Release Notes for: o DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 o DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.0 Service Pack 3 Date: May, 1997 Product Versions * DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 (Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3) NOTE: Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 is required for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) file share failover. * DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.0 with Clusters Service Pack 3 (Windows NT 3.51 Service Pack 5) This document provides new and updated information for the DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT product: * Installation and upgrade notes * New features * Problems resolved since Version 1.0 Service Pack 2 and Version 1.1 * Problems and restrictions _______________________________________________________ | Upgrade Note | |If you are upgrading cluster clients to Version 1.0, | | Clusters Service Pack 3, you must run a batch file | | on the CD-ROM. See Section 1.3.1.3. | ------------------------------------------------------- Please retain these instructions for future use. For general information on the DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT product, visit the web site http://www.windows.digital.com. =========================================================== Contents =========================================================== 1 Installation Notes 1.1 Installing DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.1 1.1.1 New Installations 1.1.1.1 Cluster Servers 1.1.1.2 Cluster Clients 1.1.1.3 Disabling Client Cluster Software on the Server 1.1.2 HSZ 3.2 and HSZ 2.71 Drivers Provided 1.1.3 Installing Version 1.1 on Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 or Later 1.2 Installing DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.1 with Clusters Service Pack 1 1.2.1 Upgrading to Digital Clusters for Windows Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 1.2.1.1 Requirements 1.2.1.2 Upgrading Your Cluster Servers 1.3 Installing DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.0 Service Pack 3 1.3.1 Upgrading to Clusters Service Pack 3 1.3.1.1 Cluster Servers 1.3.1.3 Cluster Clients 1.3.2 Installing Version 1.0 1.3.2.1 Cluster Server 1.3.2.2 Cluster Clients 1.3.3 Reinstalling: Use "Join Cluster, Search Clusters in Domain" 1.4 No Support for Checked Versions of Windows NT 1.5 Cluster Names Must Be Unique 1.6 Uninstall May Leave Some Files Behind 2 New Features 2.1 DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.0 Service Pack 3 and Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 release features 2.1.1 IP address failover support for file shares (Windows NT Version 4.0 Service Pack 3 with Clusters 1.1 Service Pack 1 only) 2.1.1.1 Introducing IP address failover for file shares 2.1.2 Enhanced Microsoft SQL support 3 Problems Resolved Since Version 1.0 Service Pack 2 and Version 1.1 3.1 IP Failover Objects (Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 Only) 3.1.1 Spurious error message on deleting an IP Failover Object 3.2 Increased Number of Partitions Allowed on Shared Storage 3.3 Enroll all SQL Databases in all Groups Before Any Failover 3.4 SQL Duplicate Database ID Uniqueness Violation Prevented Database Enrollment 3.5 Cluster Services Do Not Start When a "Program" directory Exists Under Same Parent Directory as the "Program files" directory 4 Problems and Restrictions 4.1 IP Failover Objects 4.1.1 IP Failover Objects for Version 1.1 Only 4.2 Microsoft SQL Server 4.2.1 Cannot Enroll a Database if Both Servers in the Cluster are Not Running 4.2.2 Enroll all SQL Databases in all Groups Before Any Failover 4.2.3 Moving SQL Server Objects Within a Failover Group 4.2.4 Deleting an SQL Server Database 4.2.5 Using the "FOR LOAD" Option When Creating or Altering an SQL Database 4.2.6 SQL Server Databases are Not Listed 4.2.7 If a SQL Server Halts During Database Recovery 4.2.8 Create SQL Databases From the Primary Server Only 4.3 Oracle Server 4.3.1 Oracle7 Server Patch for Windows NT 4.0 (Alpha) 4.4 Windows NT Client 4.4.1 NetShareEnum Function Not Supported 4.4.2 Viewing Cluster Shares 4.4.3 Application Icons May Not Appear on Slow Networks 4.4.4 Share Operations not Allowed on Cluster Client Drive 4.4.5 Conner's BACKUP EXEC does not work with NT cluster 4.4.6 Client Can't Connect to Share With 14 Character Password 4.4.7 Application Executables Should be Located on the Client Machine 4.4.8 Viewing or Setting Permissions from a Windows NT 3.51 or 4.0 Client Fails 4.5 Windows 95 Clients 4.5.1 Using Wildcards to Assign Drives in "net use" Command 4.5.2 Viewing Cluster Shares 4.5.3 Word95 Default Save Location Doesn't Work 4.5.4 Win95 client - start/run with a cluster alias fails 4.6 Diskperf Driver Incompatible with Clusters Software 4.7 IDE Disks Are Not Supported 4.8 Assign Fixed Drive Letters 4.9 Using an Extended LAN (Windows NT 3.51 clusters only) 4.10 # Symbol Not Allowed in Directory Names 4.11 Logon Rights Occasionally Granted Improperly 4.12 Effects of Canceling a Clusters Installation (Version 1.0 Only) 4.13 Using Cluster Administrator 4.13.1 Display Unsynchronized with Cluster Failover Manager Database 4.13.2 Failover Object Names Restricted to 38 Characters 4.14 Defining Share Names 4.15 Lost Delayed Write Popup Boxes 4.16 Disk Administrator 4.16.1 Disk Administrator Shows Orphaned Disks (Version 1.0 Service Pack 1 - 3) After Some Failovers 4.16.2 Changing Drive Partitioning During Cluster Operations 4.17 Potential Problem when Using Microsoft Word Version 6.0a 4.18 Installing Visual C++ 4.2 4.19 NET VIEW to Cluster NetBIOS Name Also Shows Unclustered Shares 4.20 System Hangs When Registry Size is Exceeded Copyright and Trademark Information =========================================================== 1 Installation Notes =========================================================== This section supplements the installation information in your Configuration and Installation Guide. The DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 CD-ROM provides four versions of the cluster software: * Version 1.1, for Windows NT 4.0 * Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 (new) NOTE: Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 is required for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) file share failover. * Version 1.0 for Windows NT 3.51 * Version 1.0 Service Pack 3 (new) 1.1 Installing DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.1 ----------------------------------------------------------- 1.1.1 New Installations ----------------------- 1.1.1.1 Cluster Servers ----------------------------------- Follow the procedure in Chapter 4 of the Configuration and Installation Guide. Prerequisite: Both servers must be running either Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 2 or 3, or Windows NT 3.51 Service Pack 5. NOTE: Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 is required for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) file share failover. 