Guidelines for OpenVMS Cluster Configurations

This document, "Guidelines for OpenVMS Cluster Configurations" (June 2010), is a comprehensive manual providing suggestions and guidelines for designing, configuring, installing, and managing OpenVMS Cluster systems. Its primary goal is to help users maximize the availability, scalability, performance, and ease of system management benefits of their clusters.

The guide is specifically applicable to OpenVMS Version 8.4 running on a combination of Integrity server and Alpha systems. It covers the following key areas:

• System Foundation: An overview of OpenVMS Cluster hardware and software components, along with general configuration rules.
• Requirements Analysis: Guidance on determining business objectives (budget, availability, scalability, physical location, security) and application requirements (processor, memory, I/O resources).
• Component Selection: Information for choosing appropriate OpenVMS systems, interconnect types (Fibre Channel, MEMORY CHANNEL, SCSI, SAS, LAN, Cluster over IP), and storage subsystems (disks, tapes, performance optimizers, availability solutions).
• Configuration & Implementation: Detailed instructions and examples for configuring multiple paths to storage (SCSI and Fibre Channel multipathing), setting up Fibre Channel as a storage interconnect, and implementing various cluster configurations.
• Availability & Scalability Strategies: In-depth discussions on how to build highly available (e.g., redundancy, failover mechanisms, disaster-tolerant) and scalable (e.g., adding resources, balancing I/O, disk technologies, caching) OpenVMS Clusters.
• System Management: Strategies for managing system disks, operating environments (common vs. multiple), quorum, and state transitions, along with relevant tools and utilities.
• Technical Details: Supplementary technical information on SCSI, MEMORY CHANNEL, and multi-site OpenVMS Clusters using Wide Area Network (WAN) services (ATM, DS3, FDDI).

The document is intended for individuals involved in purchasing, recommending, or configuring OpenVMS Cluster products, assuming a basic understanding of computer and cluster concepts.