Designing Disaster Recovery Clusters using Metroclusters and Continentalclusters, Reprinted October 2011 (5900-1881)

1 Designing a Metrocluster
This chapter describes the configuration and management of a basic metropolitan cluster through
the following topics:
• Designing a Disaster Recovery Architecture for use with Metrocluster Products
• Single Data Center
• Two Data Centers and Third Location with Arbitrator(s)
• Package Configuration Worksheet
• Disaster Tolerant Checklist
• Cluster Configuration Worksheet
• Next Steps
In addition, this chapter outlines the general characteristics of the metropolitan cluster solutions
that are provided with use of the following products:
• Metrocluster with Continuous Access for P9000 and XP
• Metrocluster with Continuous Access EVA
• Metrocluster with EMC SRDF
• Metrocluster with 3PAR Remote Copy
A separate chapter details the configuration process for each storage solution. For additional
information, refer to the Release Notes for your metropolitan cluster product and the documentation
for your storage solution.
Designing a Disaster Recovery Architecture for use with Metrocluster
Products
HP Metrocluster is a disaster tolerance solution for HP 9000 and HP Integrity systems running
HP-UX 11i operating systems. This Metrocluster solution protects application data and ensures
service availability in the event of disaster or failures that affect a whole site or a data center. HP
Metrocluster uses Serviceguard clustering technology to form a single cluster of systems which are
located apart from each other at different data centers over metropolitan distances. Metrocluster
integrates with HP StorageWorks Continuous Access, EMC Symmetrix Remote Data Facility (SRDF),
or HP 3PAR Remote Copy to continuously replicate application data across data centers. In case
of a disaster or failure that causes application outage, Metrocluster prepares the replicated data
of the application and automatically starts the application on the remote systems.
NOTE: The maximum supported distance between Metrocluster nodes depends on the distance
achievable while ensuring the replication technology latency requirements and the Serviceguard
network latency requirements.
HP Metrocluster supports the following configurations:
• A single data center without arbitrators (not disaster tolerant.)
• Two data centers and a third location architecture with one or two arbitrator systems or a
quorum server system. See Figure 1 (page 25).
Specifically for disaster tolerance, Serviceguard clusters or data centers can also be configured
on different subnets. Such configurations provide improved scalability as operators can configure.
Designing a Disaster Recovery Architecture for use with Metrocluster Products 23