Document revision date: 15 July 2002
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Guidelines for OpenVMS Cluster Configurations


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2.2.5 Other Configuration Aids

In addition to these utilities and partner products, several commands are available that allow the system manager to set parameters on HSC, HSJ, HSD, HSZ, HSG, and RF subsystems to help configure the system. See the appropriate hardware documentation for more information.


Chapter 3
Choosing OpenVMS Cluster Systems

This chapter provides information to help you select systems for your OpenVMS Cluster to satisfy your business and application requirements.

3.1 Alpha and VAX Architectures

An OpenVMS Cluster can include systems running OpenVMS Alpha, OpenVMS VAX, or both. Compaq provides a full range of systems for both the Alpha and VAX architectures.

3.2 Types of Systems

Alpha and VAX systems span a range of computing environments, including:

3.3 Choosing Systems

Your choice of systems depends on your business, your application needs, and your budget. With a high-level understanding of systems and their characteristics, you can make better choices.

Table 3-1 is a comparison of recently shipped OpenVMS Cluster systems. While a cluster can provide services to Windows and MS-DOS laptop and personal computers, this topic is not discussed extensively in this manual. For more information about configuring a cluster to serve PCs and laptops, consult your Compaq representative.

Table 3-1 System Types
System Type Useful for Examples
Workstations Users who require their own systems with high processor performance. Examples include users running mechanical computer-aided design, scientific analysis, and data-reduction and display applications. Workstations offer the following features:
  • Lower cost than departmental and data center systems
  • Small footprint
  • Useful for modeling and imaging
  • 2D and 3D graphics capabilities
AlphaStation DS10/XP900
AlphaStation DS20E
AlphaStation DS25
AlphaStation ES40
Departmental systems Midrange office computing. Departmental systems offer the following capabilities:
  • High processor and I/O performance
  • Supports a moderate number of users, client PCs, and workstations
AlphaServer DS10
AlphaServer DS10L
AlphaServer DS20E
AlphaServer DS25
AlphaServer ES40
AlphaServer ES45
Data center systems Large-capacity configurations and highly available technical and commercial applications. Data center systems have a high degree of expandability and flexibility and offer the following features:
  • Highest CPU and I/O performance
  • Ability to support thousands of terminal users, hundreds of PC clients, and up to 95 workstations
AlphaServer GS60, GS80
AlphaServer GS140
AlphaServer GS160, GS320

3.4 Scalability Considerations

When you choose a system based on scalability, consider the following:

The OpenVMS environment offers a wide range of alternative ways for growing and expanding processing capabilities of a data center, including the following:

Reference: For more information about scalability, see Chapter 10.

3.5 Availability Considerations

An OpenVMS Cluster system is a highly integrated environment in which multiple systems share access to resources. This resource sharing increases the availability of services and data. OpenVMS Cluster systems also offer failover mechanisms that are transparent and automatic, and require little intervention by the system manager or the user.

Reference: See Chapter 8 and Chapter 9 for more information about these failover mechanisms and about availability.

3.6 Performance Considerations

The following factors affect the performance of systems:

With these requirements in mind, compare processor performance, I/O throughput, memory capacity, and disk capacity in the Alpha and VAX specifications that follow.

3.7 System Specifications

The Compaq World Wide Web (WWW) site provides ordering and configuring information for Alpha and Intel workstations and servers. It also contains detailed information about storage devices, printers, and network application support.

To access the Compaq WWW site, use the following URL:


http://www.compaq.com/ 


Chapter 4
Choosing OpenVMS Cluster Interconnects

An interconnect is a physical path that connects computers to other computers, and to storage subsystems. OpenVMS Cluster systems support a variety of interconnects (also referred to as buses) so that members can communicate with each other and with storage, using the most appropriate and effective method available.

The software that enables OpenVMS Cluster systems to communicate over an interconnect is the System Communications Services (SCS). An interconnect that supports node-to-node SCS communications is called a cluster interconnect. An interconnect that provides node-to-storage connectivity within a cluster is called a shared-storage interconnect. Some interconnects, such as CI and DSSI, can serve as both cluster and storage interconnects.

OpenVMS supports the following types of interconnects:

Note

SMCI is unique to OpenVMS Galaxy instances. For more information about SMCI and Galaxy configurations, see the OpenVMS Alpha Partitioning and Galaxy Guide.

4.1 Characteristics

The interconnects described in this chapter share some general characteristics. Table 4-1 describes these characteristics.

Table 4-1 Interconnect Characteristics
Characteristic Description
Throughput The quantity of data transferred across the interconnect.

Some interconnects require more processor overhead than others. For example, Ethernet and FDDI interconnects require more processor overhead than do CI or DSSI.

Larger packet sizes allow higher data-transfer rates (throughput) than do smaller packet sizes.

Cable length Interconnects range in length from 3 m to 40 km.
Maximum number of nodes The number of nodes that can connect to an interconnect varies among interconnect types. Be sure to consider this when configuring your OpenVMS Cluster system.
Supported systems and storage Each OpenVMS Cluster node and storage subsystem requires an adapter to connect the internal system bus to the interconnect. First consider the storage and processor I/O performance, then the adapter performance, when choosing an interconnect type.

4.2 Comparison of Interconnect Types

Table 4-2 shows key statistics for a variety of interconnects.