1.1.1.2 Cluster Clients ----------------------- NOTE: Clients do not need the cluster client software installed if they plan to access only socket-based applications or NTFS fileshares, through a TCP/IP connection, on V1.1 Service Pack 1 clusters. DIGITAL recommends that you configure IP failover for new cluster installations. IP failover offers the following advantages: o It eliminates the need to install cluster client software. On a large network, this saves both time and disk space. o It eliminates the possibility of compatibility problems between the cluster client software and 3rd party networking products. o It allows WAN access to NTFS file shares. To install Version 1.1 cluster client software on new clients or upgrade Version 1.0 clients, see Chapter 5 of the Configuration and Installation Guide. You can install cluster client software on Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows for Workgroup systems that need to access the cluster by using the cluster name alias. 1.1.1.3 Disabling Client Cluster Software on the Server ------------------------------------------------------- If you are not using the client cluster software on any of your workstations, you can disable the client cluster software that is auto-installed on your cluster servers. As noted in section 1.1.1.2, DIGITAL recommends that you configure IP failover for new cluster installations. If you have already followed this recommendation, you should disable the NT Client on Cluster Servers. To do this, perform the following procedure: o From the Start menu, select Settings. o Select Control Panel from the Settings menu. o Select Devices o Select "Digital Clusters File System" from the Devices list. o Click the Startup button o Under Startup Type, select the Disabled radio button and click the OK button. 1.1.2 HSZ 3.2 and HSZ 2.71 Drivers Provided ------------------------------------------- The Clusters CD-ROM provides: o HSZ 3.2 driver files for Windows NT 4.0 o HSZ 2.71 driver files for Windows NT 3.51 These files are required for clusters that use DIGITAL RAID subsystems. To install these drivers run the Setup.exe program provided in the \HzInstall directory of the distribution CD-ROM. Setup.exe detects: o the processor type: Intel or Alpha o Windows NT version: 3.51 or 4.0 Setup.exe then installs the appropriate version of HszDisk.sys. The related directory structure on the distribution CD-ROM is as follows: HzInstal (with Setup.exe) | +-Alpha | | | +-Wnt351 | | (HszDisk v2.71) | +-Wnt4 | (HszDisk v3.2) +-Intel | +-Wnt351 | (HszDisk v2.71) +-Wnt4 (HszDisk v3.2) The related files are: ---------------------- \reggie.exe Registry programs called by the installation \Hszinstl.bat Installation program \Hszdisk.sys HSZ driver 1.1.3 Installing Version 1.1 on Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 or Later ---------------------------------------------------------------- The initial release of DIGITAL Clusters For Windows NT Version 1.1 will not install on any Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack greater than 3. Since Microsoft has just recently released Service Pack 3, this is not a problem for current users but rather a future concern to be aware of. Subsequent releases of DIGITAL Clusters For Windows NT Version 1.1, on the Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 CD for example, can be installed on Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 or later. The DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 CD contains two files (one for Alpha and one for Intel) which modify the original release of Version 1.1 so that it will install on Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 or later. For instructions on how to perform this modification, read the following file on the Service Pack 1 CD: Clu1-1nt.40\CluSP1\Misc\ReadMe.txt The procedure described in the ReadMe.txt file is intended for those who must download Service Pack 1 from the ftp and web sites. If you have the DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Service Pack 1 CD, we suggest using the Version 1.1 release on that CD for any future Version 1.1 installations since it does not have the limitation described in this section. 1.2 Installing DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.1 with Clusters Service Pack 1 --------------------------------------------------------------- DIGITAL Clusters 1.1 is for Windows NT 4.0 systems. This section provides notes on upgrading to the new Clusters Service Pack 1. NOTE: Clusters V1.1 Service Pack 1 is a rolling upgrade. Cluster resources remain available to users during this service pack upgrade. Upgrade one server at a time, using the procedure described below. 1.2.1 Upgrading to Digital Clusters for Windows Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.2.1.1 Requirements -------------------- Upgrading to Clusters Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 requires the following: o DIGITAL Clusters 1.1 Service Pack 1 CD-ROM o Cluster servers running: - Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3 NOTE: Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 is required for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) file share failover. - DIGITAL Clusters 1.1 1.2.1.2 Upgrading Your Cluster Servers -------------------------------------- To perform a rolling upgrade, follow this procedure: 1. All users must be disconnected from database resources. 2. With both servers in the cluster running, manually failover all cluster resources to one of the servers. 3. On the other server, Exit the Cluster Administrator NOTE: If you try to install the Clusters Service Pack 1 while running the Cluster Administrator application, the upgrade will not complete. 4. Install Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 NOTE: To start the installation, go to the \Clu1-1nt.40\CluSP1 directory on the CD-ROM and run the Setup.exe program. 