2    Tools for Managing Clusters

This chapter describes the tools that you can use to manage TruCluster Server systems. The chapter discusses the following management tools and options:

• An overview of the management tools available for both single-system and cluster management (Section 2.1)

• Understanding available management tools and interfaces (Section 2.2)

• Understanding cluster configuration tools and related user interfaces (Section 2.3)

• An overview of SysMan (Section 2.4)

• Using SysMan Menu in a cluster (Section 2.5)

• Using SysMan Station in a cluster (Section 2.6)

• Using the SysMan Java applets in a cluster (Section 2.7)

• Using the SysMan Java PC applications in a cluster (Section 2.8)

• Using the SysMan command-line interface in a cluster (Section 2.9)

• Using Compaq Insight Manager in a cluster (Section 2.10)

• Using Tru64 UNIX configuration report (Section 2.11)

2.1    Introduction

Tru64 UNIX offers a wide array of management tools for both single-system and cluster management. Whenever possible, the cluster is managed as a single system.

We realize that many systems are used in heterogeneous environments, where the system manager might expect to manage TruCluster Server systems from a PC, from a Tru64 UNIX workstation, from a character-cell terminal, or even from a laptop PC via dialup lines.

In recognition of this fact, Tru64 UNIX and TruCluster Server provide tools with Web-based, graphical, and command-line interfaces to perform management tasks. In particular, SysMan offers command-line, character-cell terminal, Java, X Windows, and Web-based Java applet interfaces to system and cluster management.

SysMan is not a single application or interface. Rather, SysMan is a suite of applications for managing Tru64 UNIX and TruCluster Server systems. SysMan has three main components: SysMan Menu, SysMan Station, and the SysMan command-line interface. Each of these components is described in this chapter.

You can choose the tools and user interfaces that meet your needs. Perhaps you are most comfortable with the power and flexibility of the traditional Tru64 UNIX command line. Or, if cluster management from a PC is important to you, you can use the Java standalone graphical interface to SysMan to perform administrative tasks from a PC running Windows.

Because there are numerous cluster management tools and interfaces that you can use, this chapter begins with a description of the various options. The features and capabilities of each option are briefly described in the following sections, and are discussed fully in the Tru64 UNIX System Administration manual.

Some cluster operations do not have graphical interfaces and require that you use the command-line interface. These operations and commands are described in Section 2.3.

2.1.1    Cluster Tools Quick Start

If you are already familiar with the tools for managing clusters and want to start using them, see Table 2-1. This table presents only summary information; additional details are provided later in this chapter.

Table 2-1:  Cluster Tools Quick Start

2.1.2    A Word About Compaq Insight Manager Integration

The integration of SysMan and Compaq Insight Manager deserves special mention.

Compaq Insight Manager and Web-based system management via SysMan are tightly coupled. Compaq Insight Management agents and subagents provide device and system information for all managed subsystems. The Compaq Insight Manager Web-based Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agents allow you to gather and display information about the state of the system. The SNMP agents provide read-only information and do not allow you to manage the system.

Compaq Insight Manager also provides the Web-based management (WBEM) framework for SysMan. Compaq Insight Manager is available on each Tru64 UNIX system from the following URL:

http://cluster_member_name:2301/

From this site you can run SysMan Menu or SysMan Station directly in a Web browser, or you can download a PC client kit to install these applications locally.

2.1.3    A Word About Compaq Insight Manager XE Integration

Compaq Insight Manager XE uses the Compaq Common Cluster Management Information Base (MIB) to discover and monitor TruCluster servers. This MIB is supported by the /usr/sbin/clu_mibs SNMP subagent, which comes with the cluster software and starts automatically.

clu_mibs is an Extensible SNMP subagent daemon for TruCluster Server systems that implements cluster MIB support. The daemon currently supports the Common Cluster MIB (/usr/share/sysman/mibs/svrClu.mib) and the TruCluster Server MIB (/usr/share/sysman/mibs/truClu.mib).

Through its Web interface, Compaq Insight Manager XE gathers and displays information about the state of the clusters. The SNMP agents provide read-only information and do not allow you to manage the system. Use other tools to perform management tasks.

2.2    Available Management Tools and Interfaces

This section describes which tools you can run from which platform and via which interface. The available management tools and interfaces are listed in Table 2-2.

In this table, NA means not available.

