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From: oberman%icaen.DECnet@LLL-ICDC.ARPA.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.computers.vax
Subject: Local-Area VAXclusters
Message-ID: <8702070804.AA18314@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Fri, 6-Feb-87 14:33:00 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8702070804.AA18314
Posted: Fri Feb  6 14:33:00 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Feb-87 05:35:33 EST
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Reply-To: "ICAEN::OBERMAN" <oberman%icaen.decnet@lll-icdc.arpa>
Organization: The ARPA Internet
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Approved: info-vax@sri-kl.arpa

>I wonder if anyone could answer these queries:
> 
>(1) Do you HAVE to run all the LAVC nodes off a common system disc at the
>    boot node, or can you run a system disc local to the node and use
>    cluster functionality simply to allow a set of user discs to be accessed
>    efficiently and identically from any node? (I know that this inhomogeneous
>    arrangement is possible with ordinary CI clusters)
No. The LAVC is based on the requirement that all boots be from one system.
 
>(2) If so, can you mount non-DEC discs cluster-wide, even if they aren't MSCP
>    driven? (Again, I know this is possible on a CI cluster)
Yes. This works fine for our SI disks.
>(3) Given a systems industries 9900 disc system, which looks like a set of
>    dual- (actually multi-) ported RM type discs, could you share these
>    between multiple microVAXen by telling VMS that they are dual-ported?
>    (SI say yes). Do you actually need the LAVC license to do this, or does
>    microVMS 4.5 itself contain the distributed lock manager? Does anyone out
>    there have any experience of this configuration? (Yet again I know it
>    works for big VAXen with vanilla VMS)
Maybe. LAVC uses the same software as CI clusters except at the very bottom
layer, but I've been told that only VMS contains the DLM. You can always bring
up VMS on a uVAX. (You better know what you're doing to try.) That's how the
LAVC works. It's VMS V4.5C, not uVMS. 
>(4) If you use a fully-DEC LAVC with an RD54/MicroVAX boot node, can you
>    really support four more nodes? DEC say you can, I find it a bit hard
>    to believe...
No problem. We're sopporting 11 nodes now. NOTE: All but two nodes have
local disks for page files and some user files.
 
						R. Kevin Oberman
						LLNL
						arpa: oberman@lll-icdc.arpa
						(415) 422-6955

(Take everything I say with a grain of salt. The fact that it works for
me is probably attributable to magic. :-))
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