SMA for Ethernet Clusters

Clusters of all sizes may be connected through a switch or hub. However, only two-node clusters may be connected point-to-point. The Switch Management Agent (SMA) software component manages communications over the Ethernet switches or hubs.

There are three basic Ethernet topologies supported in Sun Cluster (Figure 1-3 and Figure 1-4):

• Three- or four-node cluster that requires two Ethernet switches or hubs

• Two-node point-to-point cluster

• Two-node cluster with Ethernet switches or hubs (a degenerate case of the four-node cluster that allows for future expansion of cluster nodes with minimal interruption)

Figure 1-3 Ethernet Cluster Topology for Four Nodes

Figure 1-4 Ethernet Cluster Topologies for Two Nodes