Thanks to the following:
Louis Bouchard
Dave Cherkus
Vipin Gokhale
Alan Davis
John Hascall
Alan Davis gave me the URL which answered most of my questions and
refreshed my memory.
http://www.unix.digital.com/cluster/index.html
I should have found this myself but anyway for the archives...
My original post was several questions:
1) Is 2100 clusterable and clusterable with other models?
A) Yes it is clusterable with the PCI memory channel card and
different models can be mixed but the OS should be the same version.
Dave Cherkus recommends looking at upgrading to a 2100A since the
2100 has only 3 pci slots.
2) What level of clustering is available between a VAX and an Alpha running
OpenVMS?
A) Mr. Gokhale from ORACLE and a DEC engineer here in the facility
I work in both supported my notion that you can cluster to the point of
shared resources, etc. between the two but since they are different
architectures, things like parallel distributed processes such as ORACLE PS
with Memory Channel would not be possible (common sense).
Concerning ORACLE Parallel Server, Mr. Gokhale further states that while
you can't do this between a VAX and an Alpha with Oracle7, you can do
it with Oracle Rbd.
Dave Cherkus adds, "Yo no habla VMS..." *chuckle*
I agree with the sentiment, unfortunately I can't seem to kill it off,
here are too many old "mainframers" still here who think UNIX is evil
and FORTRAN is a power language. :P
Thanks for the responses,
Melvin Smith
Below are the original responses for archives.
From: bouchard_l_at_decus.fr (Louis Bouchard - Bouygues Telecom)
>Hi fellow overworked,
Right on...
>
>I'm not really up to date on the clustering capability of
>the Alpha so while I'm browsing maybe someone can drop me
>a couple of hints.
>
>I have a AS 2100/275 here and now the consensus seems to be
>that we want a cluster setup with DEC UNIX. Is the 2100
>cluster capable (assuming I upgrade to 4.0) and if so is
>it cluster capable with different models such as the 4000 series?
The concept of "Cluster" as known on VMS doesn't exist totally on
DU. The current flavor of it is named Available Server environment teamed
with Memory Channel which becomes "Digital Tru Cluster". It will give you
access to the possibility to "migrate" disks in case of H/W failure, which is
to mount your File Systems on another server part of the ASE.
If you have a Memory Channel connection, you will be able to use
a "Distributed Raw Device" ASE service which gives you a raw disk that you
can access from different servers concurrently. It is the first implementation
of the "Distributed Lock Manager (DLM)" under DU.
>
>To do this I seem to remember we need a memory channel hub so
>then I assume we get a interface card for the 2100 and the 4000,
>as long as we run the same OS version we should be ok?
>
>Also, some of the people here want to cluster a VAX and an Alpha
>both running OpenVMS.
>
>I have two ideas of clustering:
>
>1) a multicomputer where any one node can run the same binary such
> as two Alphas, and parallel apps like ORACLE Parallel server would
> require this.
>2) Shared resources, drives, etc. but not multiprocessing.
>
Oracle Parallel Server (OPS) is the first application to make real use
of the Tru Cluster Architecture. You can start an Oracle Instance
simultaneously on all servers of the "Cluster" which will all be using
a "Distributed Raw Device (DRD)" service to access its disks.
>Hence, the only way to "cluster" a VAX and an Alpha would be with method
>#2 which would not give you failover redundancy like #1. Correct?
>
Im' not fammiliar with VAX and Alpha clusters. In a previous life, I used
to manage Vaxes, but it's been a while and I never really used VAX Clustering.
>Thanks in advance, will summarize,
Melvin Smith
I hope this answers some of your questions.
...Louis
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Louis Bouchard
J'aimes que ca cesse quand c'est fini. Quand | Ingenieur Systeme
ca recommence, ca me scie. | bouchard_l_at_decus.fr
R. Ducharme | Bouygues Telecom
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Dave Cherkus <cherkus_at_UniMaster.COM>
Mr. Jolt Cola writes:
|>
|> Hi fellow overworked,
|>
|> I'm not really up to date on the clustering capability of
|> the Alpha so while I'm browsing maybe someone can drop me
|> a couple of hints.
