System Administrator Viewpoint

To the system administrator, the SunPlex system looks like a set of servers (nodes) cabled together, sharing storage devices. The system administrator sees:

• Specialized cluster software integrated with Solaris software to monitor the connectivity between cluster nodes

• Specialized software that monitors the health of user application programs running on the cluster nodes

• Volume management software that sets up and administers disks

• Specialized cluster software that enables all nodes to access all storage devices, even those not directly connected to disks

• Specialized cluster software that enables files to appear on every node as though they were locally attached to that node

Key Concepts for System Administration

System administrators need to understand the following concepts and processes:

• The interaction between the hardware and software components

• The general flow of how to install and configure the cluster including:

  • Installing the Solaris operating environment

  • Installing and configuring Sun Cluster software

  • Installing and configuring a volume manager

  • Installing and configuring application software to be cluster ready

  • Installing and configuring Sun Cluster data service software

• Cluster administrative procedures for adding, removing, replacing, and servicing cluster hardware and software components

• Configuration modifications to improve performance

Suggested System Administrator Conceptual References

The following sections contain material relevant to the preceding key concepts:

• Administrative Interfaces

• High-Availability Framework

• Global Devices

• Disk Device Groups

• Global Namespace

• Cluster File Systems

• Quorum and Quorum Devices

• Volume Managers

• Data Services

• Resources, Resource Groups, and Resource Types

• Public Network Adapters and IP Network Multipathing

• Chapter 4, Frequently Asked Questions

Relevant SunPlex Documentation for System Administrators

The following SunPlex documents include procedures and information associated with the system administration concepts:

• Sun Cluster 3.1 Software Installation Guide

• Sun Cluster 3.1 System Administration Guide

• Sun Cluster 3.1 Data Service Planning and Administration Guide

• Sun Cluster 3.1 Error Messages Guide

• Sun Cluster 3.1 Release Notes

• Sun Cluster 3.1 Release Notes Supplement

• Sun Cluster 3.1 Data Service Release Notes