Cluster Groups And Resources, Including File Shares; Cluster Group Overview; Node-Based Cluster Groups - HP ProLiant 300 Series Administration Manual

Cluster groups and resources, including file shares

Management tasks for a cluster include creating and managing cluster resources and cluster groups. The
Cluster Administrator tool provides complete online help for all cluster administration activities. Cluster
resources are created and then assigned to logical, organizational groups. Ownership of these groups
should be assigned in a balanced arrangement between the server nodes, distributing the processing
load between the two nodes.
Cluster resources include administrative types of resources as well as file shares. The following paragraphs
include overview and planning issues for cluster groups, cluster resources, and clustered file shares.
Creating and managing these resources and groups must be managed through Cluster Administrator,
available from the Cluster tab of the WebUI. Complete online help for creating the various cluster
objects is available in the Cluster Administrator tool.

Cluster group overview

A default cluster group is automatically created when the cluster is first created. This default cluster group
contains an Internet Protocol (IP) Address resource, a Network Name resource, and the Quorum disk
resource. When the new cluster is created, the (IP) address and the cluster name that were specified
during setup are set up as the IP address and network name of this default cluster group.
CAUTION:
Do not delete or rename the Cluster Group or IP Address. Doing so results in losing the cluster and
requires reinstallation of the cluster.
When creating groups, the administrator's first priority is to gain an understanding of how to manage the
groups and their resources. Administrators may choose to create a resource group and a virtual server
(IP Address resource and Network Name resource) for each node that will contain all resources owned
by that node, or the administrator may choose to create a resource group and virtual server for each
physical disk resource. Additionally, the administrator should try to balance the load of the groups and
their resources on the cluster between the two nodes.

Node-based cluster groups

Creating only one resource group and one virtual server for each node facilitates group and resource
administration. This setup allows administrators to include all file share resources under one group.
Clients access all of the resources owned by one node through a virtual server name.
In node-based cluster groups, each group has its own network name and IP address. The administrator
decides on which node to place each physical disk resource. This configuration provides a very coarse
level of granularity. All resources within a group must remain on the same node. Only two IP addresses
and network names are required. This configuration creates less overhead for resource and network
administration. A possible disadvantage of this approach is that the resource groups can potentially
grow large when many file shares are created.
Load balancing
The creation of separate cluster groups for each virtual server provides more flexibility in balancing the
processing load on the cluster between the two nodes. Each cluster group can be assigned to a cluster
node with the preferred owner parameter. For example, if there are two cluster groups, the cluster could
be set up to have the first cluster group owned by node A and the second cluster group owned by node
HP ProLiant Storage Server administration guide
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