Fully Automatic Failover and Failback

Automated failover and failback reduces the complexity involved in a disaster recovery situation. It is protection against the risk of downtime, whether planned or unplanned.

No server reboot

Disks on the server on both the primary and secondary sites are recognized during the initial system boot in a HP 3PAR Cluster Extension environment; therefore LUN presentation and LUN mapping changes are not necessary during failover or failback for a truly hand-free disaster tolerant solution.

No single point of failure

Supreme redundancy: identical configuration of established SAN infrastructure redundancies are implemented on remote site.

Synchronous mode support

HP 3PAR Remote Copy software offers synchronous data transfer mode between storage systems and host. Synchronous data transfers offer the highest levels of data protection. With synchronous operations, both the primary and secondary copies are identical and concurrent at all times.

Synchronous mirroring ensures that data copies are identical, to prevent critical data loss in the event of a failure or disaster. In this mode, data is written simultaneously to the mirrored cache of the primary storage system and the secondary storage system, in real time, before the application I/O is completed, thus ensuring the highest possible data consistency. Synchronous replication is appropriate when exact consistency is critical to the business application.

Storage system configurations

Cluster configurations typically consist of two or more server systems connected to a shared storage system. HP 3PAR Cluster Extension allows the dispersion of data center resources by enabling cluster systems to take advantage of HP 3PAR storage systems configured for Remote Copy operations. HP 3PAR Cluster Extension uses HP 3PAR InForm OS Command Line Interface (CLI) to control the HP 3PAR storage systems (and Remote Copy) with the cluster software, and uses cluster software to react to system hardware and application failures.

HP 3PAR Cluster Extension behavior is based on four major considerations:

Cluster software failover behaviors

HP 3PAR Cluster Extension user settings

The replication mode setting for HP 3PAR Remote Copy, which is used to configure the remote replication feature of a 3PAR storage system environment based on your needs for application service availability, data concurrency, and replication performance

Remote Copy volume group and virtual volume status information

HP 3PAR Cluster Extension supports the following configurations:

1-to-1

N-to-1 (the logical configuration must be a one-to-one configuration). See Figure 2 (page 9).

1-to-N (the logical configuration must be a one-to-one configuration). See Figure 2 (page 9).

NOTE: Synchronous long distance and unidirectional remote copy configurations are not supported.

8HP 3PAR Cluster Extension features

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HP Cluster Software manual Fully Automatic Failover and Failback, No server reboot, No single point of failure

Cluster Software specifications

HP Cluster Software is a robust solution designed to enhance the reliability, availability, and scalability of computing environments in enterprise settings. This software is instrumental in managing clusters of servers, providing a unified framework that allows for efficient resource management, workload distribution, and high availability.

One of the main features of HP Cluster Software is its ability to deliver high availability through failover mechanisms. In the event of a hardware or software failure, the software automatically shifts workloads from the affected node to a standby node within the cluster, minimizing downtime. This feature is critical for organizations that require continuous access to their data and applications.

Scalability is another significant characteristic of HP Cluster Software. Organizations can easily add or remove nodes from the cluster without disrupting ongoing operations. This flexibility ensures that enterprises can adapt to changing workloads and resource demands efficiently, making it suitable for environments ranging from small businesses to large data centers.

Load balancing is a key technology employed by HP Cluster Software. It intelligently distributes workloads across the available nodes, optimizing resource utilization and ensuring that no single server is overwhelmed. By balancing the load, organizations can achieve better performance and enhance the response times of applications, which are essential for user satisfaction.

HP Cluster Software supports various clustering topologies, including active-active and active-passive configurations. This versatility allows organizations to choose the architecture that best fits their operational requirements. Additionally, the software integrates seamlessly with various HP and third-party hardware and software solutions, thus providing a holistic environment for managing IT resources.

Moreover, HP Cluster Software offers centralized management tools that simplify cluster administration. Administrators can monitor cluster performance, manage workloads, and configure settings all from a single interface. This ease of use reduces the complexity often associated with managing large clusters and empowers IT teams to respond rapidly to issues.

In summary, HP Cluster Software is an essential tool for organizations looking to enhance their IT infrastructure's availability, reliability, and performance. With its failover capabilities, scalability options, load balancing technology, and centralized management features, it stands out as a comprehensive solution for modern computing challenges.