After you have created a hierarchy, you will want to extend that hierarchy to another server in the cluster. There are three possible scenarios to extend your resource instance from the template server to a target server. The first scenario is when you “Continue” from creating the resource into extending that resource to another server. The second scenario is when you enter the Extend Resource Hierarchy task from the edit menu as shown below. The third scenario is when you right click on an unextended hierarchy in either the left or right hand pane. Each scenario takes you through the same dialog boxes (with a few exceptions, which are clearly detailed below).
- If you are entering the Extend wizard from the LifeKeeper GUI menu, select Edit, then Resource. From the drop down menu, select Extend Resource Hierarchy. This will launch the Extend Resource Hierarchy wizard. If you are unfamiliar with the Extend operation, click Next. If you are familiar with the LifeKeeper Extend Resource Hierarchy defaults and want to bypass the prompts for input/confirmation, click Accept Defaults.
- The Pre-Extend Wizard will prompt you to enter the following information. Note: The first two fields appear only if you initiated the Extend from the Edit menu. It should be noted that if you click Cancel at any time during the sequence of extending your hierarchy, LifeKeeper will cancel the extension process to that particular server. However, if you have already extended the resource to another server, that instance will continue to be in effect until you specifically unextend it.
Template Server | Enter the server where your IP resource is currently in service. |
Tag to Extend | Select the IP resource you wish to extend. This is the name of the IP instance you wish to extend from the template server to the target server. The wizard will list in the drop down list box all the resources that you have created on the template server that you selected in the previous dialog box. |
Target Server | Select the Target Server where you are extending your IP resource hierarchy. The drop down box provides the names of the servers in your cluster that are not already in the selected hierarchy. |
Switchback Type | Select the Switchback Type. This dictates how the IP instance will be switched back to this server when it comes back into service after a failover to the backup server. You can choose either intelligent or automatic. Intelligent switchback requires administrative intervention to switchback the instance to the primary/original server. Automatic switchback means the switchback will occur as soon as the primary server comes back on line and reestablishes LifeKeeper communication paths. The switchback type can be changed later, if desired, from the General tab of the Resource Properties dialog box. |
Template Priority | Select or enter a Template Priority. This is the priority for the IP hierarchy on the server where it is currently in service. Any unused priority value from 1 to 999 is valid, where a lower number means a higher priority (1=highest). The extend process will reject any priority for this hierarchy that is already in use by another system. The default value is recommended. Note: This selection will appear only for the initial extend of the hierarchy. |
Target Priority | Select or enter the Target Priority. This is the priority for the new extended IP hierarchy relative to equivalent hierarchies on other servers. Any unused priority value from 1 to 999 is valid, indicating a server’s priority in the cascading failover sequence for the resource. A lower number means a higher priority (1=highest). Note that LifeKeeper assigns the number “1” to the server on which the hierarchy is created by default. The priorities need not be consecutive, but no two servers can have the same priority for a given resource. |
- An information box will appear explaining that LifeKeeper has successfully checked your environment and that all the requirements for extending this IP resource have been met. If there were some requirements that had not been met, LifeKeeper would not allow you to select the Next button, and the Back button would be enabled. If you click Back, you can make changes to your resource extension according to any error messages that may appear in the information box. If you click Cancel now, you will need to come back and extend your IP resource hierarchy to another server at some other time to put it under LifeKeeper protection. When you click Next, LifeKeeper will launch you into the Extend Resource Hierarchy configuration task.
- The Extend Resource Hierarchy configuration task will prompt you to enter the following information.
IP Resource | This is the same IP Resource or address used in the Create Resource Wizard. This dialog box is for information purposes only. You cannot change the IP Resource that appears in the box. |
Netmask | This is the same Netmask that was selected when the IP resource was created for the template server and will now be used by the IP resource for the target server. This dialog box is for information purposes only. You cannot change the Netmask that appears in the box. |
Network Interface | Select or enter the Network Interface. This is the name of the network interface (i.e. Ethernet card) the IP resource will use on the target server. |
IP Resource Tag | Select or enter the IP Resource Tag. This is the resource tag name to be used by the IP resource being extended to the target server. |
- An information box will appear verifying that the extension is being performed.
Click Next Server if you want to extend the same IP resource instance to another server in your cluster. This will repeat the Extend Resource Hierarchy operation.
If you click Finish, LifeKeeper will verify that the extension of the IP resource was completed successfully.
- Click Done to exit from the Extend Resources Hierarchy menu selection.
Note: Be sure to test the functionality of the new instance on all the servers.
Post your comment on this topic.
Tad Mannes wrote: Mar 5, 2020
Please provide command-line documentation on how to accomplish the same thing. The Command documentation provided is ancient and some of it never worked, and some of the arguments were not explained. We have a need to script these things, and there is no help here.
In the past I had to write wrapper scripts around executables in the /opt/LifeKeeper tree to figure out how command-lines work. I just don't have time for that anymore.