3.6.1 HP PolyServe Matrix Server Administration Guide (T5392-96018, August 2008)

Chapter 3: Introduction to Matrix Server 12
Matrix Server Databases
Matrix Server uses the following databases to store matrix information:
• Shared Memory Data Store (SMDS). The SANPulse process stores
filesystem status information in this database. The database consists of
sp_status files that are located in %SystemDrive%\Program
Files\Polyserve\MatrixServer\conf on each server. These files should
not be changed.
• Device database. Matrix Server uses a device database to store the
physical UID and a global device identifier for each disk imported into
the matrix. The database is located on the membership partitions that
you selected when installing Matrix Server. The membership
partitions are also used for functions related to SAN control.
• Volume database. This database stores information about dynamic
volumes and is located on the membership partitions.
• mxds datastore. This database stores matrix configuration
information and is located on the membership partitions.
Virtual Hosts and Failover Protection
Matrix Server uses virtual hosts to provide failover protection for servers
and network applications.
A virtual host is a hostname/IP address configured on one or more servers.
The network interfaces selected on those servers to participate in the
virtual host must be on the same subnet. One server is selected as the
primary server for the virtual host. The remaining servers are backups.
The primary and backup servers do not need to be dedicated to these
activities; all servers can support other independent functions.
To ensure the availability of a virtual host, Matrix Server monitors the
health of all network interfaces and the health of the underlying server. If
you have created service or device monitors, those monitors periodically
check the health of the specified services or devices. If any of these health
checks fail, Matrix Server can transfer the virtual host to a backup server
and the network traffic will continue.