Operating System |
The default operating system must be installed to ensure that all required packages are installed. The minimal operating system install does not contain all of the required packages, and therefore, cannot be used with LifeKeeper. |
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Kernel updates |
In order to provide the highest level of availability for a LifeKeeper cluster, the kernel version used on a system is very important. The table below lists each supported distribution and version with the kernel that has passed LifeKeeper certification testing. Note: When upgrading the kernel, you may need to rerun the setup script (./setup) using the installation image. If DataKeeper fails to start after upgrading the kernel, run the setup script to install the appropriate kernel module.
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LUN support |
The Linux SCSI driver has several parameters that control which devices will be probed for Logical Units (LUNs):
While most distributions (including SUSE) have the Probe all LUNs setting enabled by default, Red Hat has the setting disabled by default. External RAID controllers that are typically used in LifeKeeper configurations to protect data are frequently configured with multiple LUNs (Logical Units). To enable LUN support, this field must be selected and the kernel remade. To enable Probe all LUNs without rebuilding the kernel or modules, set the variable max_scsi_luns to 255 (which will cause the scan for up to 255 LUNs). To set the max_scsi_luns on a kernel where the scsi driver is a module (e.g. Red Hat), add the following entry to /etc/modules.conf, rebuild the initial ramdisk and reboot loading that ramdisk: options scsi_mod max_scsi_luns=255 To set the max_scsi_luns on a kernel where the scsi driver is compiled into the kernel (e.g. SUSE), add the following entry to /etc/lilo.conf: append=“max_scsi_luns=255” Note: For some devices, scanning for 255 LUNs can have an adverse effect on boot performance (in particular devices with the BLIST_SPARSELUN defined). The Dell PV650F is an array where this has been experienced. To avoid this performance problem, set the max_scsi_luns to the maximum number of LUNs you have configured on your arrays such as 16 or 32. For example, append=“max_scsi_luns=16” |
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Testing environment of channel bonding, network teaming |
In LifeKeeper, we performed tests in the environment using the channel bonding or network teaming with the following settings:
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