Service Guard

[Harbinder Dhinsa]

I've only recently completed the basics in HPUX admin course via CBT, and my boss wants me to configure a Service Guard cluster using 4 x V2600s and 3 x N4000s, but I have read the manuals online, and don't quite understand where I should start.

[Rick Garland]

There are MC/SG classes available through the HP education site.

[Cheryl Griffin]

Not having been through any formal Service Guard training, this will be quite a challenge.

Here is the site for documentation:
http://www.docs.hp.com/hpux/ha/
Look for the Service Guard section

For HP's Service Guard training:
http://education.itresourcecenter.hp.com/
Select the link for HP-UX, and classes.

[John Palmer]

I would suggest that considering the amount of money that has obviously been spent on hardware that some investment should also be made in proper training for the systems administrators.

Serviceguard is not a simple thing to install and administer and relies on a sound understanding of HP-UX, HP hardware and networking.

Regards,

John

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi:

I strongly urge you to take the HP course(s). Setting up an MC/ServiceGuard environment and testing it properly is not trivial. Good hardware knowledge is required and downtimes for hardware reconfiguration are a normal part of the process. Time will need to be allocated for failover testing. Believe me, nothing ever seems to work the first time.

...JRF...

[Scott Dunkley]

The best thing to do is go to the links on the previous replys, but basically the first place to start is to set up the LVM side of things, i.e set up the shared pool of disks, this is done by configuring the disks to one machine then exporting the disk config to a map file then importing on the other nodes in the cluster, once you have done this and the networking requiremnts are in place you are then ready to configure the cluster using cmquerycl......It is worth going on the MC/ServiceGuard 5 day workshop that HP run.

[Rita C Workman · Accepted solution]

I can't say this strongly enough....do not attempt to put together a cluster until you gone to class. Just the normal things bringing it up and down and adding disk to anything associated with SG is challenging enough when you haven't gone to class yet.
It will cost alot more to fix a wrong setup....than it would to send you to class !!
And let's not talk about the stress ..

Take the class.... first !!

[Antoanetta Naghiu]

To your boss: A very good understanding of LVM, a good understanding of networking are the basic requirements. You need a plan. Try to convins your boss that a baby that can not walk for sure is not able to run (jogging).
Get the training.
Just for you: If can not get the training, read the book, make a plan, post your plan and I'm sure you'll get help here.