Typical Usage Scenario

LUN passthrough allows applications of different nodes to consistently access data. Generally, the typical usage scenario for this passthrough is as follows:
  • Application softwares or system softwares with sharable data LUN storages, such as Oracle RAC and Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS).
  • Cluster file systems, such as OCFS2, GPFS, and GFS2.

Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) on Windows

Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) is a group of independent servers that work collaboratively to improve high availability and scalability of clustered roles (formerly called application software and services according to Microsoft Documentation). Clustered servers (nodes) are connected via physical cables and software. If one or more clustered nodes fail over, other nodes will start to provide services in a process known as failover. Clustered roles will be automatically monitored to make sure whether clustered nodes can work properly. If these clustered nodes do not work, these roles will be restarted or migrated to other clustered nodes.

Microsoft Cluster Server also supports Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) functionality. Servers in failover clusters can share the same storage space. For more information, see Failover Clustering in Windows Server in Microsoft Documentation.

Scenario: Assume that you have deployed the latest ZStack Private Cloud environment, and take over an iSCSI-SAN storage to the Cloud. Due to your business requirements, you need to deploy a core business system on the active-backup VM instances, and configure Microsoft Cluster Server for these VM instances. Assume that the virtual IP to access Microsoft Cluster Server is 172.24.20.20. Besides, as storage planning is required, you need to pass through one LUN to two VM instances, and use this LUN to act as Cluster Shared Volume of Microsoft Cluster Server. Under this scenario, if one VM instance (Master) fails over, another VM instance (Standby) will automatically be started to ensure your business continuity and high availability.
Note:
  • Microsoft Cluster Server requires both VM instances to be included in the same anti-affinity group. That is, these VM instances cannot be attached to the same host.
  • If these VM instances in Microsoft Cluster Server have been passed through to an LUN, make sure that you must not perform hot migrations for these VM instances. Otherwise, Microsoft Cluster Server will probably be not available. If you do need to perform hot migrations, verify that Microsoft Cluster Server configured on these VM instances is stopped.
  • The LUN that is passed through to the VM instances cannot be used for other means.
  • If you pass through the LUN to these VM instances for the first time, modify the multi-path configuration file. This can avoid the influence on the used storage.
  • We recommend that you use Qlogic HBA to perform the passthrough operation. If you use EMULEX HBA, recompile the driver, attach modules, and restart hosts.
The following configurations are about these two VM instances:
Table 1. VM Instance
VM Name Operating System Configuration Item Configuration Information
VM-1 (Master) Windows Server 2016 Standard Static IP address 172.24.195.251
FQDN node1.example.com
Domain example.com
VM-2 (Standby) Static IP address 172.24.248.71
FQDN node2.example.com
Domain example.com
To create Microsoft Cluster Server:
  1. Pass through an LUN to two VM instances.
  2. Initialize the LUN.
  3. Add features necessary to Microsoft Cluster Server for the two VM instances.
  4. Configure and validate tests.
  5. Create a failover cluster.
  6. Add disks to Microsoft Cluster Server.
  7. Verify whether Microsoft Cluster Server takes effect.
  1. Pass through an LUN to two VM instances.

    In the navigation pane of the ZStack Private Cloud UI, choose Hardware > SAN Storage. On the SAN Storage page, go to the iSCSI Storage tab page, and click an iSCSI Qualified Name. On the Disk tab page, select an iSCSI LUN. Choose Actions > Attach VM Instance. On the displayed Attach VM Instance page, select two VM instance that you need to attach, and click OK, as shown in Figure 1.

    Figure 1. Pass Through LUN


  2. Initialize the LUN.
    1. Go to the Computer Management page.

      Open the console of the VM-1, and go to the Server Manager page. To go to Computer Management, choose Tools > Computer Management, as shown in Figure 2.

      Figure 2. Computer Management Page




    2. Initialize the disk.

      Go to the Disk Management details page, right-click Disk 1, select Online. Right-click Disk 1 again to select Initialize Disk. On the Initialize Disk page, click OK to complete creating the partition table, as shown in Figure 3.

      Figure 3. Initialize Disk


  3. Add features necessary to Microsoft Cluster Server for these two VM instances.
    1. Add features necessary to Microsoft Cluster Server for the VM-1.

      On the Server Manager page, click Add Roles and Features. On the displayed Add Roles and Features Wizard page, click Next. On the Select features page, select Failover Clustering. On the displayed Add features that are required for Failover Clustering? page, click Add Features, and then click Next. On the Confirm installation selections page, click Install, and wait until the installation is completed. Finally, click Close to complete adding Microsoft Cluster Server.

      The confirmation to add features for the VM instance is shown in Figure 4.
      Figure 4. Confirmation Page


    2. Similarly, add features necessary to Microsoft Cluster Server for the VM-2.
  4. Configure and validate tests.
    1. Go to the test and configuration wizard page.

