I asked in this group if it is possible to load balance Oracle services
using TruCluster and if so what kind of hardware/software I would need.
Thanks to the following folks, I now know that I need
TruCluster/Production Server and Oracle's parallel server option to
accomplish this:
Kurt Schulte <kschulte_at_glcomp.com>
"Venkata, Raviprasad" <RVenkata_at_caiso.com>
"Marco Bill-Peter (Bill-Peter are my lastnames !)" <billm_at_zk3.dec.com>
"William H. Magill" <magill_at_isc.upenn.edu>
Christian Miranda <cmiranda_at_gmd.com.pe>
Jim R Jones <Jim_R_Jones_at_notesbridge.cummins.com>
Francisco_Garcia <francisco.garcia_at_sermatica.es>
I am enclosing my original question and all the answers I received
so that it may be of use to others venturing this road.
-- mahendra
.........................................................................
A. Mahendra Rajah Email: Mahendra_at_Meena.CC.URegina.CA
VMS & DUNIX Systems Manager Phone: (306) 585-4496
Dept. of Computing Services FAX: (306) 585-5060
University of Regina,
Regina, Sask., S4S 0A2
Canada.
.........................................................................
---------------------------- Original question ----------------------
First off I admit that I know very little about TruClusters in
the Tru64 UNIX world; my familiarity is with VMSclusters. I have
read all the documents relating to TruClusters at Compaq's web
site and I still have some questions:
1) Is TruCluster available over Ethernet/FDDI? Can we have the
machines in two different buildings and connect them via
fibre?
2) If we keep them in the same room, do we need the memory channel
to cluster them? My salesperson says that we don't need any
extra hardware other than a network connection!
3) Is it possible to take advantage of load balancing Oracle
services on 2 alphaservers that are clustered? We have SCT's
Banner running on our servers against an Oracle database and
clients connect to it from Win95/98 PCs using specialized
Banner client programs. What I would like to do are:
a) Specify a common IP name for the cluster and clients
will connect to the least busy one, and
b) Any system in the cluter could be taken out of service
but the services will continue to be available.
Please share your experience/thoughts or provide pointers to
additional reading.
Thank you.
-------------------------End Original question ----------------------
---------------------- Reply # 1 ---------------------------
From: Kurt Schulte <kschulte_at_glcomp.com>
1) Yes. FDDI is fine, but for optimal performance, a shared bus
(SCSI, Ultra-SCSI) architechture for the data tends to work better.
2) No. It's not required, but it does have a significant performance
benefit.
3) TruCluster Production serer will provide what you're looking for.
Oracle load balancing works dandy.
4) If you need a great source for inexpensive high performance Alpha
Solutions, from DEC's (Compaq's) officially authorized 'bargain
basement'.... Give a call !!
Kurt Schulte
Great Lakes Computer, Inc.
616-698-1234 x542
kschulte_at_glcomp.com
www.glcomp.com
---------------------- Reply # 2 ---------------------------
From: "Venkata, Raviprasad" <RVenkata_at_caiso.com>
Trucluster is available over Ethernet, Fast Ethernet & FDDI. However, these
will carry only network traffic in a Trucluster Production Server. You will
need the memory channel cards & a cable ( two system cluster only ) to carry
the distributed lock traffic. In case you have more than two systems, you
will need a memory channel hub.
As such, they will have to be located in the same room.
As far as load balancing goes, you can do balancing between services. You
should be able to define multiple services to run your application & the
cluster software will try to balance the number of services running on each
cluster member whenever a service starts.
Any system in the cluster could fail / be taken out of service & the
services will continue to be available. The common name & IP address of the
service will failover to the new active member of the cluster.
Raviprasad
---------------------- Reply # 3 ---------------------------
From: "Marco Bill-Peter (Bill-Peter are my lastnames !)" <billm_at_zk3.dec.com>
Mahendra,
As you probably read in the manuals, there are actually two products
in that class. One is the TCR production server, the other is the
Available Server Environment, aka ASE.
> 1) Is TruCluster available over Ethernet/FDDI? Can we have the
> machines in two different buildings and connect them via
> fibre?
If you just need ASE you could do this, as long as your storage
supports it. Check the list of supported/tested hw. If you need the
memory channel (production server) you need the upcoming TCR/DT product.
>
> 2) If we keep them in the same room, do we need the memory channel
> to cluster them? My salesperson says that we don't need any
> extra hardware other than a network connection!
Correct, the memory channel is only used for the production server and
brings only added value if you use Oracle Parallel Server or Informix
XPS or you write your own apps using the memory channel API.
>
> 3) Is it possible to take advantage of load balancing Oracle
> services on 2 alphaservers that are clustered? We have SCT's
> Banner running on our servers against an Oracle database and
> clients connect to it from Win95/98 PCs using specialized
> Banner client programs. What I would like to do are:
>
> a) Specify a common IP name for the cluster and clients
> will connect to the least busy one, and
> b) Any system in the cluter could be taken out of service
> but the services will continue to be available.