Table 4-2 Comparison of Cluster Interconnect Types
Interconnect Maximum Throughput (Mb/s) Hardware-Assisted Data Link1 Storage Connection Topology Maximum Nodes per Cluster Maximum
Length
General-purpose
ATM 155/622 No MSCP served Radial to a switch 96 2 2 km 3/300 m 3
Ethernet/
Fast/
Gigabit
10/100/1000 No MSCP served Linear or radial to a hub or switch 96 2 100 m 4/100 m 4/550 m 3
FDDI 100 No MSCP served Dual ring to a tree, radial to a hub or switch 96 2 40 km 5
CI 140 Yes Direct and MSCP served Radial to a hub 32 6 45 m
DSSI 32 Yes Direct and MSCP served Bus 8 7 6 m 8
Shared-storage only
Fibre Channel 1000 No Direct 9 Radial to a switch 96 2 10 km 10
/100 km 11
SCSI 160 No Direct 9 Bus or radial to a hub 8-16 12 25 m
Node-to-node (SCS traffic only)
MEMORY CHANNEL 800 No MSCP served Radial 4 3 m


1Hardware-assisted data link reduces the processor overhead.
2OpenVMS Cluster computers.
3Based on multimode fiber (MMF). Longer distances can be achieved by bridging between this interconnect and WAN interswitch links using common carriers such as ATM, DS3, and so on.
4Based on unshielded twisted-pair wiring (UTP). Longer distances can be achieved by bridging between this interconnect and WAN interswitch links (ISLs), using common carriers such as ATM, DS3, and so on.
5Based on single-mode fiber, point-to-point link. Longer distances can be achieved by bridging between FDDI and WAN interswitch links (ISLs) using common carriers such as ATM, DS3, and so on.
6Up to 16 OpenVMS Cluster computers; up to 31 HSJ controllers.
7Up to 4 OpenVMS Cluster computers; up to 7 storage devices.
8DSSI cabling lengths vary based on cabinet cables.
9Direct-attached SCSI and Fibre Channel storage can be MSCP served over any of the general-purpose cluster interconnects.
10Based on single-mode fiber, point-to-point link.
11Support for longer distances (up to 100 km) based on inter-switch links (ISLs) using single-mode fiber. In addition, DRM configurations provide longer distance ISLs using the Open Systems Gateway and Wave Division Multiplexors.
12Up to 3 OpenVMS Cluster computers, up to 4 with the DWZZH-05 and fair arbitration; up to 15 storage devices.

4.3 Multiple Interconnects

You can use multiple interconnects to achieve the following benefits:

4.4 Mixed Interconnects

A mixed interconnect is a combination of two or more different types of interconnects in an OpenVMS Cluster system. You can use mixed interconnects to combine the advantages of each type and to expand your OpenVMS Cluster system. For example, an Ethernet cluster that requires more storage can expand with the addition of Fibre Channel, SCSI, or CI connections.

4.5 Interconnects Supported by Alpha and VAX Systems

Table 4-3 shows the OpenVMS Cluster interconnects supported by Alpha and VAX systems.

You can also refer to the most recent OpenVMS Cluster SPD to see the latest information on supported interconnects.

Table 4-3 System Support for Cluster (Including Shared Storage) Interconnects
Systems CI DSSI FDDI Ethernet ATM MEMORY CHANNEL SCSI Fibre
Channel
AlphaServer GS160, GS320 X   X X X X X X
AlphaServer GS60, GS80, GS140 X   X 1 X X X X X
AlphaServer ES40 X X X X X X X X
AlphaServer ES45 X   X X X X X X
AlphaServer DS25, DS20E, DS10L, DS10 X 2   X X X X X X
AlphaStation ES40 X X X X X X 3 X  
AlphaStation DS25, DS20E X 2   X X X   X  
AlphaStation DS10/XP900   X X X X   X  
AlphaStation XP1000     X X X   X  
AlphaServer 8400, 8200 X X X X 1 X X X X
AlphaServer 4100, 2100, 2000 X X X 1 X 1 X X X X 4
AlphaServer 1000A   X X X X 1 X X X 5
AlphaServer 400   X X X 1     X  
DEC 7000/10000 X X X 1 X        
DEC 4000   X X X 1        
DEC 3000     X 1 X 1     X  
DEC 2000     X X 1        
VAX 6000/7000/10000 X X X X        
VAX 4000, MicroVAX 3100   X X X 1        
VAXstation 4000     X X 1        


1Able to boot over the interconnect as a satellite node.
2Support not available for AlphaServer DS25 or AlphaStation DS25.
3Support for MEMORY CHANNEL Version 2.0 hardware only.
4Support on AlphaServer 4100 only.
5Console support not available.

As Table 4-3 shows, OpenVMS Clusters support a wide range of interconnects. The most important factor to consider is how much I/O you need, as explained in Chapter 2.

In most cases, the I/O requirements will be less than the capabilities of any one OpenVMS Cluster interconnect. Ensure that you have a reasonable surplus I/O capacity, then choose your interconnects based on other needed features.

Reference:: For detailed information about the interconnects and adapters supported on each AlphaServer system, refer to the Compaq web site:


http://www.compaq.com 

Under Products, select Servers, then AlphaServers, then the server family (for example, DS, ES, or GS), then the server model. You can then select from all supported options.

You can also select the Alpha Systems Technology Technical Information web page, from which you can access documentation, supported options, firmware updates, and the software patch service for each Alpha system model.


http://www5.compaq.com/alphaserver/technology/index.html 


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