IBM United States Announcement

207-279, dated November 6, 2007

IBM HACMP for AIX, V5.4.1 and HACMP for Linux, V5.4.1 help
achieve business continuity with IBM's world-class clustering
technology
Description .................................................2
At a glance
Reference information ............................... 4
Terms and conditions ................................ 5
IBM High Availability Cluster Multi-Processing (HACMP) V5.4.1 offers
Ordering information .................................. 5 robust high availability and disaster recovery for IBM System p and
Prices .........................................................5 System i customers with mission-critical applications.
IBM Global Financing ................................ 5 New HACMP V5.4.1 features include:
Order now .................................................. 5
• AIX Workload Partitions (WPAR)
• HACMP/XD support of IBM TotalStorage® disk subsystem (PPRC)
including Consistency Groups
• New GLVM monitoring
• NFSv4 support improvements
• HACMP usability and RAS improvements
• New options for detecting and responding to a partitioned cluster
The optional features HACMP/XD and HACMP Smart Assist for AIX
V6.1 provide high availability disaster recovery solutions for your
business. For ordering, contact:
Your IBM representative, an IBM Business Partner, or the Americas Call
Centers at

800-IBM-CALL Reference: RE001

Overview

HACMP™ V5.4.1 helps protect critical business applications from

outages. For over a decade, HACMP has been providing reliable
monitoring, failure detection, and automated failover for 24 x 7 business
application environments. The optional HACMP Extended Distance
(HACMP/XD) feature adds unlimited distance data mirroring and
recovery solutions for critical business needs; the optional HACMP
Smart Assist feature helps you easily deploy high availability into your
critical applications.
HACMP V5.4.1 offers you:

• Integrated support for utilizing AIX® WPAR to maintain high

availability for your applications by configuring them as a resource
group and assigning the resource group to an AIX WPAR. By using
HACMP in combination with AIX WPAR, you can leverage the
advantages of application environment isolation and resource control
provided by AIX WPAR along with the high availability feature of
HACMP V5.4.1.
• HACMP/XD support of PPRC Consistency Groups to maintain data
consistency for application-dependent writes on the same logical
subsystem (LSS) pair or across multiple LSS pairs. HACMP/XD

IBM United States Announcement 207-279 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 1
 responds to PPRC consistency group failures by automatically freezing the pairs and
managing the data mirroring.
• A new Geographical Logical Volume Manager (GLVM) Status Monitor that provides the ability
to monitor GLVM status and state. These monitors enable you to keep better track of the
status of your application data when using the HACMP/XD GLVM option for data replication.
• Improved support for NFS V4, which includes additional configuration options, as well as
improved recovery time. HACMP can support both NFS V4 and V2/V3 within the same high
availability environment.
• Usability improvements for the WebSMIT GUI, including the ability to customize the color and
appearance of the display. Improvements to First Failure Data Capture and additional
standardized logging are designed to increase the reliability and serviceability of HACMP
V5.4.1.
• New options for detecting and responding to a partitioned cluster. Certain failures or
combinations of failures can lead to a partitioned cluster, which, in the worse case, can lead to
data divergence (out-of-sync data between the primary and backup nodes in a cluster).
HACMP V5.4.1 introduces new features for detecting a partitioned cluster and avoiding data
divergence through earlier detection and reporting.

Statement of direction
IBM plans to support the IBM BladeCenter® JS22 with IBM POWER6™ technology on HACMP
V5.3 and V5.4. This capability is planned to be provided by first quarter 2008.
All statements regarding IBM's plans, directions, and intent are subject to change or withdrawal
without notice. Any reliance on these statements of general direction is at the relying party's sole
risk and will not create liability or obligation for IBM.

Key prerequisites

• System p™ or System i™ servers with adequate slots for your disk and network adapters in a
no-single-point-of-failure configuration
• AIX V5.2 or V5.3, or later, or AIX V6.1, or later, for HACMP for AIX
For additional product details on AIX V6.1 support, refer to the HACMP V5.3 and V5.4 support
on AIX V6.1 document, dated November 6, 2007.

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux™ 4 or Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 for HACMP for Linux
Planned availability dates

• November 9, 2007, for HACMP for AIX

• January 25, 2008, for HACMP for Linux

Description

AIX Workload Partitions

WPAR, a new feature of AIX V6.1, is a software-created virtualized operating system
environment that exists within a single instance of the AIX operating system. To most
applications, the WPAR appears to be a separate instance of AIX because applications and
WPARs have a private execution environment. Applications are isolated in terms of process,
signal, and file system space. Workload partitions have their own unique users and groups, as
well as dedicated network addresses. Applications can be defined as being "WPAR enabled"
and HACMP will automatically keep them highly available using available WPAR resources.
Using this approach, you can take advantage of the rich AIX WPAR features combined with the
high availability features provided by HACMP.
With HACMP V5.4.1 support for WPAR, HACMP will use WPAR resources to keep your
applications highly available. HACMP provides high availability by managing the logical
collection of inter-related resources (such as applications, volume groups, and IP addresses) as
a single unit. With WPAR support, these resources can be assigned to an AIX WPAR at startup

