[Info-vax] Wide area cluster, metro area network, seeking info

[Bob Gezelter]

On Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 6:28:50 PM UTC-4, Rich Jordan wrote:
> We are looking at the possibility of putting VMS boxes in two locations, with Integrity boxes running VSI VMS. This is the very beginning of the research on the possibility of clustering those two servers instead of just having them networked. Probably have to be master/slave since only two nodes and no shared storage. 
> 
> After reviewing the various cluster docs, they seem to be focused on older technologies like SoNET and DS3 using FDDI bridges (which would allow shared storage). The prospect has a metropolitan area network but I do not have any specs on that as yet. 
> 
> Are there available docs relevant to running a distributed VMS cluster over a metro area network or fast/big enough VPN tunnel? Or is that just the straight cluster over IP configuration in the docs (which we've never used) that we need to concentrate on? 
> 
> Thanks
Rich,

Another discussion I have had with clients in the past is where to put the tie-breaker (third node). If the organization has a third physical location, or can inexpensively obtain a small third location, e.g., a drawer in what was referred to as an "Internet Hotel", or for that matter a host in a shared hosting facility with command line access, one can even use an emulator-based instance, e.g., one of the Alpha emulators, as a tie breaker. It merely needs to be a cluster tie-breaker. 

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com