non ip heart beat in serviceguard clustering

[Shivkumar]

Hi,

What are the ways to implement non-ip heartbeat in serviceguard clustering ?

Thanks,
Shiv

[RAC_1]

I think you can use crossover cable. But I think latest SG versions do not support that.

[m saravanan]

Shiv.

You can use RS232 Serial heartbeat. Serviceguard supports a two-node configuration using serial (RS232)
communication for heartbeats only. You select this as an alternate
heartbeat interface to provide redundant heartbeat data.

Check the MC Service Guard Manager document for how to configure the Serial Heartbeat.

Note: The use of a serial (RS232) heartbeat line is supported only in a two-node
cluster configuration.


Regds,
saravanan

[John Bigg · Accepted solution]

Note that a serial heartbeat is not a full heartbeat and should not be considered as such. The purpose of a serial heartbeat is to complement a lan based heartbeat when only 1 lan card (i.e. no secondary heartbeat or standby) is configured.

In a 2 node cluster where a single heartbeat lan card fails one of the nodes in the cluster has to TOC. We would not want the node with the failing lan card to TOC. This is where the serial heartbeat comes in. The serial heartbeat allows Serviceguard on each node to determine where the failing lan card is and to TOC that node so the working node remains and the faulty node goes down.

A serial heartbeat will not allow a cluster to keep running when only the serial line remains since it does not carry a full hearbeat or other communications.