Table 2-2:  Available Management Tools and Interfaces

The interfaces are consistent in operation no matter which user environment you use. For example, SysMan Menu is similar whether you invoke it via the character-cell terminal interface, as an X Windows application through the Common Desktop Environment (CDE), or through the Java interface. However, there are navigational differences between the interfaces. For example, the SysMan Menu character-cell interface does not contain graphical elements such as icons. In contrast, the X Windows interface is designed to run in a windowing environment, such as CDE, and contains clickable buttons, drop-down lists, and so forth.

The Compaq Insight Manager Web-based SNMP agents gather and display information about the state of the system. Use the other tools to perform management tasks.

2.3    Cluster Configuration Tools and Related User Interfaces

Not all TruCluster management tools have SysMan interfaces. Table 2-3 presents the tools for managing cluster-specific tasks and indicates which tools are not available through SysMan Menu. In this table, NA means not available.

Table 2-3:  Cluster Management Tools

2.4    The Many Faces of SysMan

This section introduces the SysMan management options. For general information about SysMan, see sysman_intro(8) and sysman(8).

SysMan provides easy-to-use interfaces for common system management tasks, including managing the cluster file system, storage, and cluster aliases. The interface options to SysMan provide the following advantages:

• A familiar interface that you access from the Tru64 UNIX and Microsoft Windows operating environments.

• Ease of management. There is no need to understand the command-line syntax or to manually edit configuration files.

SysMan has three main components: SysMan Menu, SysMan Station, and the SysMan command-line interface. The following sections describe these components.

2.4.1    Introduction to SysMan Menu

SysMan Menu integrates most available single-system and cluster administration utilities in a menu system, as shown in Figure 2-1.

Figure 2-1:  The SysMan Menu Hierarchy

SysMan Menu provides a menu of system management tasks in a tree-like hierarchy, with branches of management categories and leaves of actual tasks. Selecting a leaf invokes a task, which displays a dialog box for performing the task.

The SysMan Menu user interface is functionally equivalent no matter how SysMan Menu is invoked. For example, Figure 2-2 shows a composite of the character-cell, X Windows, Java, and Java applet user interfaces.

Figure 2-2:  The SysMan Menu Interfaces

2.4.2    Introduction to SysMan Station

SysMan Station is a graphical representation of a system (or cluster) that enables you to monitor system status down to the level of individual system components such as disks. You can also view and monitor logical groups, such as file systems or Advanced File System (AdvFS) domains, and create customized views. When viewing any system component, you can obtain detailed information on its properties or launch utilities that enable you to perform administrative tasks on the component. Unlike SysMan Menu, SysMan Station requires a graphics capability and cannot be run from the character-cell user environment.

Figure 2-3 shows an example of the SysMan Station graphical interface.

Figure 2-3:  SysMan Station Graphical Interface

As with SysMan Menu, the SysMan Station user interface is functionally equivalent no matter how SysMan Station is invoked.

2.4.3    Introduction to the SysMan Command Line

The sysman -cli command provides a generic command-line interface to SysMan functions. You can use the sysman -cli command to view or modify SysMan data. You can also use it to view dictionary-type information such as data descriptions, key information, and type information of the SysMan data, as described in sysman_cli(8). Use the sysman -cli -list components command to list all known components in the SysMan data hierarchy.

2.5    Using SysMan Menu in a Cluster

This section describes using SysMan Menu in a cluster. The section begins with a discussion of focus and how it affects SysMan Menu.

2.5.1    Getting in Focus

The range of effect of a given management operation is called its focus. In a TruCluster environment, there are four possibilities for the focus of a management operation:

• Clusterwide -- The operation affects the entire cluster.

• Member-specific -- The operation affects only the member that you specify. The operation requires a focus.

• Both -- The operation can be clusterwide or member-specific. The operation requires a focus.

• None -- The operation does not take focus and always operates on the current system.

For each management task, SysMan Menu recognizes which focus choices are appropriate. If the task supports both clusterwide and member-specific operations, SysMan Menu lets you select the cluster name or a specific member on which to operate. That is, if the cluster name and cluster members are available as a selection choice, the operation is both; if only the member names are available as a selection choice, the operation is member-specific.

Focus information for a given operation is displayed in the SysMan Menu title bar. For example, when you are managing local users on a cluster, which is a clusterwide operation, the title bar might appear similar to the following. In this example, provolone is a cluster member and deli is the cluster alias.

