OpenVMS Cluster Information You Will Need

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HP OpenVMS Version 8.2 Upgrade and Installation...

Preparing to Install in an OpenVMS Cluster Environment

Mixed-Version Support in OpenVMS Cluster Systems

Beginning the Installation

OpenVMS Cluster Information You Will Need

If during the installation you answer YES to the system prompt asking whether your system will be a member of an OpenVMS Cluster, you will need to provide the following information after you boot the system disk:

Required Information Explanation

Type of configuration
Configuration types (CI, DSSI, SCSI, local area, or mixed-interconnect) are distinguished by the interconnect device that the VAX, Alpha, or Integrity server computers in the OpenVMS Cluster use to communicate with one another. Note that HP Integrity servers do not support CI, DSSI, or MEMORY CHANNEL devices.

DECnet node name and node address
To obtain the DECnet node name and node address for the computer on which you are installing the OpenVMS operating system, see the network or system manager. If you install DECnet-Plus for OpenVMS (Phase V) software and do not plan to use DECnet Phase IV for OpenVMS addresses, then you do not need to provide this information.

Allocation class value
During the installation procedure, you are asked for the allocation class value (ALLOCLASS) of the computer on which you are installing the OpenVMS operating system. For example:
Enter a value for this_node ALLOCLASS parameter:

Refer to the HP OpenVMS Cluster Systems manual for the rules on specifying allocation class values.

Note that in a mixed-interconnect OpenVMS Cluster environment, the allocation class value cannot be zero if the nodes serve DSSI or CI disks. It must be a value from 1 to 255. This is also true for any computer that is connected to a dual-pathed disk.

After you enter the allocation class value, the installation procedure uses it to automatically set the value of the ALLOCLASS system parameter.

Whether you want a quorum disk
To help you determine whether you want a quorum disk in the cluster, refer to the HP OpenVMS Cluster Systems manual.

Location of the page and swap files
On a nonclustered system, the page and swap files are on one or more local disks but on a clustered system, the files are on one or more local or clustered disks. Refer to the HP OpenVMS Cluster Systems manual to help you determine where the page and swap files will be located for the system on which you are installing the OpenVMS operating system software.

Systems that will be MOP servers¹, disk servers, and tape servers
If you are going to set up either a local area or a mixed-interconnect cluster, you will need to make these determinations.

Cluster group number and cluster password²
If you are going to set up a local area cluster or a mixed-interconnect cluster that is LAN-based, use the following rules to determine the cluster group number and password:
Cluster group number -- A number in the range from 1 to 4095 or 61440 to 65535

Cluster password -- Must be from 1 to 31 alphanumeric characters in length and can include dollar signs ($) and underscores(_)

Required Information	Explanation
Type of configuration	Configuration types (CI, DSSI, SCSI, local area, or mixed-interconnect) are distinguished by the interconnect device that the VAX, Alpha, or Integrity server computers in the OpenVMS Cluster use to communicate with one another. Note that HP Integrity servers do not support CI, DSSI, or MEMORY CHANNEL devices.
DECnet node name and node address	To obtain the DECnet node name and node address for the computer on which you are installing the OpenVMS operating system, see the network or system manager. If you install DECnet-Plus for OpenVMS (Phase V) software and do not plan to use DECnet Phase IV for OpenVMS addresses, then you do not need to provide this information.
Allocation class value	During the installation procedure, you are asked for the allocation class value (ALLOCLASS) of the computer on which you are installing the OpenVMS operating system. For example: `Enter a value for this_node ALLOCLASS parameter:` Refer to the HP OpenVMS Cluster Systems manual for the rules on specifying allocation class values. Note that in a mixed-interconnect OpenVMS Cluster environment, the allocation class value cannot be zero if the nodes serve DSSI or CI disks. It must be a value from 1 to 255. This is also true for any computer that is connected to a dual-pathed disk. After you enter the allocation class value, the installation procedure uses it to automatically set the value of the ALLOCLASS system parameter.
Whether you want a quorum disk	To help you determine whether you want a quorum disk in the cluster, refer to the HP OpenVMS Cluster Systems manual.
Location of the page and swap files	On a nonclustered system, the page and swap files are on one or more local disks but on a clustered system, the files are on one or more local or clustered disks. Refer to the HP OpenVMS Cluster Systems manual to help you determine where the page and swap files will be located for the system on which you are installing the OpenVMS operating system software.
Systems that will be MOP servers¹, disk servers, and tape servers	If you are going to set up either a local area or a mixed-interconnect cluster, you will need to make these determinations.
Cluster group number and cluster password²	If you are going to set up a local area cluster or a mixed-interconnect cluster that is LAN-based, use the following rules to determine the cluster group number and password: Cluster group number -- A number in the range from 1 to 4095 or 61440 to 65535 Cluster password -- Must be from 1 to 31 alphanumeric characters in length and can include dollar signs ($) and underscores(_)

Footnotes

1 Servers that use the DECnet maintenance operation protocol.

2 Cluster group number and password are not required if all the cluster nodes are directly connected; that is, the entire cluster uses interconnects such as CI (computer interconnect), DSSI (Digital Storage Systems Interconnect), or MEMORY CHANNEL. In a cluster that uses mixed interconnects, if any of the interconnects require the cluster number and password, then you must set the cluster number and password for all nodes.

( Number takes you back )

Mixed-Version Support in OpenVMS Cluster Systems

Beginning the Installation