Cluster issues
Some time ago, I tried to start a second Alpha into the cluster, using the shared SCSI connection. But whatever I tried, at some point the the connection with the system disk is lost, and the console software doesn’t like this at some point ans starts spitting out tons of data.
Tonight I decided to give it another try and hook my AlphaServer 400 system onto the shared SCSI and boot it from the common system disk. What I already found out to cause a problem: it seems that the choice of the system disk being the quorum disk wasn’t a good idea. Therefore, I changed a 36Gb disk in the storage shelves for an old 4.3 one, and defined that as the quorum disk. It meant I had to do something in the HSZ50 as well, to give it the proper size. After that, I autogen’d Diana, with no feedback because the data was too old and Autogen complained.
Rebooting Diana was no problem but the quorum disk was lost and regained, lost and reegained, and so on: the disk must have been bad. After replacing it by another one, Diana hung and had to be crashed. My mistake: the machine would have to be stopped before I started hassling with the quorum disk…But starting Diana after resetting the controller, the system kept waiting for the internal SCSI to poll. It started working immediately after I switched off the AlphaServer and returned to more normal activity.
Starting the Alphaserver using the local disk (VMS 8.3 as well, but without all the patches) was no problem, but all licenses were expired. Next I tried to mount the disk on which all system files are stored, but that caused havoc again on Diana: The disk were found to be improperly dismounted so mount verigfication started – and Diana lost contact with the disks.
I must have a look into the controllers. I now have installed KZPBY-CY and that _should_ work, but I’ll have to try with KZPSA because that is said to work properly…
Luckily, I have now good listings of the node that won’t start, to show the experts.
MySQL will have to reside on this machine for the time being. Or I have to setup Dido as a standalone machine.