Manage Local Users on provolone.zk3.dec.com managing deli

2.5.2    Specifying a Focus on the Command Line

If an operation lets you specify a focus, the SysMan Menu -focus option provides a way to accomplish this from the command line.

Consider how specifying a focus on the command line affects the shutdown command. The shutdown command can be clusterwide or member-specific. If you start SysMan Menu from a cluster member with the following command, the cluster name is the initial focus of the shutdown option:

# sysman -menu
 

However, if you start SysMan Menu from a cluster member with the following command, the amember cluster member is the initial focus of the shutdown option:

# sysman -menu -focus amember
 

Whenever you begin a new task during a SysMan Menu session, the dialog box highlights your focus choice from the previous task. Therefore, if you have many management functions to perform on one cluster member, you need to select that member only once.

2.5.3    Invoking SysMan Menu

You can invoke SysMan Menu from a variety of interfaces, as explained in Table 2-4.

Table 2-4:  Invoking SysMan Menu

2.6    Using SysMan Station in a Cluster

SysMan Station is a client/server application consisting of a daemon, smsd(8), and the SysMan Station graphical user interface. SysMan Station monitors and manages a single system or a cluster. You can also launch SysMan Menu or invoke applications directly from the SysMan Station. You can use SysMan Station to do the following tasks:

• Monitor the status of a system or cluster

• Display detailed information about a system or cluster

• Provide a single location for management activity

• Display events and track events that lead to a problem

You might find it convenient to launch SysMan Station and then leave it running on your desktop. In particular, if you are new to Tru64 UNIX system management, you can manage a cluster through SysMan Station without having to first learn the syntax of the Tru64 UNIX commands.

When you start SysMan Station from a cluster member, a monitor window is displayed (Figure 2-4).

Figure 2-4:  SysMan Station Initial Cluster View

The Monitor window displays the status of the following subsystems:

• Applications

• Cluster

• Filesystems

• Network

• Storage

• System

The status color and pattern indicates a failure or trouble condition, as follows:

• Healthy status is green with a check mark

• Trouble status is yellow with an exclamation point (!)

• Failure status is red with an x

You can click on the status indicator, or the label beneath it, to view the events that are posted for a given subsystem. With the exception of events for which the cluster_event attribute is set to true, events are identified by the member on which the event was generated. For a list of cluster events, see Appendix A.

The left window pane shows the available views, including the following:

• AdvFS_Filesystems

• CAA_Applications_(active)

• CAA_Applications_(all)

• Hardware

• Mounted_Filesystems

• Physical_Filesystems

You can click on any of these views to open a new window containing that view. For example, if you click on the Hardware view, a view of the cluster hardware is displayed. An example of this view is shown in Figure 2-5.

Figure 2-5:  A Sample SysMan Station Cluster Hardware View

Objects in a view have actions that are based on their type; that is, objects such as the cluster or disk object have management actions associated with them, and the actions depend on the type of object. For example, a cluster object allows the following management actions:

• SysMan Menu

• Daily Administration

• Storage Management

• Configuration

• Monitor and Tuning

• CAA Management

• Properties

Some selections may not have any management tasks associated with them. For example, a graphics card allows you to view its properties and associated events, but you cannot otherwise manage it.

To see which actions are available for a given object, locate the cursor over the object and then click and hold the right mouse button, as shown in Figure 2-6.

Figure 2-6:  Displaying Available Actions in SysMan Station

2.6.1    Invoking SysMan Station

You can invoke SysMan Station from a variety of interfaces, as described in Table 2-5.

Table 2-5:  Invoking SysMan Station

2.7    Using the SysMan Java Applets in a Cluster

Note

You can manage only the Tru64 UNIX system that is serving you the Web page. In a cluster, this means that you can manage only the cluster member that is serving you the Web page. Therefore, to manage a cluster, use the Java PC applications that are described in Section 2.8 instead.

Compaq Insight Manager provides the Web-based management (WBEM) framework for SysMan in the form of two Java applets.

There are two components to the applets: the applets themselves, which run inside a Web browser, and the SysMan Station daemon, /usr/sbin/smsd, which runs on the Tru64 UNIX system.

You use a browser to open the correct URL and launch one of the applets. The applets then communicate with the Tru64 UNIX system, partially via the Compaq Insight Manager http server on port 2301.

Browser Requirement

To run the Java applets from a Tru64 UNIX Version 5.1 or later system, you can use Netscape Navigator running on a Tru64 UNIX Version 5.1 or later system, as described in http://cluster_member_name:2301/SYSMAN/plugin.html. You can also use other browsers as described on this Web page.

