4.5 Software Requirements for Cluster Services

Ensure that your system meets the following software requirements for installing and managing Novell Cluster Services:

4.5.1 Novell Open Enterprise Server 2 Linux

For new installs and migrations, Novell Cluster Services 1.8.8 for Linux supports Novell Open Enterprise Server 2 SP3 services and file systems running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP4. Novell Cluster Services is one of the OES 2 Services patterns for OES 2 Linux.

We recommend having uniform nodes in the cluster. The same release of OES 2 Linux must be installed and running on each node in the cluster. Mixed-node clusters running 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the same OES 2 Linux release are supported. Wherever possible when working with mixed platforms, you should set up the preferred nodes for each resource so that the resource fails over only between 32-bit nodes or only between 64-bit nodes.

Mixed-node clusters with different operating system platforms are supported during rolling cluster upgrades or conversions for the following scenarios:

4.5.2 Novell eDirectory 8.8.6

Novell eDirectory 8.8.6 (or later) is required for managing the Cluster object and Cluster Node objects for Novell Cluster Services in OES 2 SP3. eDirectory must be installed and running in the same tree where you create the cluster. eDirectory can be installed on any node in the cluster, on a separate server, or in a separate cluster. You can install an eDirectory master replica or replica in the cluster, but it is not required to do so for Novell Cluster Services.

IMPORTANT:Because the cluster objects and their settings are stored in eDirectory, eDirectory must be running and working properly whenever you modify the settings for the cluster or the cluster resources.

In addition, ensure that your eDirectory configuration meets the following requirements:

eDirectory Tree

All servers in the cluster must be in the same Novell eDirectory tree.

eDirectory Context

If you are creating a new cluster, the eDirectory context where the new Cluster object will reside must be an existing context. Specifying a new context during the Novell Cluster Services configuration does not create a new context.

Cluster Object Container

We recommend that the Cluster object and all of its member Server objects and Storage objects be located in the same OU. Multiple Cluster objects can co-exist in the same eDirectory container.

Figure 4-1 Same Container for Cluster Object and Server Objects

If the servers in the cluster are in separate eDirectory containers, the user that administers the cluster must have rights to the cluster server containers and to the containers where any cluster-enabled pool objects are stored. You can do this by adding trustee assignments for the cluster administrator to a parent container of the containers where the cluster server objects reside. See eDirectory Rights in the eDirectory 8.8 Administration Guide for more information.

Cluster Objects Stored in eDirectory

After you create a cluster, the following cluster objects are automatically created and stored in eDirectory under the Cluster object ():

Icon

eDirectory Object

Master_IP_Address_Resource

Cluster Node object (servername)

Resource Template objects. There are 11 default templates:

  • AV_Template
  • DHCP_Template
  • DNS_Template
  • Generic_FS_Template
  • Generic_IP_Service
  • iFolder_Template
  • iPrint_Template
  • MySQL_Template
  • Samba_Template
  • Xen_Template
  • XenLive_Template

The following objects are added to eDirectory when you add nodes or create cluster resources:

Icon

eDirectory Object

Cluster Node object (servername)

NSS Pool Resource object (poolname_SERVER)

Resource object

LDAP Server List

If eDirectory is not installed on a node, it looks to the LDAP server list for information about which LDAP server to use. As a best practice, you should list the LDAP servers in the following order:

  • local to the cluster

  • closest physical read/write replica

For information about configuring a list of LDAP servers for the cluster, see Section 8.9.1, Changing the Administrator Credentials or LDAP Server IP Addresses for a Cluster.

4.5.3 SLP

SLP (Service Location Protocol) is a required component for Novell Cluster Services on Linux when you are using NCP to access file systems on cluster resources. NCP requires SLP for the ncpcon bind and ncpcon unbind commands in the cluster load and unload scripts. For example, NCP is needed for NSS volumes and for NCP volumes on Linux POSIX file systems.

SLP is not automatically installed when you select Novell Cluster Services. SLP is installed as part of the Novell eDirectory configuration during the OES 2 Linux install. You can enable and configure SLP on the eDirectory Configuration - NTP & SLP page. For information, see Specifying SLP Configuration Options in the OES 2 SP3: Installation Guide.

When the SLP daemon (slpd) is not installed and running on a cluster node, any cluster resource that contains the ncpcon bind command goes comatose when it is migrated or failed over to the node because the bind cannot be executed without SLP.

The SLP daemon (slpd) must also be installed and running on all nodes in the cluster when you manage the cluster or cluster resources.