5. Reboot the server 6. Manually failover all cluster resources to the server that was just upgraded to Service Pack 1. 7. Exit the Cluster Administrator 8. Now install Service Pack 1 on the second server 9. Reboot the server Server Files Updated by Service Pack 1: Service Pack 1 updates the following files on the cluster server: o In the user's target directory (typically C:\Program Files\Digital\Cluster): ReadMeSP.txt cuninst.exe ntcluster.exe ntcluster.hlp ntcluster.cnt sp_dec_find_cluster_dbs.sql sp_dec_find_cluster_fb_dbs.sql sp_dec_list_db_devs.sql sp_dec_list_db_fb_devs.sql sp_fallback_DEC_clean.sql sp_fallback_DEC_perm_svr_db.sql fmdisk.dll fmsql.dll fmIp.dll NEW FILES: sp_fallback_DEC_enroll_svr.sql decclstr.sql cluclean.sql * In the user's Windows NT System32 directory (typically C:\WINNT\System32): clumgmt.dll fmlib.dll * In the user's Windows NT System32\Drivers directory (typically C:\WINNT\System32\Drivers): cluport.sys cludisk.sys aic78xx.sys NOTE: You must re-boot the servers after the installation completes successfully. 1.3 Installing DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.0 Service Pack 3 ----------------------------------------------------------- DIGITAL Clusters 1.0 is for Windows NT 3.51 systems. This section provides notes on installing Version 1.0 and upgrading to the new Clusters Service Pack 3. NOTE: Clusters V1.0 Service Pack 3 is a rolling upgrade. Cluster resources remain available to users during this service pack upgrade. Upgrade one server at a time, using the procedure described below. 1.3.1 Upgrading to Clusters Service Pack 3 ------------------------------------------ Clusters Service Pack 3 provides * All Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 features. * Most new features and fixes in DIGITAL Clusters 1.1 Service Pack 1, except IP address failover and failover capabilities for file shares. 1.3.1.1 Cluster Servers ----------------------- See Chapter 7 of the Configuration and Installation Guide. Prerequisites: * Windows NT 3.51 Service Pack 5 * DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.0 with or without Clusters Service Pack 1 and 2 To perform a rolling upgrade, follow this procedure: 1. All users must be disconnected from database resources. 2. With both servers in the cluster running, manually failover all cluster resources to one of the servers. 3. On the other server, Exit the Cluster Administrator NOTE: If you try to install the Clusters Service Pack 3 while running the Cluster Administrator application, the upgrade will not complete. 4. Install Version 1.0 Service Pack 3 5. Reboot the server 6. Manually failover all cluster resources to the server that was just upgraded to Service Pack 3. 7. Exit the Cluster Administrator 8. Now install Service Pack 3 on the second server 9. Reboot the server Files Updated on the cluster server by DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.0 service Pack 3 o In the user's target directory (typically C:\Program Files\Digital\Cluster): ReadMeSP.txt cuninst.exe ntcluster.exe ntcluster.hlp ntcluster.cnt sp_dec_find_cluster_dbs.sql sp_dec_find_cluster_fb_dbs.sql sp_dec_list_db_devs.sql sp_dec_list_db_fb_devs.sql sp_fallback_DEC_clean.sql sp_fallback_DEC_perm_svr_db.sql fmdisk.dll fmsql.dll NEW FILES: sp_fallback_DEC_enroll_svr.sql decclstr.sql cluclean.sql * In the user's Windows NT System32 directory (typically C:\WINNT\System32): clumgmt.dll fmlib.dll * In the user's Windows NT System32\Drivers directory (typically C:\WINNT\System32\Drivers): cluport.sys cludisk.sys aic78xx.sys NOTE: You must re-boot the servers after the installation completes successfully. 1.3.1.3 Cluster Clients ----------------------- After upgrading your cluster servers, upgrade clients at the earliest convenient time. > To upgrade Version 1.0 cluster clients to Clusters Service Pack 3: Follow the steps in Chapter 5 for installing cluster client software. When you reach the step to start the installation, specify the appropriate setup program or batch command file for your client: For this client... Specify this file on the Version 1.1 CD-ROM... ---------------------- ---------------------------------------------- Windows 95 Clu1-0nt.351\CluSP3\Client\W95\Clw95sp3.bat Windows for Workgroups Clu1-0.nt351\CluSP3\Client\Wfwg\Clwfwsp3.bat Windows NT Clu1-0.nt351\CluSP3\Setup.exe The installation procedure is functionally equivalent to uninstalling the Version 1.0 client and installing the Version 1.1 client. 1.3.2 Installing Version 1.0 ---------------------------- If you want to install a new cluster in a Windows NT 3.51 environment rather than upgrading to Windows NT 4.0, you can install DIGITAL Clusters 1.0 and then install Clusters Service Pack 3. 1.3.2.1 Cluster Server ----------------------- See Chapter 4 of the Configuration and Installation Guide. Prerequisite: Both cluster servers must run Window NT 3.51 with Service Pack 5. A copy of Service Pack 5 is provided on the DIGITAL Clusters Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 CD-ROM: \Clu1-0nt.351\nt351sp5 1.3.2.2 Cluster Clients ------------------------- See Chapter 5 of the Configuration and Installation Guide. You can install cluster client software on Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows for Workgroup systems that need to access the cluster by using the cluster name alias. 1.3.3 Reinstalling: Use "Join Cluster, Search Clusters in Domain" ----------------------------------------------------------------- This note applies to cases where you need to uninstall and reinstall Version 1.0 cluster software on a server. Two reasons for doing this are: o If you replace a cluster server member. o If you reinstalled NT. If you want the server to join an existing cluster, choose the "Join Cluster, Search Clusters in Domain" option when reinstalling the cluster software. NOTE: The "join and search" option replicates the existing cluster configuration to the new server. 