About This Manual

This manual provides a concise summary of the features that are available in the TruCluster^TM Server Version 5.1A product.

Note

The information in this manual does not supersede that found in the TruCluster Server Software Product Description (SPD), which contains the authoritative description of this product. See the SPD for the latest product information.

Audience

This manual is for anyone who is interested in a descriptive overview of the TruCluster Server features and functions.

New and Changed Features

The following changes have been made to this manual since the Version 5.1 release:

Chapter 1 contains a new section (Section 1.1) that lists new and changed features for this release.

Chapter 2 contains a new section (Section 2.4) that answers several frequently asked questions about the Cluster File System (CFS) and the device request dispatcher. Table 2-1 is updated to include additional file systems supported in this release. Section 2.8 is updated to include Logical Storage Manager (LSM) support for the root (/) and swap file systems.

Chapter 4 contains a new note at the end of the chapter to further clarify the distinction between terms such as single-instance and in_single, and multi-instance and in_multi.

Chapter 6 has been reorganized, with major additions and changes to Section 6.6 and Section 6.11. Section 6.13 is a new section that describes the differences between cluster aliases and ifconfig aliases.

Chapter 7 is updated, and retitled, to incorporate information about using LAN hardware for the cluster interconnect.

Chapter 9 is updated to include New Hardware Delivery (NHD) kits in the list of tasks you can perform during a rolling upgrade.

Organization

This manual is organized as follows:

Chapter 1	Provides an introduction to TruCluster Server.
Chapter 2	Describes supported file systems, the Cluster File System (CFS), context-dependent symbolic links (CDSLs), storage, and device-naming conventions.
Chapter 3	Introduces the connection manager and its role in forming and maintaining a cluster.
Chapter 4	Defines the three basic types of highly available applications in a cluster: single-instance, multi-instance, and distributed.
Chapter 5	Provides an overview of the cluster application availability (CAA) subsystem, which provides clusterwide management for single-instance applications.
Chapter 6	Provides an overview of the cluster alias subsystem, which makes the cluster look like a single system to Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) applications.
Chapter 7	Provides an overview of LAN and Memory Channel cluster interconnects.
Chapter 8	Describes the distributed lock manager (DLM), which provides specialized functions that allow cooperating processes in a cluster to synchronize access to a shared resource.
Chapter 9	Provides an overview of cluster installation and administration.
Glossary	Defines common terms that are used throughout the TruCluster Server documentation.

Related Documents

The following documents and manuals provide detailed information about the TruCluster Server product:

TruCluster Server Software Product Description (SPD) — The authoritative description of the TruCluster Server Version 5.1A product. You can find the latest version of the SPD at the following URL: http://www.tru64unix.compaq.com/docs/pub_page/spds.html.

Cluster Release Notes — Provides a brief introduction to new features in TruCluster Server and describes known problems and workarounds.

Cluster Hardware Configuration — Describes how to set up the systems that will become cluster members, and how to configure cluster shared storage.

Cluster Installation — Describes how to install the TruCluster Server software.

Cluster Highly Available Applications — Describes how to deploy existing applications in a TruCluster Server cluster and how to write cluster-aware applications.

Cluster Administration — Describes cluster-specific administration tasks.

Cluster LAN Interconnect — Describes how to install and configure LAN hardware for the cluster interconnect.

You can find the latest versions of the TruCluster Server documentation at the following URL: http://www.tru64unix.compaq.com/docs/pub_page/cluster_list.html.

Icons on Tru64 UNIX Printed Manuals

The printed version of the Tru64 UNIX documentation uses letter icons on the spines of the manuals to help specific audiences quickly find the manuals that meet their needs. (You can order the printed documentation from Compaq.) The following list describes this convention:

G	Manuals for general users
S	Manuals for system and network administrators
P	Manuals for programmers
R	Manuals for reference page users

Some manuals in the documentation help meet the needs of several audiences. For example, the information in some system manuals is also used by programmers. Keep this in mind when searching for information on specific topics.

The Documentation Overview provides information on all of the manuals in the Tru64 UNIX documentation set.

Reader's Comments

Compaq welcomes any comments and suggestions you have on this and other Tru64 UNIX manuals.

You can send your comments in the following ways:

Fax: 603-884-0120 Attn: UBPG Publications, ZKO3-3/Y32

Internet electronic mail: readers_comment@zk3.dec.com
A Reader's Comment form is located on your system in the following location:
/usr/doc/readers_comment.txt

Please include the following information along with your comments:

The full title of the manual and the order number. (The order number appears on the title page of printed and PDF versions of a manual.)

The section numbers and page numbers of the information on which you are commenting.

The version of Tru64 UNIX that you are using.

If known, the type of processor that is running the Tru64 UNIX software.

The Tru64 UNIX Publications group cannot respond to system problems or technical support inquiries. Please address technical questions to your local system vendor or to the appropriate Compaq technical support office. Information provided with the software media explains how to send problem reports to Compaq.

Conventions

This manual uses the following conventions:

#: A number sign represents the superuser prompt.
% cat: Boldface type in interactive examples indicates typed user input.
file: Italic (slanted) type indicates variable values, placeholders, and function argument names.
cat(1): A cross-reference to a reference page includes the appropriate section number in parentheses. For example, cat(1) indicates that you can find information on the cat command in Section 1 of the reference pages.