Using Serviceguard Extension for RAC, 6th Edition, April 2008

Overview of SGeRAC and Cluster File System (CFS)/Cluster Volume
Manager (CVM)
SGeRAC supports Veritas Cluster File System (CFS)/Cluster Volume Manager (CVM)
from Symantec through Serviceguard. CFS and CVM are not supported on all versions
of HP-UX (on HP-UX releases that support Veritas CFS and CVM; see “About Veritas
CFS and CVM from Symantec” (page 25)).
For information on configuring CFS and CVM with Serviceguard, refer to the Managing
Serviceguard Fifteenth Edition user’s guide at http://docs.hp.com -> High Availability
-> Serviceguard.
Package Dependencies
When CFS is used as shared storage, the application and software using the CFS storage
should be configured to start and stop using Serviceguard packages. These application
packages should be configured with a package dependency on the underlying
multi-node packages, which manages the CFS and CVM storage reserves.
Configuring the application to be start/stop through Serviceguard package is to ensure
the synchronization of storage activation/deactivation and application startup/shutdown.
With CVM configurations using multi-node packages, CVM shared storage should be
configured in Serviceguard packages with package dependencies.
Refer to the Managing Serviceguard Fifteenth Edition user’s guide for detailed information
on multi-node packages.
Storage Configuration Options
Prior to CFS, the only option in a SGeRAC cluster to provide shared storage for a RAC
cluster was through raw volumes, using either SLVM or CVM that are used for Oracle
data files. The application software is installed on a local file system. In addition to
SLVM and CVM, SGeRAC supports CFS.
CFS provides SGeRAC with additional options, such as improved manageability. When
planning a RAC cluster, application software could be installed once and be visible by
all cluster nodes. A central location is available to store runtime logs, for example, RAC
alert logs.
Oracle RAC data files can be created on a CFS, allowing the database administrator or
Oracle software to create additional data files without the need of root system
administrator privileges. The archive area can now be on a CFS. Oracle instances on
any cluster node can access the archive area when database recovery requires the
archive logs.
About Veritas CFS and CVM from Symantec
Veritas Cluster File System (CFS) and Cluster Volume Manager (CVM) are supported
on some, but not all current releases of HP-UX. Check the latest Release Notes for your
Overview of SGeRAC and Cluster File System (CFS)/Cluster Volume Manager (CVM) 25