Configuration Guidelines for Sun Cluster Data Services

This section provides configuration guidelines for Sun Cluster data services.

Determining the Location of the Application Binaries

The two locations where you can install the application software and application configuration files are: on the local disks of each cluster node or on the cluster file system. The advantage to placing the software and configuration files on the individual cluster nodes is that if you want to upgrade the application software later, you can do so without shutting down the cluster. The disadvantage is that you then have several copies of the software and configuration files to maintain and administer.

If you put the application binaries on the cluster file system, you have only one copy to maintain and manage, but you must shut down the data service in the entire cluster to upgrade the application software. If you can spare a small amount of downtime for upgrades, put a single copy of the application and configuration files on the cluster file system.

For information on creating cluster file systems, see the planning chapter of the Sun Cluster 3.0 Installation Guide.

Verifying the nsswitch.conf File Contents

The nsswitch.conf file is the configuration file for name service lookups. This file determines which databases within the Solaris environment to use for name service lookups and in what order to consult the databases.

For some data services, direct "group" lookups to "files" first. Change the "group" line in the file so that the "files" entry is listed first. To determine whether you need to change the "group" line, see the chapter for the data service you are configuring.

For additional information on how to configure nsswitch.conf for the Sun Cluster environment, see the planning chapter in the Sun Cluster 3.0 Installation Guide.

Planning the Cluster File System Configuration

Depending on the data service, you might need to configure the cluster file system to meet Sun Cluster requirements. To determine whether any special considerations apply, see the chapter for the data service you are configuring.

For information on creating cluster file systems, see the planning chapter of the Sun Cluster 3.0 Installation Guide.