OpenVMS Cluster Information You Need

Type of configuration

Configuration types (CI, DSSI, SCSI, local area, or mixed-interconnect) are distinguished by the interconnect device that the VAX, Alpha, or Integrity server computers in the OpenVMS Cluster use to communicate with one another. Note that HP Integrity servers do not support CI, DSSI, or MEMORY CHANNEL devices.

DECnet node name and node address

To obtain the DECnet node name and node address for the computer on which you are installing the OpenVMS operating system, consult the network or system manager. If you install DECnet-Plus for OpenVMS (Phase V) software and do not plan to use DECnet Phase IV for OpenVMS addresses, then you do not need to provide this information.

Allocation class value

During the installation procedure, you might be asked for the allocation class value (ALLOCLASS) of the computer on which you are installing the OpenVMS operating system. For example:

Enter a value for this_node ALLOCLASS parameter:

Note that in an OpenVMS Cluster environment, the allocation class value cannot be zero if the node serves DSSI or CI disks to other cluster members, or if volume shadowing will be used on this system or in the cluster. In either case, the ALLOCLASS value must be a number from 1 to 255.

After you enter the allocation class value, the installation procedure uses it to automatically set the value of the ALLOCLASS system parameter.

HP recommends that you thoroughly review the chapter on cluster storage devices in the HP OpenVMS Cluster Systems manual. This manual also includes the rules for specifying allocation class values.

Whether you want a quorum disk

To help you determine whether you need a quorum disk in the cluster, see the HP OpenVMS Cluster Systems manual.

Location of the page and swap files

On a nonclustered system, the page and swap files are on one or more local disks, but on a clustered system, the files might be on one or more local or clustered disks. See the HP OpenVMS Cluster Systems manual to help you determine where the page and swap files will be located for the system on which you are installing the OpenVMS operating system software.

Systems that will be MOP servers^[1], disk servers, and tape servers

If you are going to set up either a local area or a mixed-interconnect cluster, you need to make these determinations.

Cluster group number and cluster password^[2]

If you are going to set up a local area or mixed-interconnect cluster that is LAN-based (Gigabit Ethernet), use the following rules to determine the cluster group number and password: