12.4 Cluster-Enabling an Existing NSS Pool and Its Volumes

Cluster-enabling a pool allows it (and its volumes) to be moved or mounted on different servers in the cluster in a manner that supports transparent client reconnect. This makes the data highly available to users.

IMPORTANT:You can cluster-enable pools when you create them by following the procedures in Section 12.3, Creating Cluster-Enabled Pools and Volumes.

The procedure in this section describes how to enable clustering for an existing pool and its volumes. It assumes the following:

Before you cluster-enable the pool, ensure that it is activated on the master node in the cluster. This allows the pool and volume information to be automatically added to the load, unload, and monitor scripts for the pool cluster resource. In addition, the volume entry is automatically removed from the /etc/fstab so that the pool cluster resource load script controls when the volume is mounted. If you use special settings for mounting the volume, you must manually add those settings to the load script.

The default name of a pool cluster resource is the pool name plus the word SERVER, such as POOL1_SERVER. You can modify the resource name after the resource has been created by using the cluster rename command. For information, see Section 10.13, Renaming a Cluster Resource. Changing the resource name does not modify the pool name or the virtual server name.

After the pool is cluster-enabled, users can access the cluster-enabled pool by using the pool cluster resource’s IP address or virtual server name. The default virtual server name of a pool cluster resource is the cluster name plus the default cluster resource name, such as CLUSTER1_POOL1_SERVER. You can specify the name of the virtual server name when you cluster-enable the pool.

To cluster-enable an existing NSS pool:

  1. Ensure that the SAN device is attached to all of the nodes in the cluster.

  2. Log in to iManager as an administrator user.

  3. Deactivate the shared pool on the current server.

    1. In Roles and Tasks, select Storage > Pools.

    2. Browse to select the server where the pool is currently assigned.

    3. In the Pools list, select the pool, then click Deactivate.

      Wait until the page refreshes and confirms that the pool is deactive.

  4. Verify that the device is marked as shareable for clustering. If the pool uses multiple devices, you must verify the shared setting of each device.

    1. In Roles and Tasks, select Storage > Devices.

    2. Browse to select the server where the pool is currently assigned.

    3. Select the device to view its Details page.

    4. If the Shareable for Clustering check box is deselected, select the check box, click Apply, read the warning, then click Continue to enable sharing.

      Marking the device as shareable automatically modifies the Shared attribute on the eDirectory objects for the pools and volumes on the device.

      Wait a couple of minutes before continuing to allow the attribute change to synchronize in eDirectory. You can verify the change in the shared state of the pool and its volumes by returning to the Pools page and Volumes page.

  5. In Roles and Tasks, select Clusters > Cluster Options, then browse to select the Cluster object () of the cluster.

  6. On the Cluster Options page, click the New link in the Cluster Objects toolbar.

  7. On the Resource Type page, specify Pool () as the resource type you want to create by clicking the Pool radio button, then click Next.

  8. On the Cluster Pool Information page, specify the following information:

    Parameter

    Action

    Pool Name

    Specify the Pool Name by browsing to select the Pool object () of the pool you want to cluster-enable, such as servername_POOL1_POOL.

    Virtual Server Name

    (Optional) Change the default name of the Virtual Server for the cluster resource.

    The default virtual server name for the resource is the cluster name plus the cluster resource name. The default name of a pool cluster resource is the pool name plus the word SERVER, such as POOL1_SERVER.

    For example, if the cluster name is cluster1 and the pool cluster resource name is POOL1_SERVER, then the default virtual server name is CLUSTER1_POOL1_SERVER.

    CIFS Server Name

    If CIFS is enabled as an advertising protocol, specify the name of the CIFS virtual server that CIFS clients see when they browse the network. The name can be up to 15 characters.

    A default name is specified in the form of clustername_poolname_W. If this exceeds 15 characters, characters are dropped from the left.

    If Novell CIFS is not installed and running, this field value is NOT_SUPPORTED.

    IP Address

    Specify an IP address for the pool cluster resource.

    Each pool cluster resource requires its own unique IP address. The IP address assigned to the pool remains assigned to the pool regardless of which server in the cluster is accessing the pool.

