Sun Cluster 2.2 Software Installation Guide

Netscape Web or HTTP Server

Sun Cluster HA for Netscape HTTP is a Netscape Web or HTTP Server running under the control of Sun Cluster. This section describes the steps to take when installing the Netscape Web or HTTP Server (by using the ns-setup command) to enable it to run as the Sun Cluster HA for Netscape HTTP data service.

You can install any of a number of Netscape web server products. Refer to Netscape documentation for standard installation instructions.

Note -

If you will be running the Sun Cluster HA for Netscape HTTP service and an HTTP server for Sun Cluster Manager (SCM), configure the HTTP servers to listen on different ports. Otherwise, there will be a port conflict between the two servers. Do not assign port numbers that are already reserved by Sun Cluster or Solaris. See "Default Port Numbers Reserved by Sun Cluster" for details.

Note -

You must follow certain conventions when you configure URL mappings for the web server. For example, when setting the CGI directory, to preserve availability you must locate the mapped directories on the multihost disks associated with the logical host serving HTTP requests for this mapping. In this example, you would map your CGI directory to /logicalhost/commerce/ns-home/cgi-bin. In situations where the CGI programs access "back-end" data, make sure the data also is located on the multihost disks associated with the logical host serving the HTTP requests. In situations where the CGI programs access "back-end" servers such as an RDBMS, make sure that the "back-end" server also is controlled by Sun Cluster. If the server is an RDBMS supported by Sun Cluster, use one of the highly available RDBMS packages. If not, you can put the server under Sun Cluster control using the APIs documented in the Sun Cluster 2.2 API Developer's Guide.

Netscape Web or HTTP server requires some variation from the default installation parameters, notably:

Specifying the logical host name rather than the physical host name
Do not use the default server root disk when prompted, your files must reside on the multihost disk
When supplying the base install directory pathname, this should be the location of the start and stop scripts

How to Install Netscape Web or HTTP Server

Before you begin this procedure, complete the appropriate pre-requisite steps listed in Table 8-2.

This procedure shows the user interaction with the ns-setup command. Only the sections that are specific to Sun Cluster HA for Netscape HTTP are shown here. For the other sections, choose or change the default value as appropriate.

All of the steps in this procedure must be performed as root.

Make sure each logical host is served by its default master.

The Netscape application will be installed from the physical host that is the logical host's default master. If necessary, switch over the logical hosts to be served by their respective default masters.

Note -
The logical host names you use in your Sun Cluster configuration should be used as the server names when you install and configure the Netscape application in the following steps. This is necessary for failover of the Netscape server to work properly.

On one node only, run the ns-setup command from the Netscape Commerce install directory on the CD.

phys-hahost1# cd /cdrom/commerce/solaris/us/https/install
phys-hahost1# ./ns-setup

Note -

The Netscape directory on the CD might be different from that shown in the example. Check your Netscape documentation for the actual location.

After the licensing agreement you see:

Netscape Communications Corporation 
Netscape SuiteSpot Server Installation
---------------------------------------------------------------
This program will extract the server files from the distribution
media and install them into a directory you specify. This 
directory is called the server root and will contain the server 
programs, the Administration Server, and the server configuration 
files.

Server root [/usr/netscape/suitespot]:
To accept the default in brackets, press return.

Enter the logical host name for the Netscape Web Server and the appropriate DNS domain name.

A full name is of type hostname.domainname, such as hahost1.sun.com. You can enter any directory name you might have created for the data service here as well.

Note -
You must use the logical host name rather than the physical host name here and everywhere else you are asked, for Sun Cluster HA for Netscape HTTP to fail over correctly.

For example:
Machine's name [phys-hahost1]: hahost1
Follow the screen instructions (in most cases you may want to accept the default choices) for the server installation.

Enter the Server Administrator ID and password when asked.

Follow the guidelines for your system.

Note -
The default administration port is not the port on which the data services will listen, so it is an acceptable default. You will however, want to make note of the port number for future use.

When the following message appears, your installation is ready for configuration:
Your parameters are now entered into the Administration Server configuration files, and the Administration Server will be started. Writing configuration files ...

Bring up the Netscape browser.
Web browser [netscape]:
The Netscape browser appears.

Enter the URL of the logical host where the server is installed. For example:
logicalhostname:admin_port_#

Enter the proper user ID and password when prompted.

You see the page with the logical host name you assigned and the Administration port number.

Click the Create selection for the Netscape product and version you want to install.

Click OK from the bottom of the following page.

You see the Success page with the name of the new server and associated port number.

This step creates a directory https-hostname in the server root you specified in Step 2. For example, if the server root you specified is /netscape-1/vol01/nshttps and the name of the server you created is hahost1, then the directory created is /netscape-1/vol01/nshttps/https-hahost1.

(For Netscape HTTP Secure 4.0 only) In the directory created in Step 9, create a file called keyPass.

This file should contain the Server Administrator password. This allows the HA data service to run the server with encryption turned on. For more details about how to configure the server to run with encryption on or off, refer to your Netscape Enterprise Server documentation.

Note -
(Netscape HTTP 4.0 only) The certificates necessary for the Enterprise Server to run in encrypted mode must be created for each of the physical hosts on which the server can potentially run. This is different from Netscape HTTP versions 3.6 and earlier, in which only one certificate (independent of the physical servers) had to be installed. This change is imposed by the Enterprise certificate management model for Enterprise OS version 4.

If the service is not yet registered, use the hareg(1M) command to register it.

To register the service only on the logical host, include the -h option and logical host name:
# hareg -s -r nshttp [-h logicalhost]

Run the hadsconfig command from the physical host:
phys-hahost1# hadsconfig

Enter the number for the nshttp menu item at the prompt.

Your choices vary depending on the services installed.

Enter the number for the Create a new instance item at the prompt.

Name of the instance [?]
Logical host [?]
Base directory of product installation [?] 
Server Port Number [?]
Time between probes (sec) [60]  [?]
Time out value for the probe (sec) [60]  [?]
Take over flag [y]  [?]

Enter a name for the instance.

Enter your logical hostname.

Enter the location to your logical host for the Base directory location.

This is the location of the start and stop scripts. For example, /netscape-1/vol01/nshttps/https-hahost1. You may have created other directories between the logical host and service directories.

Enter the server port number on which you want the server to listen.

Either accept or change the defaults here by entering the appropriate information.

You can change the defaults now, if necessary. After you finish, a confirmation appears.

Add this instance.

You see instance added to workfile.

Enter the menu item number to go to the Main Menu.

You see Configuration has changed in workfile.

Update the configuration from the workfile.

Enter the appropriate information when you see the checking node status... message.

Enter the Quit menu item number.

Return to the root prompt of your physical host.

Register and activate the service by using the hareg(1M) command.

Run the hareg(1M) command on only one host.
# hareg -y nshttp

Confirm your HTTP server operation by making a telnet connection to your logical host where the service is listening.

For example:
# telnet logicalhost port#
After you have confirmed the server's operation, your installation is complete.