NCP Server re-registers cluster resource virtual NCP servers with SLP based on the setting for the eDirectory advertise-life-time (n4u.nds.advertise-life-time) parameter. The parameter is set by default to 3600 seconds (1 hour) and has a valid range of 1 to 65535 seconds.

You can use the ndsconfig set command to set the n44.nds.advertise-life-time parameter. To reset the parameter in a cluster, perform the following tasks on each node of the cluster:

  1. Log in to the node as the root user, then open a terminal console.

  2. Take offline all of the cluster resources on the node, or cluster migrate them to a different server. At a command prompt, enter

    cluster offline <resource_name>
    
    or
    
    cluster migrate <resource_name> <target_node_name>
    
  3. Modify the eDirectory SLP advertising timer parameter (n4u.nds.advertise-life-time), then restart ndsd and slpd. At a command prompt, enter

    ndsconfig set n4u.nds.advertise-life-time=<value_in_seconds>
    
    rcndsd restart
    
    rcslpd restart
    
  4. Bring online all of the cluster resources on the node, or cluster migrate the previously migrated resources back to this node.

    cluster online <resource_name>
    
    or
    
    cluster migrate <resource_name> <node_name>
    
  5. Repeat the previous steps on the other nodes in the cluster.

OpenSLP stores the registration information in cache. You can configure the SLP Directory Agents to preserve a copy of the database when the SLP daemon (slpd) is stopped or restarted. This allows SLP to know about registrations immediately when it starts.

For more information about configuring and managing SLP, see Configuring OpenSLP for eDirectory in the Novell eDirectory 8.8 SP7 Administration Guide.

4.5.4 Novell Cluster Services

Novell Cluster Services is required for creating and managing clusters and shared resources. It must be installed on the server to allow devices to be set to a shared state, such as the device used for the SBD partition and for shared storage resources.

4.5.5 Novell iManager 2.7.4

Novell iManager 2.7.4 (or later) is required for configuring and managing clusters on OES 2 SP3 Linux. iManager must be installed on at least one computer in the same tree as the cluster. It can be installed in the cluster or not in the cluster. For information about using iManager, see the iManager 2.7x documentation Web site.

For OpenWBEM and CIMOM requirements, see Section 4.5.9, OpenWBEM and CIMOM.

For browser configuration requirements, see Web Browser.

4.5.6 Clusters Plug-in for iManager

The Clusters plug-in for iManager provides the Clusters role where you can manage clusters and cluster resources with Novell Cluster Services. The plug-in can be used on all operating systems supported by iManager and iManager Workstation.

The following components must be installed in iManager:

If iManager is also installed on the server, these files are automatically installed in iManager when you install Novell Cluster Services.

The Clusters plug-in also provides an integrated management interface for Novell Business Continuity Clustering (BCC). The additional interface is present only if BCC is installed on the server. See the following table for information about the versions of BCC that are supported. BCC is sold separately from OES 2 Linux. For purchasing information, see the BCC product page.

BCC Release

OES Support

iManager and Clusters Plug-In

BCC 2.0

OES 11 SP1

Novell iManager 2.7.6 or later

Requires the Clusters plug-in for OES 11 SP1 with the latest patches applied.

See the BCC 2.0 Administration Guide for OES 11 SP1.

BCC 1.2.2

OES 2 SP3

Novell iManager 2.7.4 or later

Requires the Clusters plug-in for OES 2 SP3 and the OES 2 SP3 April 2011 Scheduled Maintenance patch.

See the BCC 1.2.2: Administration Guide for OES 2 SP3.

BCC 1.2.1

OES 2 SP2

Novell iManager 2.7.3 or later

Requires the Clusters plug-in in the OES 2 SP2 January 2010 Maintenance patch.

See the BCC 1.2.1: Administration Guide for OES 2 SP2.

BCC 1.1 SP2

NetWare 6.5 SP8

Novell iManager 2.7.2 or later

Requires the Clusters plug-in released in OES 2 SP1 Linux or NetWare 6.5 SP8, or a later version.

See the BCC 1.1 SP2 Administration Guide for NetWare 6.5 SP8.

4.5.7 Storage-Related Plug-Ins for iManager

In OES 2 Linux, the following storage-related plug-ins for iManager share code in common in the storagemgmt.rpm file:

Product

Plug-In

NPM File

Novell Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) (for OES 2 SP1 Linux and later)

File Protocols > AFP

afpmgmt.rpm

Novell Archive and Version Services

Archive Versioning

arkmgmt.rpm

Novell CIFS (for OES 2 SP1 Linux and later)

File Protocols > CIFS

cifsmgmt.rpm

Novell Cluster Services

Clusters

ncsmgmt.rpm

Novell Distributed File Services

Distributed File Services

dfsmgmt.rpm

Novell Storage Services

Storage

nssmgmt.rpm

These additional plug-ins are needed when working with the NSS file system. Ensure that you include the common storagemgmt.rpm plug-in module when installing any of these storage-related plug-ins.

