Implementing PowerHA
The task-based approach to configuring and managing IBM® i high availability allows you to configure and manage a customized high-availability solution that is based on your business needs. Graphical and command-line interfaces are used for configuring and managing your high-availability solution.
The task-based approach gives the knowledgeable
user the means to customize and implement a personalized solution.
PowerHA graphical interface
The PowerHA® graphical interface
allows you to configure and manage cluster technologies, which are
integral to a high-availability solution. To use this interface, the PowerHA licensed program
must be installed. With this interface you can perform the following
functions from any node in the cluster:
- Create and manage a cluster
- Create and manage nodes
- Create and manage cluster resource groups
- Create and manage cluster administrative domains
- Create and manage monitored resources
- Create and manage independent ASPs
- Configure and manage geographic mirroring
- Configure and manage Metro Mirror
- Configure and manage Global Mirror
- Configure and manage FlashCopy®
- Monitor the status of your high availability solution
- Perform cluster related operations, such as switchovers for planned outages
Disk Management interface
The Disk Management interface allows you to configure and manage independent disk pools which are necessary when implementing several data resiliency technologies. Depending on the type of data resiliency technology that is implemented, installation requirements might be necessary to use some of these functions:
- Create a disk pool
- Make a disk pool available
- Make a disk pool unavailable
- Configure geographic mirroring
PowerHA command-line interface
The command-line interface allows you to perform many different high availability tasks with CL commands. For each cluster-related task, the corresponding CL command has been identified.
PowerHA application programming interface
These application programming interfaces (APIs) allow you to work with PowerHA version, and retrieve PowerHA related information.
- Configuring high availability infrastructure
Before you can configure a high-availability solution in yourIBM i environment, ensure that you have completed
the appropriate planning and understand your resources and goals for
high availability and disaster recovery. Use configuration scenarios
for high availability and tasks that are associated with high availability
technologies to create your own high-availability solution. - Configuring cluster administrative domains
In a high-availability environment, it is necessary that the application and operational environment remain consistent among the nodes that participate in high availability. Cluster administrative domain is thePowerHA implementation of environment resiliency and ensures that the operational environment remains the consistent across nodes. - Configuring independent disk pools
In a high-availability environment, it is necessary that the application and it's data remain consistent among the nodes that participate in high availability. An independent disk pool is a disk pool that contains objects, the directories, or libraries that contain the objects, and other object attributes such as authorization and ownership attributes. An independent disk pool can be used to help in this situation. - Configuring switched disks
Switched disks are independent disk pools which have been configured as part of anIBM i cluster. Switched disks allow data and applications
stored within an independent disk pool to be switched to another system. - Configuring geographic mirroring
Geographic mirroring is a subfunction of cross-site mirroring. To configure a high-availability solution by using geographic mirroring, you need to configure a mirroring session between the production system and the backup system. - Configuring Metro Mirror
For IBM i high availability solutions that use IBM System Storage® Metro Mirror technology, you need to configure a session between the IBM i machine and IBM System Storage external storage units that have Metro Mirror configured. In IBM i, Metro Mirror sessions do not set up the mirroring on the external storage units, but rather sets up a relationship between the IBM i systems and the existing Metro Mirror configuration on external storage units. - Configuring Global Mirror
For IBM i high availability solutions that use IBM System Storage Global Mirror technology, you need to configure a session between the IBM i machine and IBM System Storage external storage units that have Global Mirror configured. In IBM i, Global Mirror sessions do not set up the mirroring on the external storage units, but rather sets up a relationship between the IBM i systems and the existing Global Mirror configuration on external storage units. - Configuring switched logical units (LUNs)
Switched logical units is an independent disk pool that is controlled by a device cluster resource group and can be switched between nodes within a cluster. For IBM i high availability solutions that use switchable logical units with IBM® System Storage™, you need to configure an ASP Copy Description that defines the host identifiers and volume groups for each cluster node in which the ASP device can be switched. - Configuring a FlashCopy session
For IBM i high-availability environments that use IBM System Storage technology, you can configure a FlashCopy session to create a point-in-time copy of data. - Configuring DS8000 Full System HyperSwap
For System i® high availability solutions using HyperSwap®, detection of the HyperSwap configuration is automatic on the System i machine after appropriate configuration has been performed on the IBM System Storage external storage units. - Configuring DS8000 HyperSwap with independent auxiliary storage pools (IASPs)
IASP-based HyperSwap enviroments require both HyperSwap and logical unit number (LUN) switching configuration.