You can install, configure, and administer the Sun Cluster system either though the SunPlex Manager GUI or through the command-line interface (CLI).
The Sun Cluster system also has a module that runs as part of Sun Management Center software that provides a GUI to certain cluster tasks.
SunPlex Manager is a browser-based tool for administering Sun Cluster systems. The SunPlex Manager software enables administrators to perform system management and monitoring, software installation, and system configuration.
The SunPlex Manager software includes the following features.
Built-in security and authorization mechanisms
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) support
Role-based access control (RBAC)
Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM)
NAFO and IP network multipathing group administration facilities
Quorum devices, transports, shared storage device, and resource group administration
Sophisticated error checking and autodetection of private interconnects
The Sun Cluster command-line interface is a set of utilities you can use to install and administer Sun Cluster systems, and administer the volume manager portion of Sun Cluster software.
You can perform the following SunPlex administration tasks through the Sun Cluster CLI:
Validating a Sun Cluster configuration
Installing and configuring Sun Cluster software
Updating a Sun Cluster configuration
Managing the registration of resource types, the creation of resource groups, and the activation of resources within a resource group
Changing node mastery and states for resource groups and disk device groups
Controlling access with role-based access control (RBAC)
Shutting down the entire cluster
The Sun Cluster system also has a module that runs as part of Sun Management Center software. Sun Management Center software serves as the cluster's base for administrative and monitoring operations and enables system administrators to perform the following tasks through a GUI or CLI:
Configuring a remote system
Monitoring performance
Dectecting and isolating hardware and software faults
Sun Management Center software can also be used as the interface to manage dynamic reconfiguration within Sun Cluster servers. Dynamic reconfiguration includes domain creation, dynamic board attach, and dynamic detach.
In conventional UNIX systems, the root user, also referred to as superuser, is omnipotent, with the ability to read and write to any file, run all programs, and send kill signals to any process. Solaris role-based access control (RBAC) is an alternative to the all-or-nothing superuser model. RBAC uses the security principle of least privilege, which is that no user should be given more privilege than necessary for performing his or her job.
RBAC enables an organization to separate superuser capabilities and package them into special user accounts or roles for assignment to specific individuals. This separation and packaging enables a variety of security policies. Accounts can be set up for special-purpose administrators in such areas as security, networking, firewall, backups, and system operation.