44.1 Planning Your Messenger System in a Cluster

Because the Messenger agents are not associated with GroupWise domains or post offices, the Messenger agents are easier to implement in a cluster than are the GroupWise agents. Section 44.3, Messenger Clustering Worksheet lists all the information you need as you set up the Messenger agents in a clustering environment. You should print the worksheet and fill it out as you complete the tasks listed below:

44.1.1 Understanding Your Cluster

Fill out items 1 and 2 in Section 44.3, Messenger Clustering Worksheet with information about your cluster. This information corresponds to items 1 and 2 on the System Clustering Worksheet that you filled out for GroupWise. For background information, see Section 36.1, Setting Up Your Microsoft Cluster.

44.1.2 Planning Messenger Administration

If you have set up a shared disk for GroupWise administration, as described in Section 36.6, Planning Shared Administrative Resources, you can use the same shared disk for the Messenger administration files. For example, you might want to have a shared disk where you install the Messenger snap-in to ConsoleOne instead of installing it to multiple administrator workstations.

MESSENGER CLUSTERING WORKSHEET

Under Item 5: Installation Location for Messenger Administration, mark whether you want to install the Messenger snap-in to ConsoleOne to administrator workstations or to a shared disk.

If you plan to install the Messenger snap-in to ConsoleOne to a shared disk, under Item 6: Resource for Messenger Administration, list the network name and IP address of the shared disk, the physical disk name and file share for mapping to it, and the nodes in the cluster that it could fail over to.

44.1.3 Deciding Where to Install the Messenger Agent Software

In a Microsoft cluster, the Messenger agents must run as Windows services. When you install the Windows Messenger Agents, you can choose between two different installation locations:

Table 44-1 Messenger Agent Software Installation Locations

Location

Description

Each node in the cluster

The c:\novell\nm directory is the default installation location provided by the Messenger Installation program.

Shared disk

If you create a drive:\novell\nm directory on a shared disk, the Messenger agent software and startup files fail over and fail back along with supporting files such as the Messenger archive.

IMPORTANT:You must install to a shared disk if you do not want a separate Messenger archive to be created on each node where the Archive Agent runs. If you do not want to use a shared disk, you should plan to install the Archive Agent separately outside the cluster.

Because the Messenger agents must be installed as Windows services in a Microsoft cluster, you must initially run the Messenger Installation program for each node in the cluster so that the Windows services for the agents get created, regardless of where you are planning to run the Messenger agents from. However, for updates, you need to run the Messenger Installation program only once if you are running the Messenger agents from a shared disk.

MESSENGER CLUSTERING WORKSHEET

Under Item 3: Installation Location for Messenger Agents, mark whether you want to install the Messenger agent software to each node in the cluster or to a shared disk.

Continue with the planning instructions for the installation location you want to use:

Planning the Messenger Agents on Each Node in the Cluster

Make sure you have filled out item 2 on the Messenger Clustering Worksheet with a complete list of nodes in the cluster where you need to install the Messenger agents. Skip to Planning the Messenger Agent Installation.

Planning the Messenger Agents on a Shared Disk

If you do not anticipate a large Messenger archive, you can use one Messenger shared disk. If you anticipate archiving a large number of messages so that the Messenger archive grows very large, you might want to have a separate Messenger shared disk for the Archive Agent and the archive database. The steps in this section cover setting up the Messenger agents on a single shared disk.

MESSENGER CLUSTERING WORKSHEET

Under Item 4: Resource Group for Messenger Agents, plan the network name and IP address of the resource group, the physical disk and share name for mapping to it, the agent service names, and the nodes in the cluster where the Messenger resource group can fail over.

Continue with Planning the Messenger Agent Installation.

44.1.4 Planning the Messenger Agent Installation

Aside from the cluster-specific issues discussed in the preceding sections, the considerations involved in planning to install the Messenger agents are the same in a clustering environment as for any other environment. Review Planning Your Novell Messenger System, then print and fill out the Novell Messenger Worksheet in Installing a Novell Messenger System in the Novell Messenger 2.1 Installation Guide. Transfer the following information from the Messenger Clustering Worksheet to the Messenger System Worksheet:

  • For Item 3: Installation Path on the Messenger System Worksheet:

    • If you are installing the Messenger agents to each node in the cluster, use c:\novell\nm.

    • If you are installing the Messenger agents to a shared disk, use drive:\novell\nm where drive is the shared disk from Item 4: Resource Group for Messenger Agents on the Messenger Clustering Worksheet.

  • Under Item 12: Server Address on the Messenger System Worksheet:

    • If you are installing the Messenger agents to each node in the cluster, use the cluster IP address from Item 1: Cluster Identification on the Messenger Clustering Worksheet.

    • If you are installing the Messenger agents to a shared disk, specify the Messenger resource group IP address from Item 4: Resource Group for Messenger Agents on the Messenger Clustering Worksheet.

  • Under Item 13: Configure Agents for Clustering? on the Messenger System Worksheet, mark No. This applies to the Messenger Agents running with Novell Cluster Services, not in a Microsoft cluster.

  • Under Item 14: Admin Configuration on the Messenger System Worksheet:

    • If you are installing the Messenger snap-in to ConsoleOne to an administrator workstation, use the location where ConsoleOne is already installed (typically c:\novell\consoleone\version_number).

    • If you are installing the Messenger snap-in to ConsoleOne to a shared disk, use drive:\directory, where drive is the shared disk from Item 6: Resource for Messenger Administration on the Messenger Clustering Worksheet and directory is typically c:\novell\consoleone\version_number.

Continue with Setting Up Your Messenger System in a Cluster.