Setting Up Your Messenger System in a Cluster

You should have already reviewed Planning Your Messenger System in a Cluster and filled out the Messenger Clustering Worksheet and the "Novell Messenger System Worksheet" in the Messenger 1.0 Installation Guide. Follow the instructions for the installation location you have chosen:


Installing to Each Node in the Cluster

There are two methods of installing the Messenger agents to each node in the cluster:

Use whichever method you prefer, following the steps provided in "Starting the Messenger Installation Program" and "Creating Your Messenger System" in "Installing a Novell Messenger System" in the Messenger 1.0 Installation Guide. Make each node in the cluster active to make sure that the Messenger agents start successfully.


Installing to a Messenger Volume

Complete the following tasks to set up your Messenger system on a Messenger volume:


Preparing the Cluster for Messenger

Cluster preparation for Messenger is the same as cluster preparation for GroupWise. Review Preparing the Cluster for GroupWise before running the Messenger installation program.


Running the Messenger Installation Program

The Messenger Installation program walks you through setting up your Messenger system and installing the Messenger agents.

  1. If necessary, map a drive to the Messenger administration volume (Messenger Clustering Worksheet item 7).

  2. Map a drive to the Messenger volume (Messenger Clustering Worksheet item 9).

    The Messenger volume name will be cluster_volume. For assistance with mapping a drive to a cluster-enabled volume, see Configuring Short Name Resolution.

  3. Run the Messenger Installation program at an administrator workstation to set up your Messenger system, following the steps provided in "Starting the Messenger Installation Program" and "Creating Your Messenger System" in "Installing a Novell Messenger System" in the Messenger 1.0 Installation Guide. Keep in mind the following cluster-specific details:

    • When you specify the Messenger installation directory, be sure to browse to the location through the Messenger volume accessed in Step 2 above.
    • When you specify the ConsoleOne directory, be sure to browse to the location through the Messenger administration volume accessed in Step 1 above.
    • On the Start Copying Files page, the server object name should be the virtual server name, not a physical server name.
  4. When you have finished creating your Messenger system, continue with Configuring the Messenger Volume Resource to Load and Unload the Messenger Agents.


Configuring the Messenger Volume Resource to Load and Unload the Messenger Agents

The properties of the Volume Resource object define how the Messenger volume functions within the cluster, how the Messenger agents are loaded and unloaded, and how failover and failback situations are handled.

  1. In ConsoleOne, browse to and select the Cluster object.

    If necessary, click View > Console View to display its contents.

  2. Right-click the Volume Resource object (volume_SERVER), then click Properties > Load to display the default volume resource load script for the Messenger volume.

    The volume resource load script executes whenever the Messenger volume comes online.

  3. Add the following lines to the load script:

    load volume:\novell\nm\ma\nmma.nlm @volume:novel\nm\ma\strtup.ma
    load volume:\novell\nm\aa\nmaa.nlm @volume:novel\nm\aa\strtup.aa

    where volume is the name of the Messenger volume (Messenger Clustering Worksheet item 9).

    For example:

    load gwmsgr:\novell\nm\ma\nmma.nlm @gwmsgr:novel\nm\ma\strtup.ma
    load gwmsg:\novell\nm\aa\nmaa.nlm @gwmsgr:novel\nm\aa\strtup.aa

  4. Click apply to save the load script.

  5. Click Unload.

  6. Add the following lines to the unload script:

    unload nmma.nlm
    unload nmaa.nlm

  7. Click Apply to save the unload script.

  8. Click Nodes to display the default failover path for the Messenger volume.

  9. Arrange the nodes in the cluster into the desired failover path for the Messenger volume (Messenger Clustering Worksheet item 10).

  10. Click Apply to save the failover path.

  11. Click Policies to display the default start, failover, and failback policies.

    By default, a volume resource:

    • Fails over automatically if the node it is running on fails
    • Starts automatically on the net node in its failover path
    • Continues running at its failover location even after its most preferred node is again available
  12. Change the policies if necessary, then click OK.

  13. Continue with Copying LDAP and QuickFinder Files to Each Node.


Copying LDAP and QuickFinder Files to Each Node

During installation of the Messenger agents, some files were copied to sys:\system of the node where the Messenger volume was mounted. These files must be copied to sys:\system on each node of the cluster. Copy the following files from the Novell GroupWise Messenger CD to sys:\system on each node in the cluster:

\server\nlm\ldap\ldapsdk.nlm
\server\nlm\ldap\ldapssl.nlm
\server\nlm\ldap\ldapx.nlm
\server\nlm\qf\qfind215.nlm

If you are running in a language other than English, copy the following files from the CD to sys:\system\nls\language on each node in the cluster:

\server\nlm\language\*.msg
\server\nlm\language\*.hlp

where language is a two-letter language code.

Continue with Testing Your Clustered Messenger System.


Testing Your Clustered Messenger System

After you have configured the Messenger volume resource, you can test the load and unload scripts by bringing the Messenger volume online and taking it offline again.

  1. In ConsoleOne, select the Cluster object, then click View > Cluster State.


    Cluster State dialog box indicating the volume resource is offline

    The new Messenger volume resource shows Offline in the State column.

  2. Click the new Messenger volume resource, then click Online.


    Cluster State dialog box indicating the volume resource is running

    The State column for the volume resource now displays Running.

  3. Observe the server console where the Messenger agents are loading to see that they start and run correctly.

  4. Click the new Messenger volume resource, then click Offline.

    The State column for the volume resource returns to Offline.

  5. Observe the server console where the Messenger agents are unloading to see that they shut down correctly.

  6. Repeat Step 2 whenever you are ready to bring the new Messenger volume resource online permanently.

    On NetWare 6.x, these actions can also be performed from your Web browser. See Using NetWare Remote Manager on NetWare 6.x.