1.4 No Support for Checked Versions of Windows NT --------------------------------------------------- DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT is not supported on checked (debug) versions of Windows NT, such as the version available with the Windows NT Device Driver Kit (DDK). DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT must be installed on a release build (retail kit) of Windows NT. * Clusters Version 1.1 requires Windows NT Version 4.0 Service Pack 2 or 3. * Clusters Version 1.0 requires Windows NT Version 3.51 Service Pack 4 or Service Pack 5. The Clusters Version 1.0 Service Pack 3.0 requires Windows NT Service Pack 5. Service Pack 5 is provided on the DIGITAL Clusters Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 CD-ROM. 1.5 Cluster Names Must Be Unique ----------------------------------------------- The names you assign to different clusters in the same LAN must be unique within the first eight characters. Otherwise, it is possible for one cluster to see resources owned by another. For example, the names CLUSTER1 and CLUSTER2 are valid; CLUSTER1A and CLUSTER1B are not. 1.6 Uninstall May Leave Some Files Behind ----------------------------------------- The uninstallation of Digital Clusters V1.1 Service Pack 1 or V1.0 Service Pack 3 may leave behind some files. For a listing of these files and their locations, see the DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Configuration and Installation Guide, Appendix A. NOTE: Some of these same files, with the .old extension, may also be left undeleted. ============== 2 New Features ============== 2.1 DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.0 Service Pack 3 and Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 release features New features: Note: features are available in both Version 1.0 Service Pack 3 and Version 1.1, Clusters Service Pack 1, unless noted otherwise. * IP address failover support is now provided for file shares (Windows NT Version 4.0 Service Pack 3 with Clusters 1.1 Service Pack 1 only) * Enhanced Microsoft SQL support is provided. 2.1.1 IP address failover support for file shares (Windows NT Version 4.0 Service Pack 3 with Clusters 1.1 Service Pack 1 only) ------------------------------------------------- 2.1.1.1 Introducing IP address failover for file shares ------------------------------------------------------- The DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT now provides the ability to failover a NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) name in association with an IP address. The feature enables the capability of failing over file shares which can be accessed over a wide area network using TCP/IP. Support is provided in the Cluster Administrator for specifying NetBIOS Names in association with IP failover objects. A NetBIOS Name is used to identify a host for providing LAN Manager services such as file shares or named pipes. Also, since the LAN Manager protocol is actually contained inside TCP/IP packets, the NetBIOS Name is associated with an IP address. Lan manager services, such as file shares, are made accessible on a wide area network by layering them on top of TCP/IP. This is accomplished using "NetBIOS over TCP/IP" (NetBT). For details on setting up and using this new feature, see the "DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Administrator's Guide Addendum". 2.1.2 Enhanced Microsoft SQL support ------------------------------------ This service pack provides the following Microsoft SQL support enhancements: o Any DIGITAL Clusters stored procedures which are not in the SQL Server master database are automatically detected and installed when the system is rebooted. o Uninstalling DIGITAL Clusters deletes all the DIGITAL stored procedures introduced to your SQL server by the Clusters installation. o You will not be allowed to manually failover groups which contain disks upon which unenrolled SQL Server databases exist. With SQL 6.5, attempting to manually failover these groups caused problems. If you attempt it, you will see an error message displayed and the group will remain online on its current server until all the unenrolled databases are enrolled. o Before bringing up the Manage SQL Server Databases dialog, the Cluster Administrator fetches information about SQL Server databases. Prior to this service pack, the user had to manually Refresh if databases had been created since the Cluster Administrator was invoked. o You can no longer delete nor modify SQL Server failover objects. These operations were no longer necessary in V1.1, but the menu options were still available. Deletion and modification of SQL Server failover objects takes place automatically by using the Manage SQL Server Databases menu choice. o In the previous version of clusters the user had to create all SQL databases from the same server. This restriction no longer applies. ==================================================================== 3 Problems Resolved Since Version 1.0 Service Pack 2 and Version 1.1 ==================================================================== This section describes cluster software problems resolved since the DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.0 Service Pack 2 and Version 1.1 release. 3.1 IP Failover Objects (Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 Only) --------------------------------------------------------- 3.1.1 Spurious error message on deleting an IP Failover Object -------------------------------------------------------------- This message has been eliminated. 3.2 Increased Number of Partitions Allowed on Shared Storage ------------------------------------------------------------ An increased number of partitions are now allowed on the shared storage. 3.3 Enroll all SQL Databases in all Groups Before Any Failover -------------------------------------------------------------- Make sure that all SQL databases on the group's disks are enrolled for failover support. SQL Server setup for Digital Clusters is not complete until all of the databases are enrolled. If some databases are enrolled and others are not, then any failover will result in the SQL Server eventually hanging and unenrolled databases being marked suspect. NOTE: Cluster Administrator will not allow manual failover to continue and displays a warning message if there are any unenrolled databases in the group. 3.4 SQL Duplicate Database ID Uniqueness Violation Prevented Database Enrollment --------------------------------------------------------------------- Previously, the user had to create all databases from one sql server and then failover one group to the other server for the dual primary SQL configuration. With the release of DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 and Clusters Version 1.0 Service Pack 3 users can now create and enroll databases from each primary server. NOTE: The database must be online on its primary server. 