HP Serviceguard Extension for RAC (SGeRAC) Package Dependencies, Storage Configuration Options

Package Dependencies

When CFS is used as shared storage, the application and software using the CFS storage should be configured to start and stop using Serviceguard packages. These application packages should be configured with a package dependency on the underlying multi-node packages, which manages the CFS and CVM storage reserves.

Configuring the application to be start/stop through Serviceguard package is to ensure the synchronization of storage activation/deactivation and application startup/shutdown.

With CVM configurations using multi-node packages, CVM shared storage should be configured in Serviceguard packages with package dependencies.

Refer to the latest edition of the Managing Serviceguard user’s guide for detailed information on multi-node packages.

Storage Configuration Options

CFS provides SGeRAC with additional options, such as improved manageability. When planning a RAC cluster, application software could be installed once and be visible by all cluster nodes. A central location is available to store runtime logs, for example, RAC alert logs.

Oracle RAC data files can be created on a CFS, allowing the database administrator or Oracle software to create additional data files without the need of root system administrator privileges. The archive area can be on a CFS. Oracle instances on any cluster node can access the archive area when database recovery requires the archive logs.

About Veritas CFS and CVM from Symantec

Veritas Cluster File System (CFS) and Cluster Volume Manager (CVM) are supported on some, but not all current releases of HP-UX. Check the latest Release Notes for your version of Serviceguard for up-to-date information at www.hp.com/go/hpux-serviceguard-docs—> HP

Serviceguard Extension for RAC.

CAUTION: Once you create the disk group and mount point packages, you must administer the cluster with CFS commands, including cfsdgadm, cfsmntadm, cfsmount, and cfsumount. You must not use the HP-UX mount or umount command to provide or remove access to a shared file system in a CFS environment. Using these HP-UX commands under these circumstances is not supported. Use cfsmount and cfsumount instead.

If you use the HP-UX mount and umount commands, serious problems could occur, such as writing to the local file system instead of the cluster file system. Non-CFS commands could cause conflicts with subsequent CFS command operations on the file system or the Serviceguard packages, and will not create an appropriate multi-node package, which means cluster packages will not be aware of file system changes.

IMPORTANT: To avoid cluster wide panics and/or database failures, Storage Foundation for Oracle RAC (SFRAC/SFCFS for RAC) installations using Cluster Volume Manager (CVM) shared disk groups must have a dgfailpolicy of "leave". For additional details, read the latest version of this technote at

www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH144672

Overview of SGeRAC and Cluster File System (CFS)/Cluster Volume Manager (CVM) 15