Cluster Interconnect FAQ

• What cluster interconnects does the SunPlex system support?

  Currently, the SunPlex system supports Ethernet (100BASE-T Fast Ethernet and 1000BASE-SX Gb) cluster interconnects.

• What is the difference between a "cable" and a transport "path?"

  Cluster transport cables are configured 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. They are not probed and therefore, it is not possible to know their status. The state of a cable can be viewed using scconf -p.

  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." The status of a transport path can be viewed using scstat(1M).

  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

  There are two possible transport paths that can be formed from these four cables.

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