SG integration with VCFS

[Wessam Aly]

Hello all,

We're building a 4-node cluster using SG with some packages configured on each node. The only thing common between tose packages is that they need to access one filesystem at the same time.. hence Veritas CFS.
My question is.. do i have to order the SG SMS component to manage CFS or can I just install CFS and install SG and have them work seperately. I'll just need SG to mount/umount the filesystem if starting/stoping the package.
Is this valid ?
Thanks all,
Wessam

[Emil Velez]

The HP ServiceGuard CFS software works in conjunction with serviceguard and uses serviceguard to help manage the Cluster File Systms. The HP Cluster File system is implemented in special ServiceGuard packages that manage the Cluster Disk grup and the Cluster mount points.

ServiceGuard 11.17 and higher is needed since it uses multinode packages.

The CFS Software comes with Cluster Disk Group software but requires base VXVM to be initially installed on the system

[Duncan Edmonstone]

>> do i have to order the SG SMS component to manage CFS or can I just install CFS and install SG and have them work seperately.

Your question implies that either:

i) You already have a copy of the original symantec version of CFS - this _won't_ work with Serviceguard, only with VCS.

-or-

ii) You don't have anything yet...

Eiether way you need the SGSMS bundle from HP only - don't go to Veritas/Symantec for anything - anything that Veritas/Symantec can sell you _won't_ work with Serviceguard.

>> can I just install CFS and install SG and have them work seperately.

No - Serviceguard controls CFS (and CVM) through the use of multi-node packages. Install SGSMS and follow the steps in the SGSMS manual to create cluster filesystems... Serviceguard controls everything - CFS does not work independently...

>> The only thing common between tose packages is that they need to access one filesystem at the same time..

Writing to the same files? What's the application? What file locking semantics are in place to prevent corruption??

HTH

Duncan

[Wessam Aly]

Thanks all,

I do believe that CFS is not dependent on any cluster management application.
CFS is completely capable of working by itself without either VCS or Service Guard.
Thats why I'm asking if the two products can co-exist on the same systems without any interaction needed.

HP is refusing to certify the solution when I install CFS standing alone from SG. They are trying to convince me that I have to BUY the SMS license too.. which I really dont need since I already have Veritas CFS license and a standard SG license.
We're using SG 11.17 and CFS 5.1 MP2

No Duncan we wont be using concurrent writing to the same files, so that wont be a problem.

[Duncan Edmonstone · Accepted solution]

>> I do believe that CFS is not dependent on any cluster management application.
CFS is completely capable of working by itself without either VCS or Service Guard.


You believe wrong - CFS and CVM _are_ dependent on cluster services of some kind - either VCS (if you purchase everything from Symantec) or Serviceguard (if you get everything from HP)

>> We're using SG 11.17 and CFS 5.1 MP2


I still think you are confused here between product from Symantec(Veritas) and product from HP - if you want to use CFS on the same hosts as you have Serviceguard installed, you MUST integrate CFS with Serviceguard using the Serviceguard Storage Management Suite. The latest supported verson I see on the support matrices is SGSMS A.02.01 which provides Serviceguard 11.19 and Vertitas Storage Foundation 5.0 - there may be patches to go beyond that to 5.01 (not sure if thats what you are asking about), but you certainly can't use CFS5.1 with Serviceguard 11.17

http://docs.hp.com/en/5971/SG-SGeRAC-SMS-EMSSupport.htm

HTH

Duncan

[Wessam Aly]

Just for the sake of argument, would you kindly point me to any docs explaining that CFS has to be managed by cluster services.

Because we just installed CFS on 4 nodes sharing one filesystem with no VCS or SG installed.

[Duncan Edmonstone]

Wessam,

I hate to reference Wikipedia, but it was one of the first I found:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veritas_Cluster_File_System

The Veritas Cluster File System, (or VxCFS), is a cache coherent POSIX compliant shared file system built based upon VERITAS File System. It is distributed with a built-in Cluster Volume Manager (VxCVM) and components of other VERITAS Storage Foundation products - particularly VERITAS Cluster Server, VERITAS File System, and VERITAS Volume Manager. It uses the underlying mechanisms of VERITAS Cluster Server to manage membership and changes in cluster state.

If you have installed this on 4 nodes without using Serviceguard, then whether you know it or not you are using VCS... so you can't use that version with Serviceguard at all (as you can only have one cluster solution in place)

HTH

Duncan

[Wessam Aly]

I believe you're right. We appear to have some kind of configuration on vcs but vcs is not actively managing/monitoring anything.

Thanks for your support.

[Duncan Edmonstone]

Wessam,

Well thanks for the points! Looks like you just tipped me over the edge from Pharaoh to Olympian!

Cheers,

Duncan