IMPORTANT:If you use more than one of these plug-ins, you should install, update, or remove them all at the same time to ensure that the common code works for all plug-ins.

Ensure that you uninstall the old version of the plug-ins before you attempt to install the new versions of the plug-in files.

The plug-in files are included on the installation disk. The latest Novell storage-related plug-ins can be downloaded as a single zipped download file from the Novell Downloads Web site. For information about installing plug-ins in iManager, seeDownloading and Installing Plug-in Modules in the Novell iManager 2.7.6 Administration Guide.

For information about working with storage-related plug-ins for iManager, see Understanding Storage-Related Plug-Ins in the OES 2 SP3: NSS File System Administration Guide for Linux.

4.5.8 EVMS

EVMS (Enterprise Volume Management System) 2.5.5-24.54.5 or later is automatically installed on the server when you install Novell Cluster Services. It provides the Cluster Segment Manager (CSM) for shared cluster resources.

Updates to EVMS are received through the update channel for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP4 or later. Ensure that you install the latest patches for EVMS before you create any cluster resources for this server.

WARNING:EVMS administration utilities (evms, evmsgui, and evmsn) should not be running when they are not being used. EVMS utilities lock the EVMS engine, which prevents other EVMS-related actions from being performed. This affects both NSS and Linux POSIX volume actions.

NSS and Linux POSIX volume cluster resources should not be cluster migrated while any of the EVMS administration utilities are running.

4.5.9 OpenWBEM and CIMOM

OpenWBEM is a PAM-enabled Linux utility that must be enabled and running on the OES 2 Linux server when managing services with Novell Remote Manager for Linux and Novell iManager. OpenWBEM must be configured to start with chkconfig, and be running when you manage the cluster with Novell iManager. For information on setup and configuration, see the OES 2 SP3: OpenWBEM Services Administration Guide.

IMPORTANT:OpenWBEM must be running and working properly whenever you modify the settings for the cluster or the cluster resources.

Port 5989 is the default setting for secure HTTP (HTTPS) communications. If you are using a firewall, the port must be opened for CIMOM communications.

For OES 2 and later, the Clusters plug-in (and all other storage-related plug-ins) for iManager require CIMOM connections for tasks that transmit sensitive information (such as a user name and password) between iManager and the _admin volume on the OES 2 Linux that server you are managing. Typically, CIMOM is running, so this should be the normal condition when using the server. CIMOM connections use Secure HTTP (HTTPS) for transferring data, and this ensures that sensitive data is not exposed.

If CIMOM is not currently running when you click OK or Finish for the task that sends the sensitive information, you get an error message explaining that the connection is not secure and that CIMOM must be running before you can perform the task.

IMPORTANT:If you receive file protocol errors, it might be because WBEM is not running.

The following table contains some useful commands for resolving CIMOM issues:

To perform this task

At a terminal console prompt, enter as the root user

To check openWBEM status

rcowcimomd status

To restart openWBEM

rcowcimomd restart

4.5.10 CASA

Novell Cluster Services requires CASA (Common Authentication Service Adapter) to be installed and running on each node in the cluster.

The following table contains some useful commands for resolving CASA issues:

To perform this task

At a terminal console prompt, enter as the root user

To check CASA status

rcmicasad status

To check that CASA is running correctly

CASAcli -l

To restart CASA

rcmicasad restart

4.5.11 Web Browser

The browser that will be used to manage Novell Cluster Services must be set to a supported language. For information about supported languages, see the Novell iManager documentation.

The Clusters plug-in for iManager might not operate properly if the highest priority Language setting for your Web browser is set to a language other than one of the supported languages. To avoid problems, in your Web browser, click Tools > Options > Languages, and then set the first language preference in the list to a supported language.

Supported language codes are Unicode (UTF-8) compliant. To avoid display problems, ensure that the Character Encoding setting for the browser is set to Unicode (UTF-8) or ISO 8859-1 (Western, Western European, West European).

  • In a Mozilla browser, click View > Character Encoding, then select the supported character encoding setting.

  • In an Internet Explorer browser, click View > Encoding, then select the supported character encoding setting.

For a information about supported browsers, see Using a Supported Web Browser in the Novell iManager 2.7.6 Administration Guide.