DRBD Recovery Kit Overview

The LifeKeeper for Linux DRBD Recovery Kit provides the ability to configure and control DRBD resources. As described in the DRBD User’s Guide, “DRBD is a software-based, shared-nothing, replicated storage solution mirroring the content of block devices (hard disks, partitions, logical volumes, etc.) between hosts.”

• The LifeKeeper recovery kit will create the DRBD resource by using information provided by the administrator and building the appropriate configuration files.
• The DRBD configuration can be created using the LifeKeeper GUI or using the command line interface. The user should NOT edit individual DRBD resource configuration files. LifeKeeper will synchronize the resource configuration files on all servers as LifeKeeper makes changes. Any changes made directly to the configuration files by the administrator will be lost when LifeKeeper makes changes and synchronizes the files.
• Asynchronous, synchronous, and memory synchronous replication are supported.
• The DRBD Recovery Kit supports 3-node clusters using multi-way redundancy.
• A new file system is created on the DRBD resource with only new data replicated (the initial full resync is not required).
• Internal metadata is supported.
• Mirroring can be paused, allowing the disk to be accessed on the target.
• Synchronization can continue during switchover.
• Split-brain is detected with notification sent to the administrator.
• The resource hierarchy can be in-service on a server that is being synchronized.
• Automatic switchback is supported.

*Note: When the hierarchy is in-service on the server where the data is being synchronized, the source of the synchronization must not be stopped or rebooted until synchronization is complete.