3.5 Cluster Services Do Not Start When a "Program" directory Exists Under Same Parent Directory as the "Program files" directory ------------------------------------------------------------ If you have a "Program" directory under the same parent directory as the "Program files" directory, some cluster services may not start. Also, the Event Log displays an "access denied" error message. **Fixed with the installation of the Digital Clusters V1.1 SP1 and Digital Clusters V1.0 SP3. ============================================================== 4 Problems and Restrictions ============================================================== This section describes known problems and restrictions in DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT Version 1.1 Service Pack 1 and Version 1.0, Clusters Service Pack 3. 4.1 IP Failover Objects ----------------------- 4.1.1 IP Failover Objects for Version 1.1 Only ---------------------------------------------- NOTE: This feature is not supported if the client system does not have NetBT bound to Network adapter card. You can create an IP failover object only after upgrading both cluster servers to Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 2 or 3 and DIGITAL Clusters 1.1. If you try to create an IP failover object while one server is unavailable (for example, while upgrading the first server in the Version 1.1 upgrade procedure), the Cluster Administrator displays a warning message. NOTE: Digital Clusters V1.1 SP1 and Windows NT 4.0 SP3 are required on both cluster servers in order to associate a NetBIOS name with an IP failover object. 4.2 Microsoft SQL Server ------------------------ 4.2.1 Cannot Enroll a Database if Both Servers in the Cluster are Not Running --------------------------------------------------------------------- You cannot enroll an db unless both servers in the cluster are running. 4.2.2 Enroll all SQL Databases in all Groups Before Any Failover -------------------------------------------------------------- Make sure that all SQL databases on the group's disks are enrolled for failover support. SQL Server setup for Digital Clusters is not complete until all of the databases are enrolled. If some databases are enrolled and others are not, then any failover will result in the SQL Server eventually hanging and unenrolled databases being marked suspect. NOTE: Cluster Administrator will not allow manual failover to continue and displays a warning message if there are any unenrolled databases in the group. 4.2.3 Moving SQL Server Objects Within a Failover Group ------------------------------------------------------- In this release, DIGITAL Clusters software automatically adds or removes SQL Server failover objects from the appropriate failover groups when you perform SQL management functions, such as enrolling SQL databases on a shared disk for failover. Generally, you do not need to add or remove SQL Server failover objects from a group. The one exception is when you want to change the order of objects in a group. For example, you may want to move a script failover object after a SQL Server failover object to ensure the script runs correctly. In this case, you can use the Modify Failover Group dialog box to move the SQL Server failover object by removing it from the group, then reinserting the object in the desired sequence. Make sure to place the object back in the group, or the SQL databases will not be available after the next failover. 4.2.4 Deleting an SQL Server Database ------------------------------------- CAUTION: Before deleting an SQL Server database, first use Cluster Administrator to unenroll it. If you delete an SQL database without first unenrolling the database, no further SQL databases can be enrolled. When you attempt to enroll a new SQL database, the following error is displayed: "Error from CLIFMSQLENROLLDATABASE Incorrect Function" Analysis: Deleting a database, without first unenrolling the database from the cluster, leaves the database information in the fallback tables with no reference to the related database information in the system tables. If you have deleted an SQL Server database, without first unenrolling it, the workaround is to: 1. On the SQL server where the database was deleted, create a database with the exact same name as the one you deleted. 2. Use Cluster Administrator to unenroll this database. 3. Now, delete the database from SQL server. 4. Delete the devices if necessary. 4.2.5 Using the "FOR LOAD" Option When Creating or Altering an SQL Database ------------------------------------------------------------------ Using the "FOR LOAD" option prevents anyone from using the database from the time that the CREATE (ALTER) DATABASE statement is issued until the LOAD statement is issued. This is a feature of the SQL Server. The proper procedure is to load the database immediately following database creation before it is enrolled. 4.2.6 SQL Server Databases are Not Listed ----------------------------------------- After installing the cluster software, rebuilding the SQL Server master database, applying a SQL Server Service Pack and then creating a new SQL Server databases, you must either:" 1) Stop and start the Cluster Failover Manager Service 2) Or reboot If you don't do one of the above, when you choose SQL Server Databases from the Cluster Administrator's Manage menu, you will not see any SQL Server Databases listed. Also, you will see errors in the fm trace log about: "Stored procedure 'sp_DEC_find_cluster_dbs' not found." 4.2.7 If a SQL Server Halts During Database Recovery ---------------------------------------------------- If an SQL Server halts during a database recovery, the next time the related failover group is on-line on that server the database could be marked "suspect". Solution: 1. If the server in question is the primary server for that failover group, re-boot the server. 2. If the server in question is the secondary server for that group, using the ISQL query tool, execute the sp_fallback_dec_clean procedure. Then you must activate the database. One way to activate the database is to manually fail over the group to the other server and then fail it back again to the secondary server. Another way is to execute the sp_fallback_activate_svr_db stored procedure. 4.2.8 Create SQL Databases From the Primary Server Only ------------------------------------------------------- The related failover group must be on-line on its Primary Server in order to create SQL databases. 