server High Availability questions.

[efurban]

Hi,
I am new to this feild but I just wanna know how does Veritas Fundation Suite work in comparing to Windows 2003 High availability?
Has anyone done any work with VFS or High availability in 2003 ?

Thanks a bunch.

 

[nweaver]

I am not sure if you are saying Windows Server 2003 High Availability version (I've never heard of this) or just Windows Server 2003 with clustering for high availability of the network resource. I have setup 2k and 2k3 on a SAN for high availability of services, and it worked fine. It was even decently easy to setup, once you grasped some of the basic setup.

 

[efurban]

Thanks nweaver.

ya, I meant the win 2003 server enterprise version. It comes with the clustering which provides HA. Basically I want HA so that one set of system goes down the other one will take it over. Am I getting this right? Does the win 2003 enterprise really do this? does anyone here used veritas foundation suite before ?

 

[nweaver]

never used the Veritas, but I have used the windows one just fine. Realize, that depending on setup, you may need a storage array that is shared by both computers.

 

[spidey07]

The server guys I know swear by veritas for all platforms (MS, bsd, sun, HP, IBM)

You'd have to prey it from their cold dead hands so to speak.

 

[nweaver]

I know guys who feel that way about the Veritas Backup stuff, but not sure about the High Availability stuff...

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: nweaver
I know guys who feel that way about the Veritas Backup stuff, but not sure about the High Availability stuff...

I'm talking about the HA stuff.

I have no direct experience with it, but I trust these guys - they've been doing their thing for a long time. And MAN are they sharp. real sharp.

So take it for what it is - 2nd hand information.

 

[fartbag]

By high availabilty, I think you mean Windows clustering.... I have also implemented and used Veritas Storage Foundation Cluster File System Enterprise HA on the Unix side. For the Windows server world, I believe that Microsoft has a good product. Microsoft provides good instructions on how to set up Windows Clustering although it helps to have someone available who has set it up before. I implemented Clustering in Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition. The clustering service is only available in the Enterprise and Datacenter editions. I had two ML 370's with dual Fibre Channel HBA's connected to two ISL'd fibre channel switches. For the shared disk space, I had an EMC CX300 cross connected to both switches. A tape library was also connected to a fibre channel switch. It was a good reliable setup for the number of people we had in the office. I do not see any value in purchasing the Veritas HA product for Windows. There may be some value added, I'm just not sure what it is. Solaris on the other hand is a different story. I have heard the Sun clustering product sucks ass. I never had a chance to work with it though. System architects above me chose to go with Veritas Storage Foundation Cluster File System Enterprise HA. Veritas products cost BIG bucks and come with an endless supply of manuals to read. It was truely intimidating. Veritas has a lot of little commands to learn. Just call tech support if your stumped because you will never find the right command in that stack of manuals : ) I had very little problem installing and configuring it. When I did run into a problem, their tech support was FIRST CLASS. I had Veritas Storage Foundation Cluster File System Enterprise HA set up on two V880's Running Solaris 8 each directly connected to a 3510FC SAN. I had both environments (Windows/Solaris) set up in an ACTIVE/PASSIVE configuration. Different disk groups were set up to run by default on different nodes of the cluster for some load balancing. When one side of the cluster failed, the disk groups would fail over to the remaining cluster node. Both forms of clustering products (Windows/Veritas) worked similarly. I was not around long enough after the cluster was running to experience any problems. I relocated with the same company to a different area. I'll tell you from my Windows NT 4 clustering experience, trouble shooting a cluster can be a bitch. The good new is that Windows Clustering has matured a lot since the NT days! That ought to give you some information to chew on for awhile! I hope this helps.

Peace - out!

 

[efurban]

Thanks guys. this is really helpful.

From what I understand, Veritas HA and windows clustering are the same thingy. They all provide high reliability and high availibility. But if this is so, why there are "VERITAS Storage Foundation HA" and also "VERITAS Cluster Server". Is the cluster server from Veritas different from Windows Server clustering?

Here is what we wanna do :
we have a heterogeneous network.. Unix, windows 2000 and 2003 servers and a EMC CX 500 as the data storage. We are trying to find an optimized solution for High Availability or clustering (assuming they are the same thing). The sales guy (veritas) saying their stuff is easier to use and manage comparing to Windows Server clustering. I just wanna some perfessional opion on this, you know someone doesn't sell stuff .

 

[efurban]

and thank you very much fartbag for the reply. This is exactly kinda info that I wanted. What do you do ? what is your background?

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: efurban
Thanks guys. this is really helpful.

From what I understand, Veritas HA and windows clustering are the same thingy. They all provide high reliability and high availibility. But if this is so, why there are "VERITAS Storage Foundation HA" and also "VERITAS Cluster Server". Is the cluster server from Veritas different from Windows Server clustering?

Here is what we wanna do :
we have a heterogeneous network.. Unix, windows 2000 and 2003 servers and a EMC CX 500 as the data storage. We are trying to find an optimized solution for High Availability or clustering (assuming they are the same thing). The sales guy (veritas) saying their stuff is easier to use and manage comparing to Windows Server clustering. I just wanna some perfessional opion on this, you know someone doesn't sell stuff .

From talking to the server guys, veritas is much easier to use. But like I said, I don't have first hand experience with it. But most of the shops I've been to use it religously.

 

[fartbag]

Computer Systems Analyst.