>
Oracle OPS provides a database for the cluster, but you still need to be
able to partition the tables, otherwise you need up with a lot of
overhead for the two instances to protect the data access. Check out
the white papers at www.compaq.com/activeanswers
hth
/marco
---------------------- Reply # 4 ---------------------------
From: "William H. Magill" <magill_at_isc.upenn.edu>
1- In a word yes... But not until Wave4 in 5.0. The kinds of things
you want to do will be all there.
2- Untrue; if you don't use memory channel, you need shared SCSI.
But keep in mind, the currently relased versions of TC leave
A LOT to be desired in terms of classic VMS style clustering.
3- Yes, but see also 1.
It may be possible for you to get in on the Wave4 and 5.0 beta program,
the "next relase" is due imminantly. I know that they were still looking
for TC folks back in January. I don't know what kind of hoops you might
have to go through to get into the Beta programs via Canada, however.
Bob Grosso <grosso_at_zk3.dec.com>; is the TC coordinator as I recall.
Come to the Providence DECUS June 12-19; Providence RI
www.decus.org
We have several sessions on TruCluster planned.
* * * If Elected, an iMac on the dining room table for everyone! * * *
===<"DeSIGnated Baby Seal" and DECUS "UNIX SIG Chair Protem">===
T.T.F.N.
William H. Magill Senior Systems Administrator
Information Services and Computing (ISC) University of Pennsylvania
Internet: magill_at_isc.upenn.edu magill_at_acm.org
magill_at_upenn.edu
http://pobox.upenn.edu/~magill/
---------------------- Reply # 5 ---------------------------
From: Christian Miranda <cmiranda_at_gmd.com.pe>
Hi,
1) The TuCluster works with fddi/ethernet with no problem. About having the
machines in different places, well, you must consider the share bus lenght.
It has some limits about the distances.
2) TruCluster has 3 kinds of Clusters : Available / Production (DRD/Oracle)
/ Memory Channel. If you want to use available or production, you wont ned
MC hardware. Just only 1 Nic per machine or 2 if you want to failover the
net. Here you could use 2 differents network classes and a gateway/router.
3) TruCluster let you create different services (Disk, NFS, user-define)..
You can create one service and run it on one alpha, create another service
an run it on the "backup machine".
The common IP you want to use is configured when you create the service. You
assign a IP address to the services, that is where your clients attach. When
a member fails, the service automatically pass to the other machine, here
-if you want- you could create some script (per service) to do the
"start-of-services" automatically, I mean, start the database, load the
data.. and so on.
I hope this could help you.
Regards
-----------------------------
Christian Miranda
TRU-64 UNIX Team
GMD - Peru
cmiranda_at_gmd.com.pe
(511)8672725
---------------------- Reply # 6 ---------------------------
From: Jim R Jones <Jim_R_Jones_at_notesbridge.cummins.com>
What it sounds to me is what you want to set up is the production cluster
which uses the memory channel and cost more. From what I understand you
can not load balance with the ASE sytle cluster, that is clustering without
the memory channel.
One question I think needs to be asked, if you cluster today, what does
that mean in Dec or Jan when compaq is comming out with the new clustering
software? Does it mean you have to pay more money, get more hardware,
change your hardware configuration etc? I do not have the answer to that
question, I have tried to get the answer. No one seem to have thought it
through, what will the new clustering mean to a person who has a clustering
currently or needs to purchase and install one before the new software is
shipped.
Just my two cents
Please summarize to the group what you find out.
jim jones
---------------------- Reply # 7 ---------------------------
From: Francisco_Garcia <francisco.garcia_at_sermatica.es>
Hi,
I have been trying answer your questions.
1) This is true, you can have two or more nodos (alpha systems) on
different buildings and connect then throught FDDI.
2) There are 2 classes of TruCluster cluster.
A) TruCluster Available Server, in this case you don't need anythin more.
Of course you need the basics: 2 alphasevers, 1 or more SCSI share bus,
some classes of storageworks (HSZ22, HSZ50, HSZ70, etc), 1 or 2
Ethernet/FDDI connections and of course the software: DigitalUnix and
TruCluster AvailableServer and Oracle7. In this scenario you can run Oracle
simultaneus from 2 alphaserver but WARNING!!! each alphaserver must be run
one different instance of Oracle. The same instance not could run
simultasneus on 2 alphaservers, this is principal difference betwen
TruCluster Available Server and TruCluster Production Server.
B) TruCluster Production Server, in this case you can run concurrently the
same Oracle instance from 2 alphaserver. You need in this case:
- 2 or mor alphaservers
- 1 or more SCSI share bus
- some classes of storageworks (HSZ22, HSZ50, HSZ70, etc).
- 1 or 2 Ethernet/FDDI connections.
- 1 Memory Channel PCI adapter on each alphaserver.
- 1 Memory channel hub
- DigitalUnix
- TruCluster Production Server
- Oracle7 with Parallel Server Option
3) You can make this scenario with the opcion B), TruCluster Production
Server plus Oracle Parallel Server.
-------------------- End all Replies -----------------------------
Received on Tue May 11 1999 - 18:19:50 NZST