4.2.9 Vstart Uniqueness Violation when Enrolling Databases Into Cluster ---------------------------------------------------------------- The Manage SQL Server Database enroll function could fail because of a Vstart uniqueness violation. When you attempt to enroll a new database, you may see the following error message: "Incorrect function". Also, the following error message is displayed in the trace log: "Problem, there is an integrity problem within the spt_fallback_ tables. (dev:spt_fallback_usg.vstart , #########)" Workaround: 1. Unenroll all the databases in the group. 2. Enroll all the databases in the group, including the new database. 4.3 Oracle Server ----------------- 4.3.1 Oracle7 Server Patch for Windows NT 4.0 (Alpha) ----------------------------------------------------- At the time of this writing, you need the following Oracle software to run the Oracle7 Server on the Windows NT 4.0 for DIGITAL Alpha platform: * Oracle7 Server V 7.3.2.3.1 for Windows NT 3.51 (Alpha) * Oraspawn.dll replacement image (patch) from Oracle support The next release of Oracle7 Server for the DIGITAL Alpha platform will eliminate the need for the patch. 4.4 Windows NT Client --------------------- The following restrictions only apply when the cluster members are running Windows NT 3.51 with Clusters 1.0. With Windows NT 4.0 with Clusters 1.1 Service Pack 1 cluster client software is not required. 4.4.1 NetShareEnum Function Not Supported ----------------------------------------- DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT does not support the NetShareEnum programming function, which is obsolete for Win32-based applications. Applications that try to use the NetShareEnum function to enumerate cluster shares will not work properly. 4.4.2 Viewing Cluster Shares -------------------------------- The net view \\clustername command does not work properly on Windows NT clients. To view a list of a cluster's shares, use Explorer or File Manager. 4.4.3 Application Icons May Not Appear on Slow Networks -------------------------------------------------------- If there are network delays, Windows Explorer and Network Neighborhood may display a default icon for some applications, rather than the application's own icon. This is a cosmetic problem only, and does not affect access to the applications. 4.4.4 Share Operations not Allowed on Cluster Client Drive ---------------------------------------------------------- When you connect to a cluster share you do not see if a subdirectory is also shared. IF you try to share a subdirectory you get the following error: " This request is not supported on remote drives that are not shared by Windows NT/Lanmanager computers." The workaround for this problem is to connect using the node name and not the cluster alias. Or, upgrade the cluster to Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 with DIGITAL Clusters Version 1.1 Service Pack 1. 4.4.5 Conner's BACKUP EXEC does not work with NT cluster -------------------------------------------------------- Conner's BACKUP EXEC V6.11 Rev 112 (Current) software is unable to backup a cluster share. When selecting the share, it fails with variable errors: - Cannot obtain the address of the share - Dr. Watson (of BACKUP EXEC image) Workaround: Use the node name and not the cluster alias. Or, upgrade the cluster to Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 with DIGITAL Clusters Version 1.1 Service Pack 1. 4.4.6 Client Can't Connect to Share With 14 Character Password -------------------------------------------------------------- Can't connect to home directory on cluster alias at logon time. This problem depends on password length. If the NT user's password length is 14 characters, home directory connection is failed. If the NT user's password length is 13 characters or less, this problem does not occur. This problem occurs on both Intel and Alpha platforms. Two workarounds for this problem are: 1. Use less than a 14 char password 2. If a 14+ char password must be used then use the node name rather than the cluster alias 3. Upgrade to Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 with DIGITAL Clusters Version 1.1 Service Pack 1. 4.4.7 Application Executables Should be Located on the Client Machine --------------------------------------------------------------------- When a user on a client machine launches an application such as WordPerfect, GroupWise, etc.. from a cluster drive, and the related group is failed over, the client workstation must be rebooted in order for the user to continue using the application. Work-around: Digital recommends that application executables be located on the clients machine. 4.4.8 Viewing or Setting Permissions from a Windows NT 3.51 or 4.0 Client Fails ------------------------------------------------------------------- Setting/viewing permissions when using a cluster alias is not supported even if the item is not grayed out. The workaround is to set/view using the node name and not the cluster alias. Or, upgrade the cluster to Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 with DIGITAL Clusters Version 1.1 Service Pack 1. 4.5 Windows 95 Clients ---------------------- The following restrictions only apply when the cluster members are running Windows NT 3.51 with Clusters 1.0. With Windows NT 4.0 with Clusters 1.1 Service Pack 1 cluster client software is not required. 4.5.1 Using Wildcards to Assign Drives in "net use" Command ----------------------------------------------------------- If you use a wildcard as follows in a "net use" command to assign a drive letter to a cluster share, Windows Explorer and My Computer will list the drive incorrectly: net use * \\cluster-name\share-name The drive will be listed with an incorrect name and as a local drive rather than a remote drive. You can enter "net use" commands without parameters to display the correct information for cluster file shares: > net use \\server-name\share-name 4.5.2 Viewing Cluster Shares ----------------------------- The net view \\clustername command does not work correctly on Windows 95 clients. To view this information, you can use the Network Neighborhood: 1. Double-click on the Network Neighborhood icon. 2. Double-click on the DIGITAL Clusters icon. Clusters are denoted by domain icons. To view the list of a cluster's shares , double-click on its icon. 4.5.3 Word95 Default Save Location Doesn't Work ----------------------------------------------- There's a feature in Word that you can specify where your default 'save document" path will be displayed. In Word: Tools ->Options ->TAB, file location ->Highlight Documents. -> Press Change. If the path entered