    Advertising Protocols

    Select the check boxes of the advertising protocols (AFP, CIFS, NCP) that you want to enable for data requests to this shared pool. NCP is required to support authenticated access to data via the Novell Trustee model.

    Selecting a protocol causes commands to be added to the pool cluster resource’s load and unload scripts to activate the protocol for the resource. This lets you ensure that the cluster-enabled pool is highly available to users via the specified protocol.

    Novell CIFS and Novell AFP are available for OES 2 SP1 Linux and later. If Novell CIFS or Novell AFP are not installed and running, selecting the CIFS or AFP check box has no effect.

    For OES 2 Linux and earlier, Novell CIFS and Novell AFP are not available and these options do no apply for pools on Linux. Selecting the CIFS and AFP check boxes has no effect.

    Deactivate the pool on the master node, and online resource after create

    The check box is selected by default.

    If the pool is currently deactive, the resource is brought online automatically after you create the resource.

    If the pool is currently active as a local pool on the master node of the cluster, this option automatically deactivates the pool on the master node, and brings the resource online on a preferred node immediately after the pool cluster resource is created.

    If you deselect the option, the resource is in an offline state after it is created. You should configure the resource load, unload, and monitoring scripts before you bring the resource online. If the pool was in an active state when you started to cluster-enable it, the pool is still mounted locally on the master node. After you set up preferred nodes for the resource, you can deactivate the pool on the master node, and bring the resource online on a preferred node.

    Define Additional Properties

    Select the Define Additional Properties check box.

    This allows you to configure the resource policies for the start, failover, and failback modes, and to configure the preferred nodes.

  9. Click Next.

  10. On the Resource Policies page, configure the resource policies for the start, failover, and failback modes.

    For information, see Configuring the Start, Failover, and Failback Modes for Cluster Resources.

  11. Click Next.

  12. On the Resource Preferred Nodes page, assign the preferred nodes to use for the resource.

    For information, see Configuring Preferred Nodes for a Resource.

  13. Click Finish.

    The pool cluster resource appears in the Cluster Objects list on the Cluster Options page, such as POOL1_SERVER.

    The load, unload, and monitoring scripts are automatically created with information about the pools and volumes. The volume entries are removed from the /etc/fstab file so that the resource load script can be used to control when the pools and volumes are mounted. The resource is offline.

  14. Verify that the pool cluster resource was created and that it is offline.

    1. Select Clusters > Cluster Options, then view the pool cluster resource in the Cluster Objects list, such as POOL1_SERVER.

    2. Select Clusters > Cluster Manager, then view the pool cluster resource state as Offline.

  15. Manually deactivate the pool on its currently assigned node.

    You must deactivate the pool from the server before attempting to bring the pool cluster resource online.

    1. In Roles and Tasks, select Storage > Pools.

    2. In the Server field, browse to select the Cluster object () of the cluster.

      The Cluster object is automatically associated with the node that is currently the master node in the cluster.

    3. In the Pools list, select the pool, then click Deactivate.

      Wait until the page refreshes and confirms that the pool is deactive.

  16. Verify the cluster resource scripts for the pool cluster resource, and modify them if desired.

    1. Select Clusters > Cluster Options, then select the cluster.

    2. Click the pool cluster resource link to open its Properties page.

    3. Configure the following resource settings:

      Property

      Action

      Monitoring

      (Optional) Select the Monitoring tab, select Enable Resource Monitoring, and configure monitoring as described in Section 10.6, Enabling Monitoring and Configuring the Monitor Script.

      Load script

      Select the Scripts tab, select Load Script, then modify the script as described in Section 12.5, Configuring a Load Script for the Shared NSS Pool.

      Unload Script

      Select the Scripts tab, select Unload Script, then modify the unload script as described in Section 12.6, Configuring an Unload Script for the Shared NSS Pool.

      Monitoring Script

      Select the Scripts tab, select Monitor Script, then modify the unload script as described in Section 10.6, Enabling Monitoring and Configuring the Monitor Script.

    4. At the bottom of the page, click Apply or Ok to save your changes.

      The changes are not applied until the next time the resource is brought online.

  17. Select Clusters > Cluster Manager, select the check box next to the pool cluster resource, then click Online to bring the resource online.

    The pool is activated and its volumes are mounted on the primary preferred node that is configured for the pool cluster resource.