      On the Server Manager page, choose Tools > Failover Cluster Manager. On the Failover Cluster Manager page, to go to Validate Configuration Wizard page, click Validate Configuration, as shown in Validate Configuration Wizard.

      Figure 5. Validate Configuration Wizard


    2. Select the subject that you need to test.

      On the Validate Configuration Wizard page, click Next. On the Select Servers or a Cluster page, choose Browse > Advanced > Find Now. Select the subject that you need to test, and click OK, as shown in Select Subject to be Validated.

      Figure 6. Select Subject to be Validated






    3. Select the test method.

      After you select the subject, click Next. On the Testing Options page, select Run all tests (recommended), and choose Next > Next to start testing the subject. Only if all related configuration and verification tests are prepared well, Microsoft will support the Microsoft Cluster Server service. After the test is completed, click Finish, as shown in Figure 7.

      Figure 7. Testing Options


    Note:
    • We recommend that you select Run all tests (recommended).
    • If the test result returns errors, verify that subsequent operations can be performed after ell errors are resolved. Otherwise, Microsoft Cluster Server is abnormal.
  5. Create failover clusters.
    1. Set parameters for failover clusters.

      On the Failover Cluster Manager page, click Create Cluster. On the Create Cluster Wizard page, click Next. On the Select Servers page, add the subject that has passed the test. Click Next to set the names for the failover clusters and the virtual IP address used to access Microsoft Cluster Server, as shown in Figure 8.

      Figure 8. Set Cluster Parameters


    2. Preview configurations for the failover clusters to be created.

      After you set the parameters for the failover clusters, click Next to preview the configurations of the failover cluster. After confirmation, click Next, and start creating the failover cluster. After you create the failover cluster, click Finish, as shown in Figure 9.

      Figure 9. Preview Configuration of Cluster to Be Created


  6. Add disks to Microsoft Cluster Server.

    On the Failover Cluster Manager page, choose cluster.example.com > Storage > Disk. On the Storage details page, right-click Add Disk. On the displayed Add Disks to a Cluster page, select the disk that you need to add, and click OK, as shown in Figure 10.

    Figure 10. Add Disk




  7. Verify whether Microsoft Cluster Server takes effect.

    Run ping to validate whether Microsoft Cluster Server takes effect.

    Expected result:
    1. When VM-1 (Master) runs normally, the network can be connected by running ping.
    2. When the VM-2 (Standby) fails over, the network will temporarily be disconnected.
    3. After the Microsoft Cluster Server mechanism triggers, VM-2 (Standby) continues to ensure connectivities.
    Actual result:
    [root@10-0-73-238 ~]# ping 192.168.200.200  PING 172.24.20.20 (172.24.20.20) 56(84) bytes of data. 64 bytes from 172.24.20.20: icmp_seq=1 ttl=126 time=26.3 ms 64 bytes from 172.24.20.20: icmp_seq=2 ttl=126 time=13.1 ms 64 bytes from 172.24.20.20: icmp_seq=3 ttl=126 time=2.88 ms 64 bytes from 172.24.20.20: icmp_seq=4 ttl=126 time=1.73 ms 64 bytes from 172.24.20.20: icmp_seq=5 ttl=126 time=2.27 ms 64 bytes from 172.24.20.20: icmp_seq=6 ttl=126 time=1.11 ms Request timeout for icmp_seq 7 Request timeout for icmp_seq 8 Request timeout for icmp_seq 9 Request timeout for icmp_seq 10 Request timeout for icmp_seq 11 64 bytes from 172.24.20.20: icmp_seq=12 ttl=126 time=125.2 ms 64 bytes from 172.24.20.20: icmp_seq=13 ttl=126 time=11.3 ms 64 bytes from 172.24.20.20: icmp_seq=14 ttl=126 time=2.67 ms ^C --- 172.24.20.20 ping statistics --- 14 packets transmitted, 9 received, 35.7% packet loss, time 15053ms

So far, we have introduced the usage of Microsoft Cluster Server.


Oracle RAC

Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) is initially designed to provide better database services. After years of development, Oracle RAC is now based on a comprehensive high availability system. This high availability system can either act as the base of a database cloud system, or serve as a shared infrastructure to provide higher availability, scalability, flexibility, and agility for all application softwares in a data center. Oracle RAC adopts a shared disk architecture. In this regard, a volume manager and a file system used for storing database data must support cluster identifying. Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) is a volume (cluster) manager recommended for Oracle database.

Oracle ASM can automatically manage shared disks. Therefore, you can provide bare devices for RAC nodes via FC LUN passthrough, iSCSI LUN passthrough, or shared, virtual disks. These RAC nodes can manage databases without deploying additional shared file systems, as shown in RAC Workflow.
Figure 1. RAC Workflow


For more information about Oracle RAC, see Oracle Official Documentation.

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