C.0 Comparing Novell Cluster Services for Linux and NetWare

Table C-1 compares the features and capabilities of Novell Cluster Services 1.8.5 for Linux on Novell Open Enterprise Server (OES) 2 Linux to Novell Cluster Services 1.8.5 for NetWare on NetWare 6.5 Support Pack 7 or later.

Table C-1 Comparison of Novell Cluster Services for OES 2 Linux and NetWare 6.5 SP7 or Later

Feature or Capability

Cluster Services for Linux

Cluster Services for NetWare

Operating system

OES 2 Linux (OES 2 built on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1) or later

NetWare 6.5 SP7 or later

Two-node cluster with OES 2 license

Yes

Yes

Up to 32 nodes in a single cluster

Yes

Yes

Guest servers on Xen VMs as cluster nodes

Yes

Yes

Business Continuity Clustering support

BCC 1.2 for OES 2 SP1 Linux and later

BCC 1.1 SP2 for NetWare 6.5 SP8 and later

Administrator users

The administrator user whose credentials you provide during the install is the cluster administrator.

The tree admin is not automatically given rights. Rights must be granted manually. For information, see Section 5.6, Configuring Additional Administrators.

The administrator user whose credentials you provide during the install is the cluster administrator. For NetWare, rights are automatically extended to the tree administrator user.

Directory-based cluster configuration

Common schema for NetWare and Linux

Common schema for NetWare and Linux

Schema extension during the Novell Cluster Services install

In OES 2 Linux, the user who installs Novell Cluster Services must have schema extension rights.

In OES 2 SP1 Linux and later, the schema extension is performed separately from the Novell Cluster Services install. A user with schema extension rights extends the schema. For information, see Section 5.2, Extending the eDirectory Schema to Add Cluster Objects.

Afterwards, any administrator with sufficient rights can install Novell Cluster Services. For information, see Section 5.3, Assigning Install Rights for Container Administrators (or Non-Administrator Users).

Yes; the user who installs Novell Cluster Services must have schema extension rights.

Forward migration for Novell Cluster Services

OES 1 SP2 Linux to OES 2 Linux or later. Down cluster and rolling cluster upgrade are supported.

NetWare 6.5 SP6 to NetWare 6.5 SP7 or later. Down cluster and rolling cluster upgrade are supported.

NetWare 6.0 to NetWare 6.5 SP7 or later. Down cluster and rolling cluster upgrade are supported.

NetWare 5.1 to NetWare 6.5 SP7 or later. Only the down cluster upgrade is supported.

Cluster conversion from NetWare to Linux

NetWare 6.5 SP7 or later to OES 2 Linux or later

NetWare 6.5 SP6 to OES 2 Linux or later

NetWare 6.0 with latest service packs and patches to OES 2 Linux. Uses the same process as NetWare 6.5 to OES 2 Linux.

Not applicable

Mixed-node Linux and NetWare clusters

Supported only for rolling cluster conversions from NetWare to Linux.

NSS pools created on Linux cannot fail over to NetWare nodes.

In a mixed-cluster environment, you cannot add storage to the cluster or modify the existing storage pools.

After adding a Linux node to a NetWare cluster, it is no longer possible to add new NetWare nodes. Only Linux nodes can be added.

Supported only for rolling cluster conversions from NetWare to Linux.

NSS pools created on NetWare can fail over to Linux nodes.

SBD (split-brain detector)

Yes; during the install on the first server in the cluster, or by using the sbdutil after the install and before adding a second node to the cluster.

Yes; during the install on the first server in the cluster.

Mirrored SBD

Yes; by using evmsgui after the install and before adding a second node to the cluster.

Yes; during the install on the first server in the cluster.

Shared disks

Fibre Channel SAN LUNs

iSCSI SAN LUNs

SCSI disks (shared external drive arrays)

Fibre Channel SAN LUNs

iSCSI SAN LUNs

SCSI disks (shared external drive arrays)

Cluster-aware shared devices

Yes; requires using the EVMS Cluster Segment Manager to provide cluster-awareness similar to NetWare Media Manager.

Yes; provided by NetWare Media Manager.

Requires Novell Storage Services (NSS)

Required only if you create NSS pools as cluster resources.

Yes; NSS is the default file system on NetWare.

Novell Cluster Services is not supported on NetWare traditional volumes.

