How to configure disks for HPE Serviceguard 15.0 in Simplivity with VMware

[jrevuelta2]

I need to know how to configure shared disks and/or VMware in a Simplivity environment. VM´s are in two diferents Simplivity Nodes with ESX 7.0.3i. I am using RHEL 8.7 and HP SG 15.0. 

[Vinky_99]

@jrevuelta2 

You may follow the below instructions to configure disks for HPE Serviceguard 15.0 in a Simplivity environment with VMware:

1. Create a Simplivity virtual machine (VM) in one of the two nodes.

2. Configure the VM with the necessary resources (CPU, memory, network, etc.) and install RHEL 8.7 in the VM.

3. Create a shared virtual disk that will be used by both VMs. To do this, go to the vSphere Client and select the Simplivity node where the first VM is located.

4. In the vSphere Client, right-click the first VM and select "Edit Settings."

5. Click the "Add New Device" button and select "Hard Disk."

6. Choose the option to "Create a new virtual disk" and select the desired size and storage location for the disk.

7. Check the "Sharing" box to make the disk a shared virtual disk.

8. Repeat steps 3 to 7 for the second VM located in the other Simplivity node.

9. Configure HPE Serviceguard 15.0 on both VMs to recognize the shared virtual disk as a shared storage device.

10. Configure the cluster configuration file (/etc/cmcluster/cmclconfig) on both VMs to use the shared virtual disk as the cluster quorum disk.

11. Test the configuration by simulating a failover scenario.

Make a note: It is important to ensure that the shared virtual disk is available to both VMs at all times. This can be achieved by configuring high availability features such as vSphere HA or Simplivity's own availability features.

Hope that helps! 

[jrevuelta2 · Accepted solution]

@Vinky_99 , as you could find in SG for Linux 15.0  Certification Matrix, quorum server is the only arbitration method supported with Simplivity;

1.3 HyperconvergedSystems
Hyperconverged
System
Serviceguard Version Remarks
HPE SimpliVity 380
Gen10 G
A.15.00.00 and later
• Supported only with VMware hypervisor with VMFS volumes
• Quorum Server is the only supported arbitration  method

On the other hand, DLS is the only supported storage configuration.

[Vinky_99]

@jrevuelta2 

Thank you for pointing that out. As you mentioned, according to the HPE Serviceguard for Linux 15.0 Certification Matrix, Simplivity supports only the Quorum Server as the arbitration method for HPE Serviceguard cluster. This means that in case of a network partition or a node failure, the Quorum Server will be used to determine the state of the cluster and maintain cluster integrity.

Regarding the storage configuration, the same matrix indicates that Direct-Attached Storage (DAS) is the only supported storage configuration for Simplivity with HPE Serviceguard cluster.

Therefore, to configure HPE Serviceguard 15.0 in a Simplivity environment with VMware, you would need to use DAS and the Quorum Server as the arbitration method, as these are the only supported options according to the HPE Serviceguard for Linux 15.0 Certification Matrix.

Note: I'm not a expert, I may go wrong as well. 

[Mike_Chisholm]

I think there is some confusion here. The Cert Matrix states the following for Simplivity. Beyond the requirement for VMFS volumes there is no other storage requirement mentioned.

====

•Supported only with VMware hypervisor with VMFS volumes

•Quorum Server is the only supported arbitration method

•Refer section 3.7 for SGeSAP support information with SimpliVity

====

However the HPE Serviceguard for Linux Concepts Guide A.15.00.00 states that only DLS (Dynamically Linked Storage) is available for guests running on Simplivity. See the following link for information: https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=sd00002308en_us&docLocale=en_US&page=GUID-18FA331D-528E-467F-9179-2BA4915B8E73.html