CIFS should be configured to work with Novell Cluster Services in ACTIVE/ACTIVE mode.
ACTIVE/ACTIVE mode is the recommended configuration because it provides faster recovery after a failure. ACTIVE/ACTIVE mode signifies that CIFS is running simultaneously on multiple servers in the cluster. When a server fails, the cluster volumes mounted on that server fail over to other servers in the cluster and users retain access to files and directories.
To configure CIFS for ACTIVE/ACTIVE mode with Novell Cluster Services:
Ensure the cifsstrt.ncf command is in the Autoexec.ncf file of each server in the cluster that will run CIFS.
Create and cluster enable pools by following the instructions in the Creating Shared NSS Pools
section of the NW6.5 SP8: Novell Cluster Services 1.8.5 Administration Guide.
When you create and cluster-enable pools, ensure that the CIFS check box that appears in NetWare Remote Manager during the partition and pool creation process is checked, and specify the CIFS Server Name in the field provided. This can also be done using iManager or the NSSMU console utility. This will make the pool accessible and highly available to CIFS clients.
The CIFS server name is the server name CIFS clients see when they browse the network. A default server name is listed, but you can change the server name by editing the text in the field.
When you cluster enable a pool and make the pool accessible to CIFS clients, the CIFS ADD command along with the Fully Distinguished Name (FDN) of the virtual server (cluster-enabled pool) is automatically added to the pool load script and the CIFS DEL command is automatically added to the pool unload script. These commands are necessary to allow clients to connect to the cluster-enabled pool.
With CIFS configured to run in ACTIVE/ACTIVE mode, if you stop and then restart CIFS on a server, you must bring the virtual server resource offline and then online again to cause the CIFS ADD command to be executed from the load script.
Although ACTIVE/ACTIVE mode is the recommended configuration, CIFS can also be run in ACTIVE/PASSIVE mode. ACTIVE/PASSIVE mode signifies that CIFS software runs on only one node at a time in the cluster. When a server fails, CIFS starts on another specified node in the cluster, and the cluster volumes that were mounted on the failed server fail over to that other node. This makes ACTIVE/PASSIVE mode slower because, in addition to cluster volumes failing over, CIFS software has to load on other servers in the cluster before users can access files and directories.
To configure CIFS for ACTIVE/PASSIVE mode with Novell Cluster Services, follow the instruction above, except remove the CIFSSTRT.NCF command from the AUTOEXEC.NCF file of each server in the cluster and add it to the beginning of the load script of each cluster-enabled pool.