Disk format when using shared NSS pools

NetWare Segment Manager

NetWare Segment Manager

Requires NCP (NetWare Core Protocol)

Requires NCP Server to be installed if you create cluster resources that use NCP, such as NSS pools, NCP volumes, and Dynamic Storage Technology shadow volume pairs.

Yes; NCP is the default file access protocol on NetWare.

NSS pools as cluster resources

Yes

For information, see Section 12.0, Configuring Cluster Resources for Shared NSS Pools and Volumes.

Shareable for Clustering

Multiple-Server Activation Prevention (MSAP)

Cluster volume broker; Linux kernel module handles NSS pool events.

Yes

For information, see Setting Up Cluster Resources for Novell Cluster Services in the NW6.5 SP8: Novell Cluster Services 1.8.5 Administration Guide.

Shareable for Clustering

Multiple-Server Activation Prevention (MSAP)

Cluster volume broker

Linux POSIX file systems as cluster resources

Yes

For information, see Section 13.0, Configuring and Managing Cluster Resources for Shared Linux POSIX Volumes.

Not applicable

NCP volumes on Linux POSIX file systems as cluster resources

Yes

For information, see Configuring NCP Volumes with Novell Cluster Services in the OES 2 SP3: NCP Server for Linux Administration Guide.

Not applicable

Dynamic Storage Technology shadow volume pairs as cluster resources

Yes; by combining the load and unload scripts for shared NSS pools and managing the pair as a single cluster resource.

For information, see Configuring DST Shadow Volume Pairs with Novell Cluster Services in the OES 2 SP3: Dynamic Storage Technology Administration Guide.

Not supported by Dynamic Storage Technology.

Xen virtual machines as cluster resources

Yes

For information, see Section 14.2, Virtual Machines as Cluster Resources.

Not applicable

iManager 2.7

Yes

Yes

Clusters plug-in and Storage Management plug-in for iManager

Yes

Yes

Cluster-enabling NSS pools by using the NSS plug-in for iManager

Yes

Yes

Cluster-enabling NSS pools by using the NSS Management Utility (NSSMU)

Yes

Yes

Command line interface

Yes; using the terminal console

Yes; using the terminal console

XML-based API

Yes; same as NetWare except that it uses the /_adminfs path on Linux.

Yes; same as for Linux except that it uses the _admin: volume on NetWare.

Load, unload, and monitor scripts

Yes

Script commands differ. Scripts are automatically translated from NetWare commands to Linux commands during the cluster conversion from NetWare to Linux. For a comparison of script commands, see Planning the Conversion of Load and Unload Scripts in the OES 2 SP3: Novell Cluster Services NetWare to Linux Conversion Guide.

Yes

NCP support for accessing files on shared NSS pools

Yes

Yes

NCP support for accessing files on shared NCP volumes on Linux POSIX file systems

Yes

Not applicable

Novell AFP support for accessing files on shared NSS pools

Yes; in OES 2 SP1 Linux and later

Yes

Novell CIFS support for accessing files on shared NSS pools

Yes; in OES 2 SP1 Linux and later. Cross-protocol locking is not supported in OES 2 SP1.

Yes; with cross-protocol locking

Linux Samba/CIFS support for accessing files on shared NSS pools on Linux

Yes; with support for cross-protocol locking that allows both NCP users and Linux Samba/CIFS users to concurrently access data.

Requires users to be Linux-enabled with Linux User Management.

Requires Universal Password.

Not applicable

Linux Samba/CIFS support for accessing files on shared NCP volumes on Linux POSIX file systems

Yes; with support for cross-protocol locking that allows both NCP users and Linux Samba/CIFS users to concurrently access data.

Requires users to be Linux-enabled with Linux User Management.

Requires Universal Password.

Not applicable

Linux Samba/CIFS support for accessing files on shared Linux POSIX file systems

Yes

Requires users to be Linux-enabled with Linux User Management.

Requires Universal Password.

Not applicable

Leverage Heartbeat 2 resource agents

Yes

Not applicable

LAN fault tolerance

Channel bonding

For information, see /usr/src/linux/Documentation/bonding.txt

NIC teaming

For information, see NIC Teaming in the NW 6.5 SP8: TCP/ IP Administration Guide

Multipath I/O

Device Mapper - Multipath I/O, or third-party MPIO solutions

For information, see Managing Multipath I/O for Devices in the SLES 10 SP3/SP4 Storage Administration Guide.

Media Manager Multipath I/O, or third-party MPIO solutions

For information, see Managing Multipath I/O to Devices (NetWare) in the NW 6.5 SP8: NSS File System Administration Guide.