SYSMGR%UK.AC.KCL.PH.IPG@AC.UK.UUCP (02/05/87)
I wonder if anyone could answer these queries:
(1) Do you HAVE to run all the LAVC nodes off a common system disc at the
boot node, or can you run a system disc local to the node and use
cluster functionality simply to allow a set of user discs to be accessed
efficiently and identically from any node? (I know that this inhomogeneous
arrangement is possible with ordinary CI clusters)
(2) If so, can you mount non-DEC discs cluster-wide, even if they aren't MSCP
driven? (Again, I know this is possible on a CI cluster)
(3) Given a systems industries 9900 disc system, which looks like a set of
dual- (actually multi-) ported RM type discs, could you share these
between multiple microVAXen by telling VMS that they are dual-ported?
(SI say yes). Do you actually need the LAVC license to do this, or does
microVMS 4.5 itself contain the distributed lock manager? Does anyone out
there have any experience of this configuration? (Yet again I know it
works for big VAXen with vanilla VMS)
(4) If you use a fully-DEC LAVC with an RD54/MicroVAX boot node, can you
really support four more nodes? DEC say you can, I find it a bit hard
to believe...
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Nigel Arnot (Dept. Physics, Kings college, Univ. of London; U.K)
Bitnet/NetNorth/Earn: sysmgr@ipg.ph.kcl.ac.uk (or) sysmgr%kcl.ph.vaxa@ac.uk
Arpa : sysmgr%ipg.ph.kcl.ac.uk@ucl-cs.arpa
oberman%icaen.DECnet@LLL-ICDC.ARPA.UUCP (02/06/87)
>I wonder if anyone could answer these queries: > >(1) Do you HAVE to run all the LAVC nodes off a common system disc at the > boot node, or can you run a system disc local to the node and use > cluster functionality simply to allow a set of user discs to be accessed > efficiently and identically from any node? (I know that this inhomogeneous > arrangement is possible with ordinary CI clusters) No. The LAVC is based on the requirement that all boots be from one system. >(2) If so, can you mount non-DEC discs cluster-wide, even if they aren't MSCP > driven? (Again, I know this is possible on a CI cluster) Yes. This works fine for our SI disks. >(3) Given a systems industries 9900 disc system, which looks like a set of > dual- (actually multi-) ported RM type discs, could you share these > between multiple microVAXen by telling VMS that they are dual-ported? > (SI say yes). Do you actually need the LAVC license to do this, or does > microVMS 4.5 itself contain the distributed lock manager? Does anyone out > there have any experience of this configuration? (Yet again I know it > works for big VAXen with vanilla VMS) Maybe. LAVC uses the same software as CI clusters except at the very bottom layer, but I've been told that only VMS contains the DLM. You can always bring up VMS on a uVAX. (You better know what you're doing to try.) That's how the LAVC works. It's VMS V4.5C, not uVMS. >(4) If you use a fully-DEC LAVC with an RD54/MicroVAX boot node, can you > really support four more nodes? DEC say you can, I find it a bit hard > to believe... No problem. We're sopporting 11 nodes now. NOTE: All but two nodes have local disks for page files and some user files. R. Kevin Oberman LLNL arpa: oberman@lll-icdc.arpa (415) 422-6955 (Take everything I say with a grain of salt. The fact that it works for me is probably attributable to magic. :-)) ------
ted@cgl.ucsf.edu@blia.UUCP (02/09/87)
In article <8702070804.AA18314@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, oberman%icaen.DECnet@LLL-ICDC.ARPA ("ICAEN::OBERMAN") writes: > >I wonder if anyone could answer these queries: > > > >(1) Do you HAVE to run all the LAVC nodes off a common system disc at the > > boot node, or can you run a system disc local to the node and use > > cluster functionality simply to allow a set of user discs to be accessed > > efficiently and identically from any node? (I know that this inhomogeneous > > arrangement is possible with ordinary CI clusters) > No. The LAVC is based on the requirement that all boots be from one system. At the last Fall DECUS Symposium, I stood up and asked if I could configure multiple, independent systems into a LAVC. The speaker (from DEC) said that it should work but that they would not support such a configuration (at least for now). This may have changed, but I suspect not. =============================================================================== Ted Marshall Britton Lee, Inc. p-mail: 14600 Winchester Blvd, Los Gatos, Ca 95030 voice: (408)378-7000 uucp: ...!ucbvax!mtxinu!blia!ted ARPA: mtxinu!blia!ted@Berkeley.EDU disclaimer: These opinions are my own and may not reflect those of my employer; I leave them alone and they leave me alone. fortune for today: First Law of Bicycling: No matter which way you ride, it's uphill and against the wind.