I am.
|> I have a AS 2100/275 here and now the consensus seems to be
|> that we want a cluster setup with DEC UNIX. Is the 2100
|> cluster capable (assuming I upgrade to 4.0) and if so is
|> it cluster capable with different models such as the 4000 series?
Yes, it is cluster capable. You will find the fact that it has only 3
pci slots pretty limiting, though. You might want to look into an
upgrade to 2100A, which is a fine machine.
|> To do this I seem to remember we need a memory channel hub so
|> then I assume we get a interface card for the 2100 and the 4000,
|> as long as we run the same OS version we should be ok?
With two machines, you can run in 'virtual hub' mode, and you
won't have to buy a hub. The 4x00 is only supported on clusters
for versions V3.2G (and V4.0A, coming to a cd-rom near you soon!).
|> Also, some of the people here want to cluster a VAX and an Alpha
|> both running OpenVMS.
|>
|> I have two ideas of clustering:
|>
|> 1) a multicomputer where any one node can run the same binary such
|> as two Alphas, and parallel apps like ORACLE Parallel server would
|> require this.
|> 2) Shared resources, drives, etc. but not multiprocessing.
|>
|> Hence, the only way to "cluster" a VAX and an Alpha would be with method
|> #2 which would not give you failover redundancy like #1. Correct?
|>
|> Thanks in advance, will summarize,
|>
|> Melvin Smith
Yo no habla VMS - this is the osf-managers mailing list!
The current memory-channel based product is geared towards the oracle
parallel server. If you are not going to run OPS, it may be overkill
for you at this time. You may want to go with the ASE product, which
provides high availability but does not use memory channel.
--
Dave Cherkus ----- UniMaster, Inc. ----- Contract Software Development
Specialties: UNIX TCP/IP X OSF/1 AlphaAXP AIX RS/6000 Performance ISDN
Email: cherkus_at_UniMaster.COM Tel: (603) 888-8308 Fax: (603) 888-4598
The Internet runs on its programmers, and programmers run on coffee!!!
From: "Vipin Gokhale, DEC SBU, Oracle Corporation" <VGOKHALE_at_us.oracle.com>
You can cluster 2100s and 4100s (and 8200s and 8400s - i.e. any system which
can take a PCI card; since MemeoryChannel is a PCI device) together. Ofcourse
you need to be running same OS version in Digital UNIX case on all cluster
member nodes; and you CAN NOT combine Unix and VMS systems together in one
cluster.
I think VMS allows mixed version clusters (within a certain range of OS
versions). In VMS case, Alpha and VAX systems can exist in the same cluster,
however, Oracle7 database can not be shared (in a Parallel Server sense)
between VAX and Alpha (Oracle Rdb, on the other hand can).
Hope this helps.
- Vipin
From: davis_at_decatl.alf.dec.com
Melvin,
From your message it seems that you have lots of questions about
TruCluster's for Digital Unix. If you have access to the web you
might look at :
http://www.unix.digital.com/cluster/index.html
or contact you local sales office for more information.
Alan Davis
From: John Hascall <john_at_iastate.edu>
> I have a AS 2100/275 here and now the consensus seems to be
> that we want a cluster setup with DEC UNIX. Is the 2100
> cluster capable (assuming I upgrade to 4.0) and if so is
> it cluster capable with different models such as the 4000 series?
Yes, the 2100 is supposed to be cluster-capable.
> To do this I seem to remember we need a memory channel hub so
> then I assume we get a interface card for the 2100 and the 4000,
> as long as we run the same OS version we should be ok?
Right, it is a PCI-slot card, I'm told.
> Also, some of the people here want to cluster a VAX and an Alpha
> both running OpenVMS.
Can't help here, sorry, we ditched VMS some time back.
John
Received on Tue Dec 17 1996 - 01:00:11 NZDT