Installing and Configuring the MTA and the POA in a Cluster

After you have created a new domain and/or post office, you are ready to install and configure the GroupWise agents. Complete all the tasks below if you are setting up a new GroupWise system or if you have created a new GroupWise resource group where you want to install the agent software:

Under some circumstances, the agent software has already been installed in the cluster and you simply need to create a new startup file specific to the new domain or post office. For example:

In these circumstances, follow the instructions in Setting Up New Instances of the Agents without Installing the Agent Software instead of completing the tasks listed above.


Installing the Agent Software in a Cluster

To install the MTA and the POA:

  1. Map a drive to the shared disk of the domain resource group (Agent Clustering Worksheet item 2) or the post office resource group (Agent Clustering Worksheet item 5).

  2. Map a drive to c:\ on the first node in the cluster where you will set up the agents as Windows services (System Clustering Worksheet item 2).

  3. If you plan to install the agent software to the shared disk of the domain or post office resource group (under Agent Clustering Worksheet item 1), create the drive:\grpwise directory on the shared disk accessed in Step 1.

    or

    If you plan to install the agent software to each node in the cluster, create the c:\grpwise directory on the drive accessed in Step 2.

  4. Start the Agent Installation program, following the steps provided in "Installing the Windows Agent Software" in "Installing GroupWise Agents" in the GroupWise 6.5 Installation Guide.

  5. Install the Windows agents, keeping in mind the following cluster-specific details:

    • Use the Windows Agent Clustering Worksheet that you filled out during Planning the Windows Agent Installation to fill in the fields during the agent installation process.
    • On the Installation Path page, be sure to browse through the mapped drive to the directory you created in Step 3 above. Be sure that Install as Windows Services is selected.
    • On the Domains / Post Offices page, click Add for each domain and post office that the agents will service. In the Path to Database field, be sure to browse through the drive you mapped in Step 1 above to the domain directory or the post office directory on the shared disk.
    • On the Installation Complete page do not select Launch GroupWise Agents Now.
  6. If you need to install the agent software to c:\grpwise on each node in the cluster, repeat Step 4 and Step 5, mapping a drive to each node in the cluster.

    or

    If you installed the agent software to a shared disk and need only to set up the agents as Windows services on each node, repeat Step 4 and Step 5, mapping drives to new nodes as needed. On the Installation Options page, select only the Install as Windows Services option to speed up the installation process for each node.

  7. If you installed the agent software to each node and you selected Yes for Consolidate Startup Files? (under Agent Clustering Worksheet item 1), copy one complete set of agent startup files to the planned location on the shared disk, then delete all agent startup files from the c:\grpwise directories on the nodes to avoid future confusion.

  8. Continue with Editing Clustered Agent Startup Files.


Editing Clustered Agent Startup Files

By default, the Agent Installation program creates agent startup files in the agent installation directory. Each MTA startup file is named after the domain it services, with a .mta extension. Each POA startup file is named after the post office it services, with a .poa extension.

Because you mapped a drive to the shared disk of the GroupWise resource group using the physical disk and file share information from the resource group, the setting for the MTA /home startup switch and the POA /home startup switch will always be correct, no matter which node in the cluster the domain and post office are currently active on.

One manual modification of POA startup files is required for robust functionality in a Microsoft cluster. Uncomment the /ip startup switch and provide the IP address of the post office resource group (Agent Clustering Worksheet item 7). This information is available to the POA in its eDirectory object properties. However, in some failover situations, the POA reconnects to the MTA more quickly when the information is immediately available to the POA in its startup file.

If the POA needs to access a remote document storage area that is outside the cluster, add the /user and /password startup switches (under System Clustering Worksheet item 9) in order to provide a user name and password that the POA can use to access the server where the document storage area resides. As an alternative to startup switches, you can assign the POA object all rights except Supervisor and Access control, as long as the remote document storage area is located in the same tree with the post office.

Continue with Testing Your Clustered GroupWise System.


Setting Up New Instances of the Agents without Installing the Agent Software

To set up new instances of the agents without installing the agent software, you simply create new startup files. Each MTA startup file is named after the domain it services, with a .mta extension. Each POA startup file is named after the post office it services, with a .poa extension.

If the existing agent software is located in the drive:\grpwise directory of a shared disk with a domain or post office, the startup files will be located there as well. If the existing agent software is located in the c:\grpwise directory on each node in the cluster, the startup files might be located there, or they might be located on the shared disk with the domain or post office.

To create a new startup file without installing the agent software:

  1. Make a copy of an existing startup file and name it after the domain or post office that will be serviced by the new instance of the agent.

  2. Edit the setting of the /home startup switch to point to the location of the new domain directory or post office directory. Be careful to maintain the syntax of the original line, using the physical disk and file share provided in the GroupWise resource group.

  3. Scroll down through the startup file looking for other active (not commented out) startup switches, then modify them as needed for the new instance of the agent.

  4. Save the new startup file.

  5. Continue with Testing Your Clustered GroupWise System.