is a Cluster Alias path it will accept the change. However, when you later want to save a new document and press 'Save", the expected network share does not get displayed. Instead you get a default location to your hard disk. Workaround: Use the node name and not the cluster alias when setting up the default location. To find out the node names that make up the cluster, highlight the cluster alias in Explorer or Network Neighborhood. Right click the mouse. Go down to the properties item and right-click on it. 4.5.4 Win95 client - start/run with a cluster alias fails --------------------------------------------------------- If you use start/run with just a server\sharename it will put up a window of that share. If you use a cluster alias in place of the server name it fails. Workaround: Use the node name and not the cluster alias. To find out the node names that make up the cluster, highlight the cluster alias in Explorer or Network Neighborhood. Right click the mouse. Go down to the properties item and right-click on it. Or, upgrade the cluster to Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 with DIGITAL Clusters Version 1.1 Service Pack 1. 4.6 Diskperf Driver Incompatible with Clusters Software ------------------------------------------------------- The diskperf driver is used to collect performance data. The driver gets installed into the SCSI driver chain. However, the disk counters are suppressed when DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT software is installed. 4.7 IDE Disks Are Not Supported -------------------------------- DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT environments do not support systems that include IDE disks. The ATDISK.SYS driver used for IDE disks is incompatible with the cluster drivers. Using ATDISK.SYS in a cluster causes the system to fail when booted. 4.8 Assign Fixed Drive Letters ------------------------------- After the Windows NT operating system is installed, it is imperative that the drive letter assigned to the system partition (typically C: or D:) remain constant, because hardcoded references to this drive letter are recorded in the Windows NT Registry. For information on assigning fixed drive letters, see the Configuration and Installation Guide. 4.9 Using an Extended LAN (Windows NT 3.51 clusters only) --------------------------------------------------------- Cluster aliases are not routed unless the router is configured for multicast broadcast. Solution: Upgrade the cluster to Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 with DIGITAL Clusters Version 1.1 Service Pack 1. 4.10 # Symbol Not Allowed in Directory Names ---------------------------------------------- Cluster software does not recognize directory names that include the pound symbol (#). 4.11 Logon Rights Occasionally Granted Improperly ------------------------------------------------ On occasion the Windows NT software improperly grants the "logon as a service" right to a user account, even when the account was created correctly. If this happens, the cluster services will not start. The workaround for this problem is as follows: 1. Open the Services applet in Control Panel. 2. Select the CFMD server. 3. Click on Startup... then click on OK. The software displays the following message: The user is granted log in as a service. At this point, you can start the cluster services. 4.12 Effects of Canceling a Clusters Installation (Version 1.0 Only) -------------------------------------------------------------------- If you exit prematurely from the Setup program when installing either the cluster server or cluster client software, application files and Registry entries can be left on your system. You must manually delete these files and Registry entries and reboot your system before reinstalling the cluster software. For details, see the Configuration and Installation Guide. 4.13 Using Cluster Administrator ------------------------------- 4.13.1 Display Unsynchronized with Cluster Failover Manager Database ---------------------------------------------------------- It is possible for the Cluster Administrator display to become unsynchronized with the cluster configuration database in the registry. This can happen if you have the Cluster Administrator running on both servers of the cluster and are making changes from both servers. The Cluster Administrator on one server may be unaware of changes propagated to the registry from the Cluster Administrator on the other server. Two workarounds exist for this problem: * If you suspect that the Cluster Administrator is out of synch, choose Refresh from the View menu. * Run the Cluster Administrator on only one server at a time. 4.13.2 Failover Object Names Restricted to 38 Characters -------------------------------------------------------- Failover object names can have a maximum of 38 characters. If you try to add an object with a longer name to a failover group, Cluster Administrator will fail. 4.14 Defining Share Names --------------------------- The DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT software does not prevent the creation of two file shares with the same name if the shares are on different disks and the disks are on line to different cluster servers. DIGITAL recommends that you do not create two shares with the same name on two servers in the same cluster. 4.15 Lost Delayed Write Popup Boxes ----------------------------------- A failover group can transition from on line to off line while the system is still running. This can occur from a voluntary failover or involuntary failover. During a voluntary failover, a system puts a group off line in a controlled manner in response to a user request. An example of this is a group with failback enabled that is on line on the failover server when the primary server comes back up. The failover server does a voluntary failover to the primary server. During a voluntary failover the following happens: * The shares, if any, are made unavailable. * The file system caches are flushed to disk. * The file system is dismounted if possible. * The disk itself is put off line. Every opportunity is taken in this case to assure that cached file system data is returned to disk prior to the failover. During an involuntary failover, a disk goes off line immediately without a chance for any flushes to occur. This may happen in a network partition (communication lost between the two cluster members) where the offline member resumes ownership of a disk because it