GroupWise agents listen on all IP addresses, both primary and secondary, that are bound to the server on their specified port numbers. The primary IP address is the IP address of the physical node. Secondary IP addresses are the IP addresses associated with GroupWise resource groups. The secondary IP address moves with each agent when it fails over, so that, in the case of the POA, GroupWise clients do not lose their connections to the POA.
If you are planning to set up a GroupWise name server to help GroupWise clients locate their post offices, make sure that the default POA port number of 1677 is used somewhere in the cluster. For more information, see Simplifying Client/Server Access with a GroupWise Name Server
in Post Office Agent
in the GroupWise 2012 Administration Guide.
If you want to install the DVA along with the POA, it can participate in the cluster by failing over along with the POA and its post office. However, clustering is not necessary in order to provide high availability for the DVA. As an alternative to clustering, you can install the DVA on multiple servers outside the cluster, as described in Scaling Your DVA Installation
in Document Viewer Agent
in the GroupWise 2012 Administration Guide.
Any time there is a possibility of two of the same type of agent running on the same node, it is important that each agent use a cluster-unique port number, even though each agent is using the unique IP address established for each GroupWise resource group. The best way for you to avoid port conflicts is to plan your cluster so that each agent in the cluster runs on a cluster-unique port. Print out a copy of the Network Address Worksheet to help you plan cluster-unique port numbers for all GroupWise agents in your GroupWise system.
The following filled-out version of the Network Address Worksheet illustrates one way this can be done:
|
Domain |
MTA IP Address |
MTA MTP Port |
MTA HTTP Port |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Provo1 |
172.16.5.81 |
7100 |
7180 |
||
|
Post Office |
POA IP Address |
POA C/S Port |
POA MTP Port |
POA HTTP Port |
DVA HTTP Port |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Development |
|
1677 |
7101 |
7181 |
8301 |
|
Manufacturing |
172.16.5.82 |
1678 |
7102 |
7182 |
8311 |
|
GWIA |
GWIA IP Address |
MTA MTP Port |
MTA HTTP Port |
GWIA HTTP Port |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
GWIA Domain MTA |
172.16.5.83 |
7110 |
7183 |
N/A |
|
GWIA |
|
N/A |
N/A |
9850 |
This example places the Development post office in the same resource group with the Provo1 domain; therefore, the Provo1 MTA and the Development POA use the same IP address. The Manufacturing post office is placed in a different resource group, so the Manufacturing post office has a different IP address. A DVA accompanies the POA in each post office resource group. The GWIA has its own domain and separate resource group.
The example also illustrates that the MTA, the POA, and the GWIA use different port numbers for agent ports and HTTP ports.
The example uses default port numbers where possible. For example, the default MTA message transfer port is 7100 and the default POA client/server port is 1677. Incrementing port numbers are used in the example when multiple components have the same type of ports. For example, port numbers 1677 and 1678 are both POA client/server ports and port numbers 7180 through 7184 are all HTTP ports. Incrementing from the default port numbers generates unique, though related, port numbers.
NOTE:During normal operation, the DVA uses a range of port numbers. Therefore, the base port numbers for DVAs should be spaced out. For example, using the default port number of 8301 for the first DVA and using 8311 for the second port number allows the first DVA to use ports 8302 through 8310 during its normal processing without conflicting with the second DVA in the cluster, which can use ports 8311 and above.
If you are going to set up a GroupWise name server to help GroupWise clients locate their post offices, make sure that the default POA port number of 1677 is used somewhere in the cluster and specify the IP address of the post office resource group, not the IP address of a specific node. For more information, see Simplifying Client/Server Access with a GroupWise Name Server
in Post Office Agent
in the GroupWise 2012 Administration Guide.
|
NETWORK ADDRESS WORKSHEET |
|---|
|
Fill out the Network Address Worksheet to help you determine resource group IP addresses and cluster-unique port numbers for all GroupWise agents in the cluster (MTA, POA, DVA, and GWIA). Refer to the IP addresses you planned for the domain and post office resource groups under items 4 and 5 on the System Clustering Worksheet. |
After you have filled out the Network Address Worksheet, transfer the IP addresses and the cluster-unique port numbers from the Network Address Worksheet to the Agent Clustering Worksheet so that they will be available in the sequence in which you will need them as you set up the GroupWise agents in the cluster.
|
AGENT CLUSTERING WORKSHEET |
|---|
|
Under Item 4: MTA Network Information, transfer the resource group IP address and cluster-unique port numbers for the MTA from the Network Address Worksheet to the Agent Clustering Worksheet. Under Item 7: POA Network Information, transfer the resource group IP address and cluster-unique port numbers for the POA from the Network Address Worksheet to the Agent Clustering Worksheet. Under Item 8: DVA Network Information, transfer the resource group IP address and cluster-unique port numbers for the DVA from the Network Address Worksheet to the Agent Clustering Worksheet. |
In a Windows cluster, the agents must run as Windows services. When you install the Windows MTA, POA, and DVA, you can choose between two different installation locations:
|
Location |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Each node in the cluster |
The c:\Program Files\Novell\GroupWise Server\Agents directory is the default location provided by the Agent Installation program. |
|
Shared disk |
If you create a drive:\program Files\Novell\GroupWise Server\Agents directory on the same shared disk with the domain or post office directory, the agent software and startup files fail over and back with the domains and post offices that the agents service. |
Because the agents must be installed as Windows services in a Windows cluster, you must initially run the Agent Installation program for each node in the cluster so that the Windows services for the agents get created, regardless of where you are planning to run the agents from. However, for updates, you need to run the Agent Installation program only once if you are running the agents from a shared disk.
