HP-UX & Linux clusters

[Trent Bukowsky]

We have a HP D-Class server running HP-UX 10.20 and I have recently installed RH Linux 7.1 one on one of my desktops. Is it possible to cluster these two machines for sharing applications, and maintain these two like hot servers if so how.

WHat is the actual function of MC ServiceGaurd and is there an opensource version of MC Servicegaurd.

Thanks,

Trent

[Santosh Nair_1]

Given the fact that these two machines have totally different architechture and therefore can NOT run the same executables, clustering software would not really help you. There are exceptions to this, i.e. you're just providing services from the two machines, i.e. web server serving the same pages, database serving the same data, etc.

ServiceGuard is HP's highavailability tool. It allows an application (package) to move from one machine to another in case of hardware or software problems. As such, ServiceGuard does not lend itself to cross-platform deployment.

That said, there is work being done in the opensource area for some clustering solution. Take a look at:

http://www.linux-ha.org

-Santosh

[Wodisch]

Hello Trent,

even with HP porting MC/ServiceGuard to linux
you will NOT be able to built a mixed processor
architecture cluster...
And since PA-RISC is running "big endian mode",
but Intel CPUs use "little endian mode", you cannot
even access the data in raw-devices from both systems:
One will store 256 as "00 01", whereas the other will
store it "01 00" :-(

Sorry,
Wodisch

[melvyn burnard]

ServiceGuard for Linux will be available in November 2001. However, you will NOT be able to create a cluster of mixed OS types, i.e. Linux and Hp-UX.