How to Prepare for Cluster Software Installation

Before you begin to install software, make the following preparations.

1. Ensure that the combination of hardware and software that you choose for your cluster is currently a supported Sun Cluster configuration.

   Contact your Sun sales representative for the most current information about supported cluster configurations.

2. Read the following manuals for information that can help you plan your cluster configuration and prepare your installation strategy.

   • Sun Cluster Release Notes - Restrictions, bug workarounds, and other late-breaking information.

   • Sun Cluster Overview for Solaris OS and Sun Cluster Concepts Guide for Solaris OS - Overviews of the Sun Cluster product.

   • Sun Cluster Software Installation Guide for Solaris OS (this manual) - Planning guidelines and procedures for installing and configuring Solaris, Sun Cluster, and volume-manager software.

   • Sun Cluster Data Services Planning and Administration Guide for Solaris OS - Planning guidelines and procedures to install and configure data services.

3. Have available all related documentation, including third-party documents.

   The following is a partial list of products whose documentation you might need to reference during cluster installation:

   • Solaris OS

   • Solaris Volume Manager software

   • Sun QFS software

   • Veritas Volume Manager

   • Third-party applications

4. Plan your cluster configuration.

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   Caution –

   Plan your cluster installation completely. Identify requirements for all data services and third-party products before you begin Solaris and Sun Cluster software installation. Failure to do so might result in installation errors that require that you completely reinstall the Solaris and Sun Cluster software.

   For example, the Oracle Real Application Clusters Guard option of Oracle Real Application Clusters has special requirements for the hostnames that you use in the cluster. Another example with special requirements is Sun Cluster HA for SAP. You must accommodate these requirements before you install Sun Cluster software because you cannot change hostnames after you install Sun Cluster software.

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   • Use the planning guidelines in Chapter 1, Planning the Sun Cluster Configuration and in the Sun Cluster Data Services Planning and Administration Guide for Solaris OS to determine how to install and configure your cluster.

   • Fill out the cluster framework and data-services configuration worksheets that are referenced in the planning guidelines. Use your completed worksheets for reference during the installation and configuration tasks.

5. Obtain all necessary patches for your cluster configuration.

   See Patches and Required Firmware Levels in Sun Cluster Release Notes for the location of patches and installation instructions.

Next Steps

If you want to use Cluster Control Panel software to connect from an administrative console to your cluster nodes, go to How to Install Cluster Control Panel Software on an Administrative Console.

Otherwise, choose the Solaris installation procedure to use.

• To configure Sun Cluster software by using the scinstall(1M) utility, go to How to Install Solaris Software to first install Solaris software.

• To install and configure Solaris and Sun Cluster software in the same operation (JumpStart method), go to How to Install Solaris and Sun Cluster Software (JumpStart).