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Future Trends in Sun Cluster Technology

Explore how Sun Clusters are evolving for tomorrow, transforming into general-purpose platforms with enhanced capabilities such as cluster-wide file systems, load-balancing, and global resource management. Discover the characteristics and advantages of tomorrow's clusters, emphasizing high-availability, scalability, and seamless integration with the operating system. Learn about resource sharing, flexibility, scalability, close OS integration, and the importance of load-balancing and resource management in cluster environments.

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Future Trends in Sun Cluster Technology

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  1. Sun ClustersIra PramanickSun Microsystems, Inc.

  2. Outline • Today’s vs. tomorrow’s clusters • How they are used today and how this will change • Characteristics of future clusters • Clusters as general-purpose platforms • How they will be delivered • Sun’s Full Moon architecture • Summary & conclusions

  3. LAN/WAN IP Switch IP Switch Clustering Today • Mostly for HA • Little sharing of resources • Exposed topology • Hard to use • Layered on OS • Reactive Solution

  4. Global Networking Global Storage Clustering Tomorrow LAN/WAN Central Console

  5. Sun Full Moon architecture • Turns clusters into general-purpose platforms • Cluster-wide file systems, devices, networking • Cluster-wide load-balancing and resource management • Integrated solution • HW, system SW, storage, applications, support/service • Embedded in Solaris 8 • Builds on existing Sun Cluster line • Sun Cluster 2.2 -> Sun Cluster 3.0

  6. Characteristics of tomorrow’s clusters • High-availability • Cluster-wide resource sharing: files, devices, LAN • Flexibility & Scalability • Close integration with the OS • Load-balancing & Application management • Global system management • Integration of all parts: HW, SW, applications, support, HA guarantees

  7. High Availability • End-to-end application availability • What matters: Applications as seen by network clients are highly-available • Enable Service Level Agreements • Failures will happen • SW, HW, operator errors, unplanned maintenance, etc. • Mask failures from applications as much as possible • Mask application failures from clients

  8. High Availability... • No single point of failure • Use multiple components for HA & scalability • Need strong HA foundation integrated into OS • Node group membership, with quorum • Well-defined failure boundaries--no shared memory • Communication integrated with membership • Storage fencing • Transparently restartable services

  9. High Availability... • Applications are the key • Most applications are not cluster-aware • Mask most errors from applications • Restart when node fails, with no recompile • Provide support for cluster-aware apps • Cluster APIs, fast communication • Disaster recovery • Campus-separation and geographical data replication

  10. Resource Sharing • What is important to applications? • Ability to run on any node in cluster • Uniform global access to all storage and network • Standard system APIs • What to hide? • Hardware topology, disk interconnect, LAN adapters, hardwired physical names

  11. Resource Sharing... • What is needed? • Cluster-wide access to existing file systems, volumes, devices, tapes • Cluster-wide access to LAN/WAN • Standard OS APIs: no application rewrite/recompile • Use SMP model • Apps run on machine (not “CPU 5, board 3, bus 2”) • Logical resource names independent of actual path

  12. Resource Sharing... • Cluster-wide location-independent resource access • Run applications on any node • Failover/switchover apps to any node • Global job/work queues, print queues, etc. • Change/maintain hardware topology without affecting applications • But need not require fully-connected SAN • Main interconnect can be used through software support

  13. Flexibility • Business needs change all the time • Therefore, platform must be flexible • System must be dynamic -- all done on-line • Resources can be added and removed • Dynamic reconfiguration of each node • Hot-plug in and out of IO, CPUs, memory, storage, etc. • Dynamic reconfiguration between nodes • More nodes, load-balancing, application reconfiguration

  14. Scalability • Cluster SMP nodes • Choose nodes as big as needed to scale application • Need expansion room within nodes too • Don’t use clustering exclusively to scale applications • Interconnect speed slower than backplane speed • Few cluster-aware applications • Clustering large number of small nodes is like herding chicken

  15. Close integration with OS • Currently: multi-CPU SMP support in OS • Does not make sense otherwise • Next step: cluster support in the OS • Next dimension of OS support: across nodes • Clustering will become part of the OS • Not a loosely-integrated layer

  16. Advantages of OS integration • Ease of use • Same administration model, commands, installation • Availability • Integrated heartbeat, membership, fencing, etc. • Performance • In-kernel support, inter-node/process messaging, etc. • Leverage • All OS features/support available for clustering

  17. Load-balancing • Load-balancing done at various levels • Built-in network load-balancing • For example, incoming http requests; TCP/IP bandwidth • Transactions at middleware level • Global job queues • All nodes have access to all storage and network • Therefore any node can be eligible to perform the work

  18. Resource management • Cluster-wide resource management • CPU, network, interconnect, IO bandwidth • Cluster-wide application priorities • Global resource requirements guaranteed locally • Need per-node resource management • High-availability is not just making sure an application is started • Must guarantee resources to finish job

  19. Global cluster management • System management • Perform administrative functions once • Maintain same model as single node • Same tools/commands as base OS--minimize retraining • Hide complexity • Most administrative operations should not deal with HW topology • But still enable low-level diagnostics and management

  20. Servers Cluster OS Software Storage System Management Cluster Interconnect Middleware A Total Clustering Solution Applications Service and Support HA Guarantee Practice Integration of all components

  21. Roadmap • Sun Cluster 2.2: currently shipping • Solaris 2.6, Solaris 7, Solaris 8 3/00 • 4 nodes • Year 2000 compliant • Choice of servers, storage, interconnects, topologies, networks • 10 Km separation • Sun Cluster 3.0 • External Alpha 6/99, Beta Q1 CY‘00, GA 2H CY‘00 • 8 nodes • Extensive set of new features: cluster fs, global devices, network load-balancing, new APIs (RGM), diskless application failover, SyMON integration

  22. Wide Range of Applications • Agents developed, sold, and supported by Sun • Databases (Oracle, Sybase, Informix, Informix XPS), SAP • Netscape (http, news, mail, LDAP), Lotus Notes • NFS, DNS, Tivoli • Sold and supported by 3rd parties • IBM DB2 and DB2 PE, BEA Tuxedo • Agents developed and supported by Sun Professional Services • A large list, including many in-house applications • Toolkit for agent development • Application management API, training, Sun PS support

  23. Embedded in Solaris 8 Built-in load balancing Single management console Global Networking Global resource management Global resource management Global application management Cluster APIs Wide-range of HW Global Storage Full Moon clustering Dynamic domains Globalfile system Global devices

  24. Summary • Clusters as general-purpose platforms • Shift from reactive to proactive clustering solution • Clusters must be built on a strong foundation • Embed into a solid operating system • Full Moon -- bakes clustering technology into Solaris • Make clusters easy to use • Hide complexity, hardware details • Must be an integrated solution • From platform, service/support, to HA guarantees

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