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Document:	VAXcluster Software Version 5.4 SPD 29.78.04 Sep1990
Order Number:	AE-LS19E-TE
Revision:
Pages:	5
Original Filename:	http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/vax/vms/5.4/Release_Notes/AE-LS19E-TE_VAXcluster_Software_Version_5.4_SPD_29.78.04_Sep1990.pdf

OCR Text

Software
Product
Description
PRODUCT NAME:

VAXcluster Software, Version 5.4

DESCRIPTION

SPD 29.78.04

•

VAXcluster Software is a VMS System Integrated
Product (SIP). It provides a highly integrated VMS
computing environment distributed over multiple VAX
and/or MicroVAX CPUs. This environment is called a
VAXcluster system.
CPUs in a VAXcluster system can share processing,
mass storage, and other resources under a single
VMS security and management domain. Within this
highly integrated environment, CPUs retain their independence because they use local, memory-resident
copies of the VMS Operating System. Thus, clustered
CPUs can boot and fail independently while benefiting
from common resources.
Applications running on one or more CPUs in a VAXcluster system access shared resources in a coordinated manner. VAXcluster Software components synchronize access to shared resources, preventing two
or more processes from interfering with each other
when updating data. This coordination ensures data
integrity during multiple concurrent update transactions.

Shared batch and print queues accessible to any
CPU in the VAXcluster system. The VMS job controller manages clusterwide batch and print queues
which can be accessed by any CPU. Batch Jobs
submitted to clusterwide queues are routed to any
available CPU so that the batch load is shared.

• VMS MSCP server load balancing - the first time
the disk is mounted it is brought online to the least
loaded server.
• All disks in the VAXcluster system can be made
accessible to all CPUs.
•

Process information and control are available clusterwide to application programs and system utilities.

• The automated configuration command procedure
assists in adding and removing CPUs and in modifying their configuration characteristics.
•

Dynamic Show Cluster Utility displays the status of
cluster hardware components and cluster communication links.

• There are cluster-wide standard VMS system and
security features.

Because resources are shared, VAXcluster systems
offer higher availability than standalone CPUs. Properly configured VAXcluster systems can withstand the
failure of various components. For example, when one
CPU in a cluster fails, users can log on to another CPU
to create a new process and continue working. Applications can be designed to survive the failure of one
or more CPUs or other components.

VAXcluster System Configurations

All VAXcluster systems have the following software
features in common:

The optimal VAXcluster system for any computing environment is based on tradeoffs of cost, functionality,
and performance. Performance is influenced by the
following factors:

• Shared mass storage - the VMS file system allows all CPUs in a VAXcluster system to share
mass storage, whether the storage devic~s are connected to a Hierarchical Storage Controller (HSC)
subsystem or to a CPU.

VAXcluster Software supports combinations of the following interconnects:
• Computer Interconnect (CI)
•

Ethernet

•

Digital Small Storage Interconnect (DSSI)

• Applications in use
• Number and model of CPUs
•

Interconnects and adapter types

•

Disk I/O capacity and access time

• Number of disks being served

September 1990
AE-LS19E-TE

SPD 29.78.04

VAXcluster Software, Version 5.4

• Interconnect utilization
Definitions:

In VAXcluster systems, some CPUs can perform specialized functions. The following terms are used to
refer to those CPUs:
• A VAX CPU (Central Processing Unit) - This is an
electronic unit that includes one or more processors
and acts as a central controlling body.

(LAN).
o

• Disk server - A disk server is a VAX system that
makes disks available to other systems in the VAXcluster system.
• Boot server - A boot server is a disk server that
down-line loads the VMS Operating System to other
cluster members over the Ethernet.

• Local Area VAXcluster System - This is an Ethernetbased VAXcluster system.
• Mixed Interconnect VAXcluster System - This type
of VAXcluster system uses more than one type of
interconnect for cluster communication.

