Managing HP Serviceguard for Linux, Eighth Edition, March 2008

Understanding Serviceguard Software Components
How Packages Run
Chapter 362
nodes, or that the package has a dependency that is not being met. When
a package has failed on one node and is enabled to switch to another
node, it will start up automatically in a new location where its
dependencies are met. This process is known as package switching, or
remote switching.
A failover package starts on the first available node in its configuration
file; by default, it fails over to the next available one in the list. Note that
you do not necessarily have to use a cmrunpkg command to restart a
failed failover package; in many cases, the best way is to enable package
and/or node switching with the cmmodpkg command.
When you create the package, you indicate the list of nodes on which it is
allowed to run. System multi-node packages must list all cluster nodes in
their cluster. Multi-node packages and failover packages can name some
subset of the cluster’s nodes or all of them.
If the auto_run parameter is set to yes in a package’s configuration file
Serviceguard automatically starts the package when the cluster starts.
System multi-node packages are required to have auto_run set to yes. If
a failover package has auto_run set to no, Serviceguard cannot start it
automatically at cluster startup time; you must explicitly enable this
kind of package using the cmmodpkg command.
NOTE If you configure the package while the cluster is running, the package
does not start up immediately after the cmapplyconf command
completes. To start the package without halting and restarting the
cluster, issue the cmrunpkg or cmmodpkg command.
How does a failover package start up, and what is its behavior while it is
running? Some of the many phases of package life are shown in
Figure 3-14.