37.7 Managing Your Clustered GroupWise System

After you have set up a basic clustered GroupWise system, you should consider some long-term management issues.

37.7.1 Updating GroupWise Objects with Cluster-Specific Descriptions

After setting up your clustered GroupWise system, while the cluster-specific information is fresh in your mind, you should record that cluster-specific information as part of the GroupWise objects in ConsoleOne so that you can easily refer to it later. Be sure to keep the information recorded in the GroupWise objects up to date if the configuration of your system changes.

Recording Cluster-Specific Information for a Domain and Its MTA

To permanently record important cluster-specific information for the domain:

  1. In ConsoleOne, browse to and right-click the Domain object, then click Properties.

  2. In the Description field of the domain Identification page, provide a cluster-specific description of the domain, including the resource group IP address and the cluster-unique port numbers used by its MTA.

  3. Click OK to save the domain description.

  4. Select the Domain object to display its contents.

  5. Right-click the MTA object, then click Properties.

  6. In the Description field of the MTA Identification page, record the domain resource group IP address and the cluster-unique port numbers used by the MTA.

    This information appears on the MTA console, no matter which node in the cluster it is currently running on.

  7. Click OK to save the MTA description.

  8. Continue with Recording Cluster-Specific Information for a Post Office and Its POA.

Recording Cluster-Specific Information for a Post Office and Its POA

To permanently record important cluster-specific information for a post office:

  1. In ConsoleOne, browse to and right-click the Post Office object, then click Properties.

  2. In the Description field of the post office Identification page, provide a cluster-specific description of the post office, including the resource group IP address and the cluster-unique port numbers used by its POA.

  3. Click OK to save the post office description.

  4. Select the Post Office object to display its contents.

  5. Right-click the POA object, then click Properties.

  6. In the Description field of the POA Identification page, record the post office resource group IP address and the cluster-unique port numbers used by the POA.

    This information appears on the POA console, no matter which node in the cluster it is currently running on.

  7. Click OK to save the POA description.

  8. If necessary, continue with Recording Cluster-Specific Information for a Software Distribution Directory.

    or

    Skip to Knowing What to Expect in MTA and POA Failover Situations.

Recording Cluster-Specific Information for a Software Distribution Directory

To permanently record important cluster-specific information about a software distribution directory located on a shared disk:

  1. In ConsoleOne, click Tools > System Operations > Software Directory Management.

  2. Select the software distribution directory, then click Edit.

  3. In the Description field, record the IP address of the cluster resource where the software distribution directory resides.

  4. Click OK, then click Close to save the software distribution directory description.

  5. Continue with Knowing What to Expect in MTA and POA Failover Situations.

37.7.2 Knowing What to Expect in MTA and POA Failover Situations

In a failover situation, the agents might need to perform some database repair as they start on the new node. The time required depends on the size of the databases involved.

Typically, the POA returns to full functionality faster than the MTA. This benefits GroupWise client users, who can reconnect to their mailboxes very quickly and probably do not notice if messages to users in other post offices are not delivered immediately. The only time a user would need to restart the GroupWise client would be if he or she was actually in the process of sending a message when the POA went down. Notify can continue running even if the connection to the POA becomes unavailable and then it reconnects automatically when the POA is again available.

The MTA typically takes some time reestablishing the links to its post offices, other domains, and gateways, but this situation usually resolves itself in a few minutes without administrator intervention. If it does not, you can manually restart the MTA to speed up the process.

In comparison to failover, manual migration typically takes longer because the agents methodically terminate their threads and close their databases as part of their normal shutdown procedure. However, as a result, no database repair is required when the agents start up again in their new location.

Continue with What’s Next.