Chapter 1. Introduction

This document discusses the CHASE product. It explains how to perform configuration and installation.

Terminology

This document uses the following terminology:

  • CHASE-FILESERVER (CHASE-FS), which refers to CHASE-BASE-CD plus CHASE-FS-CD

  • CHASE-WEBSERVER (CHASE-WEB), which refers to CHASE-BASE-CD plus CHASE-WEB-CD

Assumptions

The instructions in this document assume that the base Linux operating system (OS) -- either Red Hat version 6.2 or later or SuSE version 6.4 or later -- and SGI ProPack 1.4 have already been installed on the systems in your cluster. For more information, see the base OS documentation and SGI ProPack 1.4 for Linux Start Here.

CHASE Product Contents

CHASE, the Clustered Highly Available (HA) Server Environment, is designed to bring the ease of use and deployment of HA solutions for business critical applications to our customers. It is based on Linux FailSafe, SGI's open sourced, advanced, scalable, and field proven HA software which has been open sourced to benefit Linux overall. Linux FailSafe is ported to Linux from the IRIX version, IRIS FailSafe.

CHASE for fileserver brings together all the pieces and installation program to deploy a highly available fileserver using NFS and Samba in a cluster environment that is extensible as the business needs grow. Even though many of these components may be available from disparate sources in the open source arena, it is clear that well packaged solutions reduce the time and hassles required for users to assemble it all on their own and hence can be quite cost effective. Another reason customers are willing to pay for such packaged solutions is the support they need for a business critical solution which must be up and running 24x7. SGI, with its world class support infrastructure and the best knowledge base for Linux FailSafe, as it is an incarnation of IRIS FailSafe which has been successfully deployed in the field for five years now, is in the position to offer the best support options to our customers who need the cost-effective HA solutions in the Linux environment.

Product Structure

The CHASE product consists of three software and three hardware bundles. Users are expected to buy a software-only bundle and required hardware bundles.

SC4-CHASE-BASE-1.0 is the CD that contains Linux FailSafe product as well as Performance Co-Pilot (PCP) images for Linux FailSafe.

The three software-only bundles are the following:

  • SC4-CHASE-CUSTOM-1.0, which contains SC4-CHASE-BASE-1.0 CD. This bundle can be used to build custom agents for FailSafe.

  • SC4-CHASE-FILESERVER-1.0, which contains SC4-CHASE-BASE-1.0 CD and another CD containing CHASE agents for NFS v.2 and Samba v.2.0.6.

  • SC4-CHASE-WEBSERVER-1.0, which contains SC4-CHASE-BASE-1.0 CD and another CD containing CHASE agent for Apache Web server.

The three hardware bundles available for IA32 machines are the following:

  • CHASE-2NODE-IA32 : First two nodes in IA32 Linux HA Cluster

    (9290131)

    1

    Null Ethernet Cable -- RJ45

    (018-0691-001)

    2

    Serial Cables


  • CHASE-N-NODE : Expansion infrastructure for any greater than two nodes

    (018-0700-001)

    2

    Ethernet Cable -- RJ45

    (9470235)

    1

    10BaseT Hub 8-port

    (040-1895-003)

    1

    Rack Mounting Bracket

    (9470248)

    1

    Power Supply


  • CHASE-ADD-IA32 : Additional nodes beyond initial two

    (018-0700-001)

    1

    Ethernet Cable -- RJ45

    (018-0691-001)

    1

    Serial Cable


Contents for the CHASE Release

CHASE-BASE CD

The CHASE-BASE CD contains the RPMs providing the core FailSafe infrastructure. This consists of Graphical User Interface daemons as well as clustering (highly available) daemons. It also has plug-ins/agents for basic resources like IP addresses and ext2fs filesystems.