The following sections can help you choose which installation location is best for your clustered GroupWise system:
Using a drive:\Program Files\Novell\GroupWise Server\Agents directory for each GroupWise shared disk has several advantages:
When you update the agent software, you only need to update it in one place for a particular domain or post office, not on every node in the resource group’s possible owners list. This prevents the potential problem of having a domain or post office fail over to a node where a different version of the agent software is installed.
Having the agent startup files on the same node as the domain or post office makes them easy to find.
If you change information in the agent startup files, you only need to change it in one place, not on every node in the resource group’s possible owners list.
If you want to back up the GroupWise data, you can back up the domain and/or post office directories and the agent software from the same shared disk.
Installing the agents on the same shared disk with a domain or post office does have some disadvantages:
You must install the agent software each time you create a new domain or post office on a new shared disk.
GroupWise administrators who are used to the GroupWise agents being installed in c:\Program Files\Novell\GroupWise Server\Agents might be confused by not finding them there in the clustered GroupWise system.
You must remember where you installed the GroupWise agents when you update the agent software. Accidently installing a GroupWise Support Pack to the default location of c:\Program Files\Novell\GroupWise Server\Agents on the active node would not have the desired results if the original agent software was installed to a shared disk.
Whichever method you choose, be consistent throughout the entire cluster. Either put all the GroupWise agents on the shared disks with the domains and post offices they service, or put them all in c:\Program Files\Novell\GroupWise Server\Agents directories on all nodes. If you put them on shared disks with domains and post offices, make sure there are no agent files in c:\Program Files\Novell\GroupWise Server\Agents directories on nodes to create future confusion.
Even if you choose to install the agents to the c:\Program Files\Novell\GroupWise Server\Agents directory of multiple nodes, you can still store the agent startup files on shared disks with the domains and post offices. The significant advantage of this approach is that you have only one startup file to modify per agent.
|
AGENT CLUSTERING WORKSHEET |
|---|
|
Under Item 1: Agent Installation Location, mark whether you will install the agent software to the shared disk with a domain or post office, or to each node in the cluster. If necessary, specify where the agent startup files will be stored. Under Item 2: Domain Name, transfer the domain name, shared disk, and directory from the System Clustering Worksheet to the Agent Clustering Worksheet. Under Item 5: Post Office Name, transfer the post office name, shared disk, and directory from the System Clustering Worksheet to the Agent Clustering Worksheet. |
In a Windows cluster, the MTA and POA must be set up as service resources. If you decide to cluster the DVA, it runs along with the POA in the same service resource. A service resource for a GroupWise agent must include the following information:
Name: The name by which the agent service will be listed in the resource group (for example, MTA Service or POA Service).
Possible Owners: The list of nodes in the cluster to which the GroupWise agent can fail over (the same as the possible owners of the resource group to which the agent service belongs).
Resource Dependencies: Other resources in the resource group that must be online before the GroupWise agent can start on a new node (for example, the Group IP Address resource and the Physical Disk resource where the domain or post office directory is located).
|
AGENT CLUSTERING WORKSHEET |
|---|
|
Under Item 3: MTA Service Resource, specify the MTA service resource name and list any possible resource dependencies. Under Item 6: POA Service Resource, specify the POA service resource name and list any possible resource dependencies. |
Aside from the cluster-specific issues discussed in the preceding sections, the considerations involved in planning to install the GroupWise Windows agents are the same in a Windows cluster as in any other environment. Review Planning the GroupWise Agents
, then print and fill out the GroupWise Agent Installation Worksheet
in Installing GroupWise Agents
in the GroupWise 2012 Installation Guide for each location where you will install the Windows MTA and/or POA and DVA.
|
GROUPWISE AGENT INSTALLATION WORKSHEET |
|---|
|
Under Installation Path, take into account your decision based on Deciding Where to Install the Agent Software. Under Windows Installation Options, mark . Under Domain Information and Post Office Information, refer to the Domain and Post Office Worksheets you filled out in Section 21.2, Planning a New Clustered Domain and Section 21.3, Planning a New Clustered Post Office, and to the Network Address Worksheet you completed during Planning Cluster-Unique Port Numbers for Agents in the Cluster. |
IMPORTANT:Do not install the Windows agent software until you are instructed to do so in Section 22.0, Setting Up a Domain and Post Office in a Windows Cluster.
Skip to Section 22.0, Setting Up a Domain and Post Office in a Windows Cluster.