Hi folks,

I am making an attempt to create a cluster using Red Hat cluster suite with virtual machines on a PC running VMWare Workstation 6.5. After intense, through research and googling in darkness I am able see daylight. I'll keep posting my results with enough illustration that will help others to set up one.

The key motivation behind using a VMWare workstation virtual machines is to create an experimental cluster for understanding how a cluster works without having access to expansive hardware.

My research is not yet complete.

So far I am able to do the following:

1. set up and run a 2 node cluster
2. add a new node to the cluster
3. shared storage using GFS over Cluster LVM over iSCSI
4. Shared storage using GFS over GNBD
5. Fencing with GNBD

The main thorn in the through was Fencing. As I am trying the cluster on a PC with vmware workstation6.5 I don't have the privilege of Fencing devices. I looked for these alternates:

• IPMI
• vmware fence
• gnbd

I couldn't able to configure fencing using IPMI and vmware fence. I'll post the reason. May be some folks can have a look at it and give me some clue.

Hello there,

I've been fighting myself with an almost identical setup as yours. The only difference is that I'm tinkering with a HA-LVM + EXT3 resource chain, instead of a load balancing GFS, but I also have emulated iSCSI and two VMware Workstation nodes.

In fact, even if I left running an empty service, I could relocate it, but if I hard-stop the node in which is running, the cluster doesn't fail-over to the surviving node, so I suppose I lack fencing, just as you (?).

So... did you manage to reach a solution not involving real hardware??

Someone?? ;-)

hi guys

I am trying to do the same for learning purposes do you have any results or guides to follow?

thanks a lot

Sorry people! I was pre-occupied with other works recently. I have tested RedHat Cluster Suite on Virtual machines. all feature works well except Fencing since I didn't have a fanciable hardware. I'll post my documentation in a 2 days time.

meanwhile I can post some links which I have discovered on net. they helped me a lot in setting up the cluster.

http://knowledgelayer.softlayer.com/.../443/GFS+howto

You may need not follow every step given in the above link. However you shall get the idea about the steps to be taken for setting up a Cluster.

http://www.linuxdynasty.org/howto-se...lustering.html

This link is also very useful.

thanks a lot man I appreciate your time

I'll be waiting for your documentation

Hi Probhat,

can you please provide your documents regarding this. It will be really helpful for my learning.

Thanks in advance,
Jewel

Hi Jewel! sorry I didn't saw your post. I'll upload my screen recordings to you tube and share you the link in this thread. my current Internet Bandwidth is too slow. so please wait till sat for my link

Thanks, I will wait till then

hi prabhat3107. have u made your documentation of it? if u have made it, could u share it with me?
i'm dying for it. i really need it for my undergraduate project.
i have found several documentation of it from vmware but i really can't understand it. please help me.
best regards