Compaq DIGITAL Server Cluster Kits for Windows NT Network Card User Manual


 
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DIGITAL Server Cluster Kits for Windows NT Configuration Guide
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For details on setting up and using this new feature, see the "DIGITAL Clusters for Windows NT
Administrator's Guide Addendum".
DCNT Elimination of Client Software Requirement
Clients do not need to install cluster client software if they plan to access only socket-based
applications or NTFS file shares through a TCP/IP connection on DCNT V1.1 SP1.
Compaq recommends that you configure IP failover for new cluster installations. IP failover offers the
following advantages:
Eliminates the need to install cluster client software. On a large network, this saves both time
and disk space.
Eliminates the possibility of compatibility problems between the cluster client software and 3rd
party networking products.
Note: One example of a product that previously conflicted with the cluster client software was Citrix
WinFrame, which should be supported in a clustered environment, according to Clusters product
management.
Allows WAN access to NTFS file shares.
You can install cluster client software on Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows for Workgroup
systems that need to access the cluster by using the cluster name alias.
DCNT SQL Server Support Enhancements
Any DCNT stored procedures that are not in the SQL Server master database are automatically
detected and installed when the system is rebooted.
Uninstalling DCNT deletes all the DCNT stored procedures introduced to your SQL server
during DCNT installation.
You cannot manually failover groups that contain disks on which unenrolled SQL Server
databases reside. With SQL 6.5, attempting to manually failover these groups caused problems. If
you attempt it, you will see an error message displayed and the group will remain online on its
current server until all the unenrolled databases are enrolled.
Before bringing up the Manage SQL Server Databases dialog, the Cluster Administrator fetches
information about SQL Server databases. Prior to SP1, the user had to manually refresh if
databases had been created since the Cluster Administrator was invoked.
You can no longer delete nor modify SQL Server failover objects. These operations were no
longer necessary in V1.1, but the menu options were still available. Deletion and modification of
SQL Server failover objects takes place automatically by using the Manage SQL Server
Databases menu choice.
In a previous version of DCNT, the user had to create all SQL databases from the same server.
This restriction no longer applies.
The SQL server support enhancements, as well as the bug fixes incorporated into SP1, are also available
for NT 3.51 installations with DCNT v1.0, in the form of SP3. The IP failover capabilities, along with the
elimination of the client software requirement, both require NT 4.0 and DCNT v1.1.