SG boot from SAN- it possible?

[ostapvv]

Hello, guys!
I have Service Guard v.11.20.
I want to boot from SAN hp-ux 11.31 and build cluster it is possible?
Thanks.

[Torsten.]

Of course you can install 11.31 on SAN in a supported environment - why not?

[Duncan Edmonstone · Accepted solution]

...however if the question is, can you have all nodes in the cluster booted from a single SAN LUN, then (I think TruCluster used to do this?) then NO you can't do that.

HTH

Duncan

[ostapvv]

Duncan,Torsten, thanks for answer.

My situation:
I have a two BL860i2 servers at different sites.

I want:
1) Changed local boot to "boot from SAN"
2) Create SG geocluster.

[Torsten.]

>> 1) Changed local boot to "boot from SAN"


May I ask for the reason?

These blades can do a very nice hardware RAID on the internal disks.

[ostapvv]

This a request customer..

[Torsten.]

As said, in a supported environment you can install the OS on a SAN based LUN too.
This means you need supported switches and arrays.

[Michael Steele_2]

Your problem isn't going to be with bootable SAN disks in a cluster. Superdomes for example keep their OS SCSI disks for each NPar in a DS2100 disk array that'ss maybe 20 feet away. The biggest factor is the signal strength. SCSC signals can only travel a short distance depending upon the pin configuration, 20 to 100 feet.PE

You are going to have the same problem building a geocluster. The expense is substantial. Years ago dark fiber optics was the only technology available. You'll have to check into this and see what else is available today. And with special network technology you buy special switches, routers and signal boosters, repeaters, etc.

Many look at this option and determined that it's easier to build two, 2 node clusters in two data centers and manually fail over when needed which takes only a few minutes longer. As opposed to spending millions to get a failover in seconds. Which, is going to take 20 minutes to form and come up anyway.

It's not hard to keep remote databases in sync. Companies have been doing it for decades.

Back to SAN boot up disks: The biggest issue will be in finding supporting HBA's that are configured to handle a OS bootup. Not all of them are. For example, typically HBA drivers don't get loaded until the OS is up. But they're around. Start here, verify your SAN switches can also handle an OS boot up and do the research.

Gather your HBA product numbers then call emulex, Qlogic, your disk array manufacturer, your HBA manufacturer: They'll know.