To add a new OpenVMS Version 8.4 Alpha or Integrity servers system to an existing OpenVMS Cluster configuration, all existing Alpha nodes in the cluster must be running OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.3-2 or later, and all existing OpenVMS Integrity server nodes must be running OpenVMS Integrity servers Version 8.2-1 or later. Any node in the cluster that is running an older version of OpenVMS must be upgraded appropriately before you can add a Version 8.4 node. If you have a VAXcluster, any node running an older version of OpenVMS VAX must be upgraded to Version 7.3 of OpenVMS VAX before you can add an Alpha Version 8.4 node.

Alternatively, any OpenVMS Alpha or Integrity servers node that needs to be upgraded can be removed temporarily from the cluster and added back after it has been upgraded. This allows you to form a supported cluster immediately, adding nodes back into the cluster as they are upgraded. Note that, depending on the number of nodes being added, you might need to adjust the EXPECTED_VOTES system parameter to reflect the number of voting nodes and any quorum disk votes (if a quorum disk is being used). In addition, for any node being removed from the cluster, you should specify the REMOVE_NODE option during system shutdown so that the quorum for the remaining nodes is correctly adjusted.