[Linux-cluster] Configuration of a 2 node HA cluster with gfs

[Birger Wathne]

I have just installed the cluster package, and I am now looking for some 
help on how to use it :-)

I have a lot of experience with Veritas FirstWatch and some with 
SunCluster, so I am not new to HA services. Now I have this server that 
I have to get up and running as quickly as possible... And I find little 
documentation about how to get this software up and running from a fresh 
install.

I have one old file server with external scsi disks, and one new server 
with a Nexsan ATAboy RAID array.
I want to set up the new file server as half of a 2-node cluster and get 
it into production. Then move over data (and disks) from the old server 
until I can reinstall that one as the second cluster node.

I first thought along the lines I am used to from Solaris and 
clustering. I wanted to set up 2 services: 1 NFS service that would take 
the disk with it when it moved, and 1 samba service that NFS-mounted the 
disk from the nfs service.

After looking at the redhat stuff I am thinking:
- Mount the disks permanently on both nodes using gfs (less chance of 
nuking the file systems because of a split-brain)
- Perhaps also run NFS services permanently on both nodes, failing over 
only the IP address of the official NFS service. Should make failover 
even faster, but are there pitfalls to running multiple NFS servers off 
the same gfs file system? In addition to failing over the IP address, I 
would have to look into how to take along NFS file locks when doing a 
takeover.

Can anyone 'talk me through' the steps needed to get this up and running?
I have tried to create /etc/cluster/cluster.conf, but ccsd fails with
Failed to connect to cluster manager.
Hint: Magma plugins are not in the right spot.


-- 
birger