Installing Novell Cluster Services

Install Novell Cluster Services by following the instructions provided in NetWare Cluster Services Overview and Installation for your version of NetWare:

• NetWare 6.x: "Installation and Setup"
• NetWare 5.1: "Installation and Setup"

The installation process includes:

• Meeting hardware and software requirements
• Setting up a shared disk system
• Creating a new NetWare Cluster object to represent the cluster in Novell eDirectory^TM
• Adding nodes to the cluster
• Installing the Novell Cluster Services software on all nodes in the cluster
• Mounting the shared volumes where you will set up GroupWise domains and post offices and install the GroupWise agents

As you install Novell Cluster Services, record key information about the cluster on the System Clustering Worksheet:

SYSTEM CLUSTERING WORKSHEET

Under Item 2: eDirectory Tree for Cluster, record the name of the eDirectory tree where the new NetWare Cluster object has been created. Under Item 3: Cluster Name, record the name of the NetWare Cluster object that you created for your GroupWise system. Under Item 4: Cluster Context, record the full context of the NetWare Cluster object. Under Item 5: Nodes in Cluster, list the nodes that you have added to the cluster.

The number of nodes and shared volumes that are available in the cluster will strongly influence where you place GroupWise domains and post offices. You have several alternatives:

• Your whole GroupWise system can run in a single cluster.
• Parts of your GroupWise system can run in one cluster while other parts of it run in one or more other clusters.
• Parts of your GroupWise system can run in a cluster while other parts run outside of the cluster, on non-clustered servers.

If you do not have the system resources to run all of your GroupWise system in a clustering environment, you must decide which parts have the most urgent need for the high availability provided by clustering. Here are some suggestions:

• Post offices and their POAs must be available in order for users to access their GroupWise mailboxes. Therefore, post offices and their POAs are excellent candidates for the high availability provided by clustering.
• In a like manner, WebAccess provides user access to GroupWise mailboxes across the Internet through users' Web browsers. It is another good candidate for clustering.
• Domains and their MTAs are less noticeable to users when they are unavailable (unless users in different post offices happen to be actively engaged in an e-mail discussion when the MTA goes down). On the other hand, domains and their MTAs are critical to GroupWise administrators, although administrators might be more tolerant of a down server than end users are. Critical domains in your system would be the primary domain and, if you have one, a hub or routing domain. These domains should be in the cluster, even if other domains are not.
• The Internet Agent might or might not require high availability in your GroupWise system, depending on the importance of immediate messaging across the Internet and the use of POP3 or IMAP4 clients by GroupWise users.

There is no right or wrong way to implement GroupWise in a clustering environment. It all depends on the specific needs of your particular GroupWise system and its users.