To run the Java applets from a Tru64 UNIX Version 5.0A or earlier system, you must use Microsoft Internet Explorer V4.0 with Service Pack 1 or higher, running on a Windows PC. Other browsers are not known to work correctly.

On the Tru64 UNIX system, the Compaq Insight Manager agents (daemons) are configured by default when you install the operating system and are automatically started when the system boots.

The Compaq Insight Manager Web agent is initialized during the transition to run level 3 by the /sbin/rc3.d/S50insightd script. This script runs /usr/share/sysman/bin/insightd and prints a console boot-time message when the agent is successfully started. The SNMP subagents /usr/sbin/os_mibs and /usr/sbin/cpq_mibs are also invoked during the transition to run level 3 by the /sbin/rc3.d/S49snmpd script. To test that the system is properly configured, enter the following commands:

# ps agx | grep insight
# ps agx | grep cpq
# ps agx | grep os_mib
 

Or, alternately:

# ps agx | grep -E "insight|cpq|os_mibs" 
 

If you do not want to have the Compaq Insight Manager Web Agent enabled by default, perhaps because you do not plan to use it, you can disable it through SysMan Menu or through the following imconfig command:

# /usr/sbin/sysman imconfig
 

If you disable the Compaq Insight Manager Web Agent, you will not be able to use the online help from the SysMan PC applications.

2.7.1    Invoking the SysMan Java Applets

For details on running the SysMan Java applets directly from a Web browser, go to the following location in a compatible Web browser:

http://cluster_member_name:2301/SYSMAN/index.html

If your browser is compatible, click on the link to SysMan Station or SysMan Menu to start the applet within the browser. It might take a few moments for the applet to start.

When the applet starts, it establishes a connection to the cluster member. Log in as root.

After you are familiar with running SysMan Menu and SysMan Station from a Web browser, you may find it more convenient to directly launch them from the following URLs:

• http://cluster_member_name:2301/SYSMAN/suit_applet.html to launch SysMan Menu

• http://cluster_member_name :2301/SYSMAN/sms_applet.html to launch SysMan Station

2.8    Using the SysMan Java PC Applications in a Cluster

SysMan Menu and SysMan Station are both available as Java standalone applications that run on a Windows PC. You install and run these applications just as you do any other PC application; they are not based on a Web browser.

Other than the fact that the applications run as Java run-time environment (JRE) applications, they look and function just like the character-cell and X Windows versions.

Unlike the SysMan Java applet, the standalone Java applications are not dependent on the Compaq Insight Manager daemons or http server. The smsd daemon, smsd(8), is responsible for gathering system management data from the host and presenting that information to the SysMan Station Java client.

2.8.1    Invoking the SysMan Java Applications on a PC

For details on downloading and running the standalone Java applications on a Windows PC, go to the following location in any Web browser:

http://cluster_member_name:2301/SYSMAN/index.html#PC

The section is titled, Managing Tru64 UNIX from a PC. Step 2 describes how to download, install, and run the SysMan Station Java standalone applications.

To run the Java applications on your PC, you must first install the Java run-time environment (JRE), a version of which is available at this URL. Both the jre.exe and setup_sysman.exe files are self-extracting files; you need only to click on them in Windows Explorer to run them.

2.8.2    SysMan Compatibility Issues

The SysMan Station standalone Java applications that are included with Tru64 UNIX Version 5.0A and later work with Tru64 UNIX Version 5.0A and later systems, but they do not work with Tru64 UNIX Version 5.0.

Conversely, the SysMan Station standalone Java applications that are included with Tru64 UNIX Version 5.0 work with Tru64 UNIX Version 5.0 systems, but they do not work with later versions of Tru64 UNIX.

If you are familiar with Windows file properties and shortcuts, you can install two (or more) versions of the SysMan Station Java application, and run them at the same time.

To do this, install either version first and accept the default directory. Then, install the other version but choose a different installation directory. For example, if you install &OSnameonly Version 5.0 second, you might use a directory named \Program Files\Compaq\SysMan5.0.

When the installation completes, the Start Menu entry now launches the second version that you installed. To be able to launch the first version that you installed, use Windows Explorer to find the file SysMan Station.lnk. Make a copy of this file and then change the copy's shortcut properties to point to the initial installation directory, typically \Program\Files\Compaq\SysMan\.

