Symantec logo

Cluster initialization and configuration

Before any nodes can join a new cluster for the first time, you must supply certain configuration information during cluster monitor setup. This information is normally stored in some form of cluster monitor configuration database. The precise content and format of this information depends on the characteristics of the cluster monitor. The information required by VxVM is as follows:

When a node joins the cluster, this information is automatically loaded into VxVM on that node at node startup time.


  Note   To make effective use of the cluster functionality of VxVM requires that you configure a cluster monitor (such as provided by GAB (Group Membership and Atomic Broadcast) in VCS). For a VCS environment, use the vxcvmconfig command on any node to configure the cluster to use the cluster functionality of VxVM. The vxcvmconfig command is not included with Veritas Volume Manager.


The cluster monitor startup procedure effects node initialization, and brings up the various cluster components (such as VxVM with cluster support, the cluster monitor, and a distributed lock manager) on the node. Once this is complete, applications may be started. The cluster monitor startup procedure must be invoked on each node to be joined to the cluster.

For VxVM in a cluster environment, initialization consists of loading the cluster configuration information and joining the nodes in the cluster. The first node to join becomes the master node, and later nodes (slaves) join to the master. If two nodes join simultaneously, VxVM chooses the master. Once the join for a given node is complete, that node has access to the shared disk groups and volumes.