thought the other was down. This can occur although efforts are made to prevent it. When ownership of a disk is taken from the on line member, the disk becomes inaccessible immediately without the normal graceful offline behavior. As a result of an involuntary failover, the operating system receives errors when it attempts to write the data in the file system cache to the disk as part of normal background processing. The errors appear as popup boxes, indicating that a "delayed write" was unable to be written. The user can click OK to close these boxes. These warnings indicate that the disk failed over prematurely and that the user's file system I/Os were not written to the disk if they were issued just before, during, and after the disk went off line. Users should verify the state of their files and reissue the client operation when the group finishes failing over to the other server. Although the client file operation must be reissued, file system integrity is maintained. 4.16 Disk Administrator ----------------------- 4.16.1 Disk Administrator Shows Orphaned Disks (Version 1.0 Service Pack 1 - 3) After Some Failovers --------------------------------------------------------------------- The cluster software uses the following methods to dismount files systems for failovers: For voluntary failovers: Conventional or Disconnected For involuntary failovers: Disconnected A conventional dismount is tried first. A conventional dismount will fail if another program (such as File Manager) has locked the volume, or if files remain open on the volume. During a disconnected dismount, the disk data structure is disconnected from the underlying I/O system, but left physically present in the system. When the disk fails back to the system, it is reinstantiated. This guarantees that an old file system state associated with the old disk instance does not interfere with the new file system state on the new disk instance. However, as a side effect, the old disk instance remains visible in Disk Administrator, appearing as a gray box for the remainder of the system up time. This is normal behavior for the mechanism and is harmless. The gray box disappears when the system is rebooted. 4.16.2 Changing Drive Partitioning During Cluster Operations ------------------------------------------------------------ When drive partitioning is changed during cluster operations the related disk group may not fail over. The workaround is to reboot the system on which the partition changes were done. For example: Failover group XYZ containing Disk 1, resides on Host A. The administrator on Host A starts Disk Administrator, partitions Disk 1, assigns drive letters to the partitions, and then fails the group to Host B. Host A must now be rebooted before group XYZ will fail back to it 4.17 Potential Problem when Using Microsoft Word Version 6.0a ------------------------------------------------------------ If a document in a cluster share is being edited with Microsoft Word and the contents of the document are saved while the share is being failed over from one server to the other, Word can hang or crash. Once the failed server is rebooted, Word puts up one or more message boxes indicating an unrecoverable or serious disk failure. Clicking OK on these boxes eventually results in a protection failure in the Word application itself. If the application hangs, it can be terminated and the system will return to normal. This problem is not caused by DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT and has been reproduced using Microsoft Word Version 6.0a on systems without DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT installed. 4.18 Installing Visual C++ 4.2 ------------------------------ If you plan to install Visual C++ 4.2, first copy MFC40.DLL, MFC40U.DLL and MSVCRT40.DLL from the Windows NT system32 directory (typically C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32) into the Clusters installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Digital\Cluster). Otherwise, the Cluster Administrator will crash on startup. 4.19 NET VIEW to Cluster NetBIOS Name Also Shows Unclustered Shares ----------------------------------------------------------------- When the "net view" command is used with a cluster NetBIOS name to view network resources, for example: "net view \\netbiosname" both clustered and unclustered shares for the server that currently has the related failover group are displayed. All shares on that server are accessible via \\netbiosname\share, even the hidden ones. This is the expected behavior. 4.20 System Hangs When Registry Size is Exceeded ------------------------------------------------ If the registry size is exceeded Cns.exe and CFMD could go into an infinite loop causing the system to hang. Solution: Increased the registry size and re-boot the system. Use this procedure to increase the registry size: o From the Start menu, select Settings. o Select Control Panel from the Settings menu. o Select "System" o Select the "Performance" tab. o Click the Change button in the Virtual Memory box. o The Current Registry Size is show at the bottom of the Virtual Memory window. o Specify a greater Maximum Registry Size and click the OK button. o Click OK to close the System Properties window. ------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright and Trademark Information Restricted Rights: Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c) (1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013. Copyright Digital Equipment Corporation 1997 All rights reserved. The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Digital Equipment Corporation. Digital Equipment Corporation assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. The software described in this document is furnished under a license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license. No responsibility is assumed for the use or reliability of software on equipment that is not supplied by DIGITAL or its affiliated companies. The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: AlphaServer, AlphaStation, DIGITAL, Prioris, ServerWORKS, StorageWorks, and the DIGITAL logo. The following are third-party trademarks: Adaptec is a trademark of Adaptec Inc. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows, and Windows 95 are registered trademarks and Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. NetBIOS is a trademark of Micro Computer Systems, Inc. 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