See the Windows Help shortcuts topic if you need help to complete this task.

2.9    Using the SysMan Command-Line Interface in a Cluster

The sysman -cli command provides a generic command-line interface to SysMan data. You can use the sysman -cli command to view or modify SysMan data. You can also use it to view dictionary-type information such as data descriptions, key information, and type information of the SysMan data, as described in sysman_cli(8).

Use the -focus option to specify the focus; that is, the range of effect of a given management task, which can be the cluster as a whole or a specific cluster member.

Use the sysman -cli -list component command to list all known components in the SysMan data hierarchy.

An example sysman -cli command is shown in Example 2-1. This command shows the attributes of the clua component for the cluster member named amember.

Example 2-1:  Example sysman Output

# sysman -cli -focus amember -list attributes -comp clua
 
Component: clua
  Group: cluster-aliases
    Attribute(s):
      aliasname 
      memberlist 
  Group: clua-info
    Attribute(s):
      memberid 
      aliasname 
      membername 
      selw 
      selp 
      rpri 
      joined 
      virtual 
  Group: componentid
    Attribute(s):
      manufacturer 
      product 
      version 
      serialnumber 
      installation 
      verify 
  Group: digitalmanagementmodes
    Attribute(s):
      deferredcommit 
      cdfgroups 
 

2.10    Using Compaq Insight Manager in a Cluster

Compaq Insight Manager allows you to use any current Web browser to display a wide array of Tru64 UNIX configuration information. You can use a Web browser on your Tru64 UNIX system, or a Web browser that is running on a Windows PC; the choice is up to you.

As implemented for Tru64 UNIX, Compaq Insight Manager is a Web-based interface that uses a combination of a private http server (listening on port 2301) on the Tru64 UNIX system and Tru64 UNIX SNMP subagents to display configuration information for cluster members. That is, the SNMP subagents /usr/sbin/os_mibs and /usr/sbin/cpq_mibs can get, but not set, attributes.

The Compaq Insight Manager Web agent is initialized during transition to run level 3, and the initialization script is located in /sbin/rc3.d/S50insightd. This script runs /usr/share/sysman/bin/insightd and prints a boot-time message at the console when the agent is successfully started. The SNMP subagents /usr/sbin/os_mibs and /usr/sbin/cpq_mibs are also invoked during transition to run level 3 and are invoked by the /sbin/rc.3d/S49snmpd script.

The Compaq Insight Management agents are not cluster-aware, but they provide useful device and status information about the cluster member you specify. In particular, you might find that the Compaq Insight Management agents allow less-experienced help and support staff to gather system and device information, such as the capacity and serial number of a given disk device, without having to use the Tru64 UNIX command-line interface.

A sample Compaq Insight Manager display is shown in Figure 2-7.

Figure 2-7:  The Compaq Insight Manager Display

See insight_manager(5) for a description of the Compaq Insight Manager browser requirements. Compaq Insight Manager requires that Java, JavaScript, and cookies be enabled.

2.10.1    Invoking Compaq Insight Manager

To invoke Compaq Insight Manager, open the following URL on the cluster member that you want to manage and navigate to the Insight Management Agents section:

http://cluster_member_name :2301

The Navigation frame lists all the subcomponents for which data can be obtained and any associated data items. It provides status data on hardware, such as network interface (NIC) cards, and also data on general system status, such as CPU utilization. The content of this frame depends on what device data is available to Compaq Insight Manager. Typical categories include the following:

• Configuration

• Mass storage

• NIC

• Utilization

• Recovery

2.11    Using Tru64 UNIX Configuration Report

In addition to the features that are provided by Compaq Insight Manager, you can use your Web browser to run a system check on a cluster member. This system check runs the sys_check command for you, and requires the same privileges as sys_check run from the command line.

If you generate a new report, the browser launches the SysMan Menu Java applet for you. For this to work correctly, you need to use a compatible browser, as described in Section 2.7.

You can use any browser to view the resulting report.

To launch the Configuration Report, open the following URL on the cluster member that you want to manage:

http://cluster_member_name:2301/WEBAGENT/syschk.TPL

A sample Configuration Report display is shown in Figure 2-8.

Figure 2-8:  Sample Configuration Report Display

To generate a new system configuration report, click on Create New Report at the top of the Web page. This launches the SysMan Menu Java applet in your browser, which allows you to specify the type of information that you want to see in the report before creating it.

To view this new report from the browser, make sure that you select the Export To Web option.