CPUs may use the Ethernet for cluster communications and may concurrently use it for other network
protocols that conform to the applicable Ethernet
standards, such as Ethernet V2.0, IEEE 802.2 and
IEEE 802.3.

Ethernet bridges may be used to localize VAXcluster system traffic should the overall network traffic
be of concern. It is possible for a VAXcluster system to exist on both sides of the bridge. However,
a low-latency data path providing approximately 10
megabits per second throughput must link all clustered CPUs.

•

A CI path is needed between any pair of the following CPUs in a VAXcluster system. An Ethernet
only VAXcluster system may include a maximum of
one of the following CPUs:

• Satellite - A satellite is a system that is booted
over the Ethernet by a boot server. The satellite
systems are listed in the HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS section.

VAX 6000-xxx
VAX 85xx

The following general configuration rules apply to VAXcluster systems:

VAX 86xx
VAX 8700

The maximum number of VAX CPUs supported in
a VAXcluster system is 96. Up to 32 systems may
be systems other than single user workstations.
•

In Dual-Host DSSI configurations, both CPUs must
be configured as VAXcluster members, and the Digital Storage Systems Interconnect (DSSI) must be
connected to both CPUs using any combination
of embedded adaptors or KFQSA adaptors. Both
members of the dual host system must be connected to the same extended Local Area Network

VAX 88xx
VAX 9xx

If the Ethernet is used for cluster communications
in any VAXcluster system, all CPUs must be connected to the same Ethernet local area network.
VAXcluster systems support one Ethernet adaptor
per CPU; all cluster members must be reachable
on the Ethernet via that adapter. The adaptor used
by the VAXcluster software is not user selectable.
CPUs may have other adapters for other uses.

Recommendations

Digital recommends VAXcluster system configurations
based on its experience with the VAXcluster Software
Product. The customer should evaluate specific application dependenCies and performance requirements
to determine an appropriate configuration for the desired computing environment. The requirements and
recommendations are applicable at the time of release,
but may change over time. When planning a VAXcluster system, consider the following recommendations:

• A star coupler is a common connection point for CI
connected CPUs and HSC subsystems. A VAXcluster system may include multiple star couplers.
• The RA series disks may be dual pathed between
pairs of HSC subsystems on the same star coupler or between a pair of local controllers. Such
dual-pathing provides both enhanced data availability and failover capability. Failover occurs when
one controller or cable malfunctions and breaks
one path. When the path breaks, the device using that path automatically fails over to the other
path. The failover process is transparent to applications. There cannot be dual porting between an
HSC and a local adaptor.

• While VAXcluster systems may include any number of system disks, performance and disk space
should be considered in determining their number
and location. It is important to recognize that system management efforts increase in proportion to
the number of system disks.
• VAXcluster systems can provide enhanced availability by utilizing redundant components.

SPD 29.78.04

VAXcluster Software, Version 5.4

•

If possible, Local Area and mixed-interconnect
VAXcluster systems should include multiple boot
and disk servers to enhance availability. When a
server fails in configurations that include multiple
servers, satellite access to disks fails over to another server. Boot and disk servers should be the
most powerful CPUs in the cluster and should use
the highest-bandwidth Ethernet adapters available
in the cluster.

Processors Supported

VAX-11/785

No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No

MicroVAX II

Yes

MicroVAX 2000

Yes

VAX 6000 Model 400 Series
VAX 8200
VAX 8250
VAX 8300
VAX 8350
VAX 8500

Dual-pathing of DSA disks between HSC subsystems or between local storage adapters enhances
availability. In Local Area VAXcluster systems, DSA
disks can be dual pathed between local storage
adapters. RF-series disks can be accessed by both
CPUs in Dual-Host configurations.

VAX 8530
VAX 8550
VAX 8600
VAX 8650
VAX 8700

• The optional VMS Volume Shadowing System Integrated Product provides the following advantages:

VAX 8800
VAX 8810

Increased data availability

Enhanced read performance with multiple system and data disks

VAX 8820
VAX 8830
VAX 8840

For more information, refer to the VMS Volume
Shadowing Software Product Description (SF?D
27.29.xx.)

