Designing the Compaq ProLiant Clusters HA/F100 and HA/F200
2-23
Compaq Confidential – Need to Know Required
Writer:
Bryan Hicks
Project:
Compaq ProLiant Clusters HA/F100 and HA/F200 Administrator Guide
Comments:
Part Number:
380362-003
File Name:
c-ch2 Designing the Compaq ProLiant Clusters HAF100 and HAF200.doc
Last Saved On:
8/24/00 12:00 PM
Nonshared Disk Drives
Nonshared disk drives, or local storage, operate the same way in a cluster as
they do in a single-server environment. These drives can be in the server drive
bays or in an external storage cabinet. As long as they are not accessible by
both servers, they are considered nonshared.
Treat nonshared drives in a clustered environment as you would in a
nonclustered environment. Most likely, some form of RAID is used to protect
the drives and restore a failed drive. Since the operating system is stored on
these drives, use either hardware or software RAID to protect the information.
Hardware RAID is available with the Compaq SMART-2 Controller or by
using a nonshared storage system.
Shared Disk Drives
Shared disk drives are contained in the RA4000/4100, which is accessible by
each cluster node. Employ hardware RAID 1 or 5 on all of your shared disk
drives. This is configured using the Compaq Array Configuration Utility.
If RAID 1 or 5 is not used, failure of a shared disk drive will disrupt service to
all clustered applications and services that depend on the drive. Failover of a
cluster node will not resolve this failure, since neither server can read from a
failed drive.
NOTE:
Windows NTS/E software RAID is not available for shared drives when using
MSCS. Hardware RAID is the only available RAID option for shared storage.
As with other system failures, Compaq Insight Manager monitors the health of
disk drives and will mark a failed drive as “Failed.”
Enhanced High Availability Features of the HA/F200
A single point of failure refers to any component in the system that, should it
fail, prevents the system from functioning. Single points of failure in hardware
can be minimized, and in some cases eliminated, by using redundant
components. The most effective way of accomplishing this is by clustering.
The Compaq ProLiant Cluster HA/F100 reduces the single points of failure
that exist in a single-server environment by allowing two servers to share
storage and take over for each other in the event that one server fails. The
Compaq ProLiant Cluster HA/F200 goes one step further by implementing a
dual redundant Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop configuration.
Summary of Contents for ProLiant Clusters HA/F100
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