Table 1-1. CHASE-BASE CD Contents

Name

RPM

Description

sysadm_base-lib

sysadm_base-lib-1.3.6-1.i386.rpm

Base libraries used by the server-side portion of Rhino-based applications. When you install it, it will attempt to add its lib directory to your ld.so.conf.

cluster_admin

cluster_admin-1.0.1-1.i386.rpm

This RPM contains the cluster database daemon, the reset services daemon and cluster administration daemon. These binaries are installed in /usr/lib/failsafe/bin.

cluster_services

cluster_services-1.0.1-1.i386.rpm

This RPM provides the binaries for the cluster services for CHASE. The binaries are the group communication daemon, the system resources manager daemon, and the cluster memership service daemon. It also provides the agents for basic resource types such as IP address and templates.

failsafe

failsafe-1.0.1-1.i386.rpm

This RPM contains the FailSafe binaries.

sysadm_base-client

sysadm_base-client-1.3.6-1.i386.rpm

This is the base software needed on the client-side by Rhino applications.

sysadm_failsafe-client

sysadm_failsafe-client-0.9.3.i386.rpm

This is the Java-based GUI which you can install on systems which you will use to administer your cluster. (You can use cluster nodes for this if you want.)

sysadm_base-dev

sysadm_base-dev-1.3.6-1.i386.rpm

Headers for building Rhino-based applications.

sysadm_base_tcpmux

sysadm_base_tcpmux-1.3.6-1.i386.rpm

sysadmd (the Rhino system administration daemon) is started through tcpmux, which is started by inetd. This contains the tcpmux daemon (really just a wafer-theen layer between inetd and sysadmd) and a configuration file. When you install it, it will attempt to add a tcpmux entry to your inetd.conf.

sysadm_base-server

sysadm_base-server-1.3.6-1.i386.rpm

This contains the sysadmd daemon, service and protocol modules, and commands for administering privileges. When you install it, it will attempt to add an entry to your tcpmux.conf file (installed by sysadm_base-tcpmux).

sysadm_failsafe-server

sysadm_failsafe-server-0.9-3.i386.rpm

These are the server-side GUI libraries which need to be installed on any node in the cluster which you are going to connect the client to. (You only need to install it on one node in the cluster.)

sysadm_failsafe-web

sysadm_failsafe-web-0.9-3.i386.rpm

These are HTML files for serving the FailSafe GUI as an applet. Like sysadm_failsafe-server, this should be installed on any node in the cluster which you want to connect the GUI to, but you only need this if you do not want to install sysadm_failsafe-client on any machines. (This has not really been tested!)

IBMJava118-JRE

IBMJava118-JRE-1.1.8-3.0.i386.rpm

This is the Java environment RPM. The GUI is qualified to run over this environment.

Filesystem-plugin

ext2fs-plugin-1.0-1.i386.rpm

This is another basic resource like the IP address. It provides agents to make a filesystem highly available.

pcp-2.1.6-1.i386.rpm

This binary RPM contains the base PCP framework and utilities.

pcp-pro-2.1.6-7.i386.rpm

This binary RPM contains the PCP visualization tools, additional PCP agents and logging tools.

pcp-fsafe-2.1.1-1.i386.rpm

This binary RPM contains the PCP for FailSafe agent and visualization tools for PCP.


CHASE-FILESERVER CD

The CHASE-FILESERVER CD consists of the NFS server, the Samba server, the NFS plug-in, and the Samba plug-in. These plug-ins depend on the IP address and the filesystem plug-ins which come along with the CHASE-BASE CD.

Table 1-2. CHASE-FILESERVER CD Contents

Name

RPM

Description

samba-2.0.7

 

This RPM contains the Samba server version 2.0.7.

nfs-utils

nfs-utils-0.1.6-2

This RPM contains the NFS server for Red Hat.

knfsd

knfsd-991001-47.i386.rpm

This RPM contains the NFS server for SuSE.

NFS-plugin

NFS-plugin-1.0-1.i386.rpm

This plug-in contains the agent used by CHASE to make the NFS daemon highly available.

Samba-plugin

 

This plug-in contains the agent used by CHASE to make the Samba processes highly available.


CHASE-WEBSERVER CD

The CHASE-WEBSERVER CD consists of the Apache Web server and the Apache plug-in. The Apache plug-in depends on the IP address and the filesystem plug-ins which come along with the CHASE-BASE CD.

Table 1-3. CHASE-WEBSERVER CD Contents

Name

RPM

Description

apache-1.3

apache-1.3.12-2.i386.rpm

This RPM contains the Apache Web server. This Web server can be made highly available. The package is distribution sensitive and hence there are two of them, one for SuSE and the other for Red Hat.

Apache-plugin

Apache-plugin-1.0-1.i386.rpm

This plug-in contains the agent used by CHASE to make the Apache Web server highly available.