5.4 Installing Novell Cluster Services

Novell Cluster Services for Linux is included on the add-on media for OES 2015 SP1. It is necessary to install OES on every server that you want to add to a cluster. You can have up to 32 nodes in each cluster. See Section 5.1, Novell Cluster Services Licensing.

Installing Novell Cluster Services does the following:

  • If the eDirectory schema has not already been extended for cluster objects in the tree, the schema is extended.

  • Novell Cluster Services software is installed on the server.

You can install Novell Cluster Services when you install the OES platform, or you can install it later on an existing OES server.

5.4.1 Before You Install Novell Cluster Services

Ensure that your system meets the requirements and guidelines in Section 4.0, Planning for Novell Cluster Services. Before you install Novell Cluster Services, verify that your setup meets these requirements:

Using a Local eDirectory Database

If you want Novell Cluster Services to use a local eDirectory database on the same server, you must install and configure eDirectory before you configure Novell Cluster Services.

Rights to Extend the Schema

If the eDirectory schema was not previously extended in the tree as described in Section A.3, OES Installation extend_schema Command, the user who installs Novell Cluster Services must be an administrator user with the rights to extend the schema, such as the tree administrator.

Shared Devices for the SBD

If you have a shared disk system and the server where you are installing Novell Cluster Services is the first node in a cluster, install the Novell Cluster Services software, then initialize the device you need for the Split Brain Detector (SBD) partition and mark it as shareable. If you plan to mirror the SBD, prepare two devices of the same size. You can create the SBD when you configure Novell Cluster Services on the first node, or you can use the sbdutil utility to create it before you install Novell Cluster Services on a second node in the cluster.

SBD Required before You Install the Second Node in the Cluster

If you have a shared disk system and the server where you are installing Novell Cluster Services is the second node in a cluster, verify that a cluster partition for the cluster’s SBD exists on the first cluster node before you begin the install on the second node.

IMPORTANT:The cluster SBD partition is not required unless you have shared storage.

Typically, you create the SBD when you configure the cluster on the first node as described in Section 5.5.5, Configuring a New Cluster. A one-node cluster that has shared disk storage can be configured without an SBD, but the SBD must be created before you add another node. For information about manually creating an SBD, see:

5.4.2 Installing Novell Cluster Services during an OES Installation

This section describes only those steps in the install that are directly related to installing Novell Cluster Services. For detailed instructions on installing OES, see the OES 2015 SP1: Installation Guide.

Repeat the following procedure for each server that you want to add to the cluster:

  1. Start the YaST install for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and continue to the Installation Mode page.

  2. Select New Installation, select Include Add-On Products from Separate Media, click Next, then continue through the OES add-on part of the install until you get to the Installation Settings page.

  3. On the Installation Settings page, click Software to open the Software Selection and System Tasks page.

  4. Under Open Enterprise Server, select Novell Cluster Services and any other OES components that you want to install, then click Accept.

    When you select Novell Cluster Services, the following basic services for managing OES are automatically selected:

    • Novell Backup / Storage Management

    • Novell Linux User Management

    • Novell Remote Manager

    The following Open Enterprise Server are not automatically selected, but are required for managing and configuring Novell Cluster Services:

    • iManager must be installed on at least one server in the same tree.

    • eDirectory must already be installed on at least one server in the tree where you are installing the cluster. You can install a replica on the cluster server.

    Select other protocols and services according to your planned setup. See Section 4.7, Software Requirements for Cluster Resources.

    IMPORTANT:If you deselect a pattern after selecting it, you are instructing the installation program to not install that pattern and all of its dependent patterns. Rather than deselecting a pattern, click Cancel to cancel your software selections, then click the Software heading again to choose your selections again.

    Selecting only the patterns that you want to install ensures that the patterns and their dependent patterns and packages are installed.

    If you click Accept, then return to software pattern selection page, the selections that you made become your base selections and must be deselected if you want to remove them from the installation proposal.

  5. Continue through the installation process, but do not configure Novell Cluster Services when you reach the Open Enterprise Server Configuration page. You configure it later.

  6. After the install, use the Software Updater (or other update methods) to download and apply any updates that are in the SLES and OES Updates channels.

    See Updating (Patching) an OES 2015 SP1 Server in the OES 2015 SP1: Installation Guide.

  7. Ensure that your SAN storage is working properly for the server.

  8. Continue with Section 5.5, Configuring Novell Cluster Services.

5.4.3 Installing Novell Cluster Services on an Existing OES Server

If you did not install Novell Cluster Services during the OES 2015 SP1 installation, you can install it later by using YaST > Open Enterprise Server > OES Install and Configuration.

  1. Log in to the server as the root user.

  2. In YaST, select Open Enterprise Server > OES Install and Configuration.

  3. On the Software Selection page under Open Enterprise Server, select Novell Cluster Services and any other compatible OES components that you want to install.

    Services that you have already installed are indicated by a blue check mark in the status check box next to the service.

    For information about the options, see Step 4 in Section 5.4.2, Installing Novell Cluster Services during an OES Installation.

  4. Click Accept to begin the install, then click Continue to accept changed packages.

  5. Continue through the installation process, but do not configure Novell Cluster Services when you reach the Open Enterprise Server Configuration page. You configure it later.

  6. After the install, use the Software Updater (or other update methods) to download and apply any updates that are in the SLES and OES Updates channels.

    See Updating (Patching) an OES 2015 SP1 Server in the OES 2015 SP1: Installation Guide.

  7. Ensure that your SAN storage is working properly for the server.

  8. Continue with Section 5.5, Configuring Novell Cluster Services.