VAX 9000-210
VAX 9000-410
VAX-11/750

• A dual-host configuration is a pair of MicroVAX
CPUs connected to the same Digital System Storage interconnect (DSSI) bus. For the MicroVAX
3500 and MicroVAX 3600, the console ROMS must
be Revision Level V5.1
..

VAX-11/780

D'ual-Host configurations utilizing RF-series Integrated Storage Elements (ISEs) offer failover and
increased availability:
-

CPUs have concurrent access to any disk on the
DSSI bus.
An ISE single disk is accessed through two
paths and can be served to all satellites by either
CPU.
If either CPU fails, satellites can access their
disks through the remaining one.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
Table 1

Processors Supported

Satellite
Yes/No

VAXft 3000-xxx

Yes

VAX 4000-xxx

Yes

VAX 6000 Model 200 Series ..

No
No

VAX 6000 Model 300 Series ..

Satellite
Yes/No

MicroVAX 3100

Yes

MicroVAX 3300

Yes

MicroVAX 3400

Yes

MicroVAX 3500

Yes

MicroVAX 3600

Yes

Micro VAX 3800

Yes

MicroVAX 3900

Yes

VAXstation II

Yes

VAXstation 2000

Yes

VAXstation 3100

Yes

VAXstation 3200

Yes

VAXstation 3500

Yes

VAXstation 3520

Yes

VAXstation 3540

Yes

VAXserver 3100

Yes

VAXserver 3300

Yes

SPD 29.78.04

VAXcluster Software, Version 5.4

CPUs Not Supported:

Table 1 (Cont.)

VAX: VAX-111725, VAX-111730, VAX-111782

Processors Supported

Satellite
Yes/No

VAXserver 3400

Yes

VAXserver 3500

Yes

VAX server 3600

Yes

MicroVAX: MicroVAX I
VAXstation: VAXstation I, VAXstation 8000

VAXserver 3602

Yes

VAXserver 3800

Yes

VAXserver 3900

Yes

VAX server 4000

Yes

VAXserver 6000-210

VAX server 6000-220

VAXserver 6000-310

VAX server 6000-320

VAX server 6000-410

VAX server 6000-420

Supported Preconfigured VAXcluster Systems:

All
Supported Ethernet Adapters:

DEBNA
DEBNI
DELQA
DELUA
DEMNA
DEQNA1
DESQA
DESVA
DEUNA
Disk and Memory Requirements:

The smallest supported boot server system disks are
RD54s, RF30s and RZ23s.

The VAX 6000 Model 200 Series and VAX 6000
Model 300 Series were formerly called the 62xx and
63xx series.

All VAXcluster system CPUs must have a minimum of
4 megabytes of physical memory.

Quantity CI Interfaces Supported by CPUs
All systems utilizing a DEaNA must operate with
software data checking enabled. Since AUTOG EN
automatically sets the correct parameter, no system
management intervention is required. The DEaNA is
not supported in clusters of greater than 42 nodes. For
improved performance, Digital recommends replacing
DEQNA's with DElQA's. An upgrade program is
currently available from Digital. For more information,
contact your local sales office.

Table 2 shows the types of interfaces that can be supported by each CPU. There can only be one type of
interface on a system and the maximum quantity of
that type is indicated.
Note: The BCA-A and BCA-B are different.
Table 2
CPU Type

CI750 CI780 CIBI

CIBCA·A

CIBCA-B

OPTIONAL HARDWARE

CIXCD

This section describes the Computer Interconnect Star
Coupler Expander (CISCE) and Hierarqhical Storage
Controller (HSC) Subsystems.

