How to Prepare for Cluster Software Installation

Before you begin to install software, make the following preparations.

1. Read the following manuals for information that can help you plan your cluster configuration and prepare your installation strategy.

   • Sun Cluster 3.1 10/03 Release Notes – Restrictions, bug workarounds, and other late-breaking information.

   • Sun Cluster 3.x Release Notes Supplement – Post-release documentation about additional restrictions, bug workarounds, new features, and other late-breaking information. This document is regularly updated and published online at the following Web site.

     http://docs.sun.com

   • Sun Cluster 3.1 10/03 Concepts Guide – Overview of the Sun Cluster product.

   • Sun Cluster 3.1 10/03 Software Installation Guide (this manual) – Planning guidelines and procedures for installing and configuring Solaris, Sun Cluster, and volume-manager software.

   • Sun Cluster 3.1 Data Service Planning and Administration Guide – Planning guidelines and procedures to install and configure data services.

   • Documentation for all third-party software products.

2. Have available all related documentation, including third-party documents.

   The following is a partial list of product documentation that you might need for reference during cluster installation.

   • Solaris software

   • Solstice DiskSuite/Solaris Volume Manager software

   • VERITAS Volume Manager

   • Sun Management Center

   • Third-party applications such as ORACLE

3. Plan your cluster configuration.

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   Caution –

   Plan your cluster installation completely. Identify requirements for all data services and third-party products before you begin Solaris and Sun Cluster software installation. Failure to do so might result in installation errors that require that you completely reinstall the Solaris and Sun Cluster software.

   For example, the Oracle Parallel Fail Safe/Real Application Clusters Guard option of Oracle Parallel Server/Real Application Clusters has special requirements for the hostnames that you use in the cluster. Another example with special requirements is Sun Cluster HA for SAP. You must accommodate these requirements before you install Sun Cluster software because you cannot change hostnames after you install Sun Cluster software.

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   • Use the planning guidelines in Chapter 1, Planning the Sun Cluster Configuration and in the Sun Cluster 3.1 Data Service Planning and Administration Guide to determine how to install and configure your cluster.

   • Fill out the cluster framework and data-services configuration worksheets. Use your completed worksheets for reference during the installation and configuration tasks.

4. Get all necessary patches for your cluster configuration.

   See “Patches and Required Firmware Levels” in Sun Cluster 3.1 Release Notes for the location of patches and installation instructions.

   Copy the patches that are required for Sun Cluster into a single directory. The directory must be on a file system that is accessible by all nodes. The default patch directory is /var/cluster/patches.

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   Tip –

   After you install Solaris software on a node, you can view the /etc/release file to see the exact version of Solaris software that is installed.

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   1. (Optional) If you are not using SunPlex Manager, you can create a patch list file. If you specify a patch list file, SunPlex Manager only installs the patches that are listed in the patch list file.

      For information about creating a patch-list file, refer to the patchadd(1M) man page.

   2. Record the path to the patch directory.

5. Do you intend to use Cluster Control Panel software to connect from an administrative console to your cluster nodes?

   • If yes, go to How to Install Cluster Control Panel Software on the Administrative Console.

   • If no, go to one of the following procedures.

     • To install Sun Cluster software by using either the scinstall(1 M) utility (text-based method) or SunPlex Manager (GUI-based method), go to How to Install Solaris Software to first install Solaris software.

     • To install Solaris and Sun Cluster software in the same operation (JumpStart based method), go to How to Install Solaris and Sun Cluster Software (JumpStart).