Managing HP Serviceguard A.11.20.20 for Linux, March 2014

1 Serviceguard for Linux at a Glance
This chapter introduces Serviceguard for Linux and shows where to find different kinds of information
in this book. It includes the following topics:
• What is Serviceguard for Linux? (page 19)
• Using Serviceguard for Configuring in an Extended Distance Cluster Environment (page 21)
• Using Serviceguard Manager (page 22)
• Configuration Roadmap (page 22)
If you are ready to start setting up Serviceguard clusters, skip ahead to Chapter 4 (page 79).
Specific steps for setup are in Chapter 5 (page 135).
1.1 What is Serviceguard for Linux?
Serviceguard for Linux allows you to create high availability clusters of HP ProLiant server. A high
availability computer system allows application services to continue in spite of a hardware or
software failure. Highly available systems protect users from software failures as well as from failure
of a system processing unit (SPU), disk, or local area network (LAN) component. In the event that
one component fails, the redundant component takes over. Serviceguard and other high availability
subsystems coordinate the transfer between components.
A Serviceguard cluster is a networked grouping of HP ProLiant server (host systems known as
nodes) having sufficient redundancy of software and hardware that a single point of failure will
not significantly disrupt service. Application services (individual Linux processes) are grouped
together in packages; in the event of a single service, node, network, or other resource failure,
Serviceguard can automatically transfer control of the package to another node within the cluster,
allowing services to remain available with minimal interruption.
1.1 What is Serviceguard for Linux? 19