11n5O
11n80
11n85

62xx,63xx

A Computer Interconnect Star Coupler Expander
(CISCE) may be added to any Star Coupler in a CIbased or mixed-interconnect VAXcluster system to increase the total combined number of CI-connected
CPUs and HSC subsystems to 32.

eooo.2xx
EIOQO.3xx
80()0.4xx

HSC Subsystems

82xx 83xx
85xx 8700
88xx
86xx
9xx

VAXcluster systems may include HSC40, HSC50 and
HSC70 intelligent mass storage controllers. These
controllers offload disk management functions from
host CPUs and provide several additional benefits:

Increased I/O throughput
Multiple-CPU access to storage

SPD 29.78.04

VAXcluster Software, Version 5.4

Optional products that are particularly useful in VAXcluster systems include:

Support for VMS Volume Shadowing Software
The following rules apply for HSC subsystems:
•

VMS Volume Shadowing Software (SPD 27.29.xx)
VAX Performance Advisor (SPD 27.71.xx)
VAXcluster Console System (SPD 27.46.xx)

Each HSC40 supports a maximum of 3 channels
for disks and/or tapes.
Each HSCSO supports a maximum of 6 channels
for disks and/or tapes.

ORDERING INFORMATION

•

Each HSC70 supports a maximum of 8 channels
for disks and/or tapes.

Software Licenses: QL-VBRA*-AA
Software Product Services: QT-VBRA *-**

•

Each disk channel supports a maximum of 4 disk
drives and each tape channel supports a maximum
of 4 tape subsystems (with 4 tape drives each). The
VMS Operating System supports a maximum of 12
tape drives per HSC subsystem.

Denotes variant fields. For additional information on
available licenses, services and media, refer to the
appropriate price book.

SOFTWARE LICENSING

A VAXcluster Software license is required for each
CPU in a VAXcluster system.

• TA-series tape drives may only be dual pathed
between pairs of HSC subsystems with HSC microcode revision level V3.9 or later. Tape drives
may not be dual pathed between local adaptors.
•

This software is furnished under the licensing provisions of Digital Equipment Corporation's Standard
Terms and Conditions. For more information about
Digital's licensing terms and policies, contact your local Digital office.

If disks or tapes are dual pathed between a pair of
HSC subsystems, both HSC subsystems must be
connected to the same Star Coupler.

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

LICENSE MANAGEMENT FACILITY SUPPORT

• VMS Operating System

The VAXcluster Software product supports the VMS
License Management Facility.

VS.3 and VS.4 of the VMS Operating System may
coexist in a VAXcluster with the replacement of an
image on the VS.3 system with one supplied with
the V5.4 system. See the VS.4 release notes for
details.

For more information about the License Management
Facility, refer to the VMS Operating System Software
Product Description (SPD 2S.01.xx) or the License
Management Facility Manual in the VMS Operating
System documentation set.

VS.3 and VS.4 of the VMS Operating System may
coexist in a VAXcluster. However, only one version of VMS may exist on a specific system disk.
During a rolling upgrade, a separate system disk is
required for each version. However, Digital recommends that all VAX systems in a VAXcluster run the
latest release of VMS.

For more information about Digital's licensing terms
and policies, contact your local Digital office.
SOFTWARE PRODUCT SERVICES

A variety of service options are available from Digital.
For more information, contact your local Digital office.
SOFTWARE WARRANTY

• DECnet-VAX Software

Warranty for this software product is provided by Digital with the purchase of a license for the product as
defined in the Software Warranty Addendum of this
SPD.

All VAXcluster CPUs require either an End Node or
Full Function DECnet-VAX license.
Refer to the DECnet-VAX Software Product Description document (SPD 2S.03.xx) for further information.

™

OPTIONAL SOFTWARE

For information on VAXcluster support for optional software products, refer to the CLUSTER SUPPORT section of the Software Product Description (SPD) documents for those products.

The DIGITAL Logo, DECnet-VAX, DELUA, DEONA,
DEUNA, HSC, MicroVAX, RD54. VAX, VAXserver,
VAXstation, VAXcluster and VMS are trademarks of
Digital Equipment Corporation.