Cluster Interconnect FAQs

Which cluster interconnects does the Sun Cluster system support?

Currently, the Sun Cluster system supports the following cluster interconnects:

• Ethernet (100BASE-T Fast Ethernet and 1000BASE-SX Gb) in both SPARC based and x86 based clusters

• Infiniband in both SPARC based and x86 based clusters

• SCI in SPARC based clusters only

What is the difference between a “cable” and a transport “path”?

Cluster transport cables are configured by using transport adapters and switches. Cables join adapters and switches on a component-to-component basis. The cluster topology manager uses available cables to build end-to-end transport paths between nodes. A cable does not map directly to a transport path.

Cables are statically “enabled” and “disabled” by an administrator. Cables have a “state” (enabled or disabled), but not a “status.” If a cable is disabled, it is as if it were unconfigured. Cables that are disabled cannot be used as transport paths. These cables are not probed and therefore their state is unknown. You can obtain the state of a cable by using the scconf -p command.

Transport paths are dynamically established by the cluster topology manager. The “status” of a transport path is determined by the topology manager. A path can have a status of “online” or “offline.” You can obtain the status of a transport path by using the scstat(1M) command.

Consider the following example of a two-node cluster with four cables.

node1:adapter0      to switch1, port0
node1:adapter1      to switch2, port0
node2:adapter0      to switch1, port1
node2:adapter1      to switch2, port1

Two possible transport paths can be formed from these four cables.

node1:adapter0    to node2:adapter0
node2:adapter1    to node2:adapter1