Administration and Configuration Tools

You can install, configure, and administer the Sun Cluster system either though the Sun Cluster Manager GUI, formerly SunPlex^TM Manager, 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.

Sun Cluster Manager

Sun Cluster Manager is a browser-based tool for administering Sun Cluster systems. The Sun Cluster Manager software enables administrators to perform system management and monitoring, software installation, and system configuration.

The Sun Cluster 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

Command-Line Interface

The Sun Cluster command-line interface (CLI) 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 followingSun Cluster 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 device groups

• Controlling access with role-based access control (RBAC)

• Shutting down the entire cluster

Sun Management Center

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

• Detecting 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.

Role-Based Access Control

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.