Chapter 11 Securing a Cluster

This chapter describes concerns for security administrators of clustered systems. Clustered systems refer to those systems using hardware and software that permit sharing of disks, resources, and a common operating system among various computers. Clusters of VAX processors are said to be joined in an OpenVMS cluster environment; whereas clusters including both Alpha processors and VAX processors are said to be joined in an OpenVMS Cluster environment. To properly secure your cluster, you should be familiar with the information in the HP OpenVMS Cluster Systems Manual.

The HP OpenVMS Cluster Systems Manual describes the tasks of the cluster manager. The cluster manager's job is the same as that of any system manager, but the cluster manager has to implement changes across many nodes. The security administrator for a cluster generally requires the same training and skills as a cluster manager, and at some cluster sites, the same person serves in the role of security administrator as well as cluster manager. At other sites, there may be one or more security administrators in addition to a cluster management team.

When a site separates the security administrator function from the cluster management function, coordination, cooperation, and communication between these functions becomes vital. As in previous chapters, this chapter uses the title of security administrator to refer to individuals who have the responsibility for system security, regardless of what other responsibilities they hold.