IBM United States Announcement 207-279 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 2
 or failover (recovery) time. WPAR also lets you control the amount of resources that a certain
application should use by assigning a certain percentage of resources (like CPU, memory, and
number of processes) to the WPAR that will host the application.
By using HACMP in combination with AIX WPAR, you can leverage the advantages of
application environment isolation and resource control assignment (provided by AIX WPAR) and
the high availability feature provided by HACMP V5.4.1.
HACMP/XD support of PPRC Consistency Groups
The IBM TotalStorage disk subsystem has a Peer-to-Peer Remote Copy (PPRC) function for
replicating data from a storage unit at a primary site to a storage unit at a backup site. This is
commonly used in disaster recovery configurations where a copy of critical application data is
maintained at a remote location.
HACMP/XD supports PPRC by automatically managing the disk subsystems at each site.
HACMP responds to failures by sending the appropriate commands to the disk subsystems to
manage the data replication.
PPRC replication is done on a per-volume basis. That is, the data written to the volume at the
primary site is replicated to the corresponding volume at the backup. Some applications perform
logical updates that span multiple volumes; for example, a database application may write a
transaction to one volume and a log of that transaction to another volume. In this scenario, the
PPRC replication of the data to the backup site must preserve the logical association of the
updates even though they occur on different volumes.
By using PPRC Consistency Groups, you can maintain data consistency for
application-dependent writes on the same LSS pair or across multiple LSS pairs.
HACMP/XD supports consistency groups and will react to failures by freezing or unfreezing the
PPRC pairs. HACMP/XD V5.4.1 leverages the advanced features of IBM storage subsystems
with the availability features of HACMP for implementing a disaster recovery solution.
GLVM Status Monitor
HACMP/XD offers a number of data replication options, including Geographic Logical Volumes
(GLVM). HACMP/XD with GLVM provides replication of your data to a remote site over IP
networks to create an integrated remote replication and high availability disaster recovery
solution. HACMP/XD V5.4.1 introduces two new monitors for GLVM. From SMIT or the
command line, these monitors display the status of:

• GLVM remote physical volumes (RPV)

• GLVM geographically mirrored volume groups (GMVG)
RPV status information includes the accumulated counts of completed and pending reads,
writes, kilobytes read, kilobytes written, and device errors for one or more RPVs. It can also be
used to display the maximum recorded numbers of pending reads, writes, kilobytes to be read,
and pending kilobytes to be written to an RPV device ("high water mark" values). GMVG status
information includes the total number of physical volumes (PV), RPVs, stale volumes, total
physical partitions (PP), and stale PPs, as well as the synchronization percentage for one or
more GMVGs. Both monitors can run continuously and display updated information on a
user-supplied interval basis.
GLVM requires AIX V5.3, or later. GLVM is also available in stand-alone form from base AIX;
however, this version does not include integrated support with HACMP/XD.
NFSv4 support
Network Filesystem (NFS) is a mature industry standard for sharing information in a networked
environment. HACMP provides integrated support for keeping NFS highly available in a cluster
configuration. The next generation of NFS is V4.
HACMP support for NFSv4 includes:

• Better failover of client state using stable storage

• Support for configuring NFSv4 exports directly through SMIT
• Support for configuring a file system to be exported with both NFSv2/3 and NFSv4
• A Configuration Assistant to help create and modify resource groups with NFS exports
NFSv4 support improvements bring greater convenience for configuring NFSv4 exports, as well

IBM United States Announcement 207-279 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 3
 as improved failover time.
With a mix of NFSv3 and NFSv4, HACMP will support both protocols to allow for gradual
adoption of the new V4 standard.
NFSv4 support with HACMP requires at minimum AIX V5.3 with Technology Level 5300-07
(bos.net.nfs.client and bos.net.nfs.server V5.3.7.0) or AIX V6.1.
HACMP usability and RAS improvements
A number of improvements have been made to the ease-of-use, performance, reliability,
availability, and serviceability of the HACMP product. These improvements include:

• An updated WebSMIT user interface that adds an industry standard "look and feel" as well as
options to customize the interface for local language and color preferences. Setup and
performance are also improved.
• First Failure Data Capture and extended, standardized logging make it easier to maintain your
high availability environment.
• Progress indicators and heartbeat metric displays to keep you informed about the operation
and status of your cluster.

Multi-node disk heartbeat and disk fencing

This feature provides new capabilities for HACMP to detect and react to a partitioned cluster.
There are two new concepts:

• Multi-node disk heartbeat (MNDHB): Like regular disk heartbeat networks, the disk subsystem
is used as the media for exchanging heartbeat messages. Multi-node disk heartbeat lets you
configure network access for multiple nodes instead of the simple point-to-point network
available using regular disk heartbeat.
• Disk fencing: When a multi-node disk heartbeat network is configured, HACMP performs
additional checks when a node failure is detected. Each node connected to the MNDHB
network will check its access to the disks defined for the network. If a node has access to less
than a quorum (one more than half) of the disks, it will exercise a configurable policy to either
shut down the node, fence it from the disks, or simply run a notification event.

Extended withdrawal and support discontinuance dates for HACMP V5.3

• The withdrawal from marketing date for HACMP V5.3 (5765-F62) has been extended from
September 30, 2007, to September 30, 2008.
• The end of support date for HACMP V5.3 (5765-F62) has been extended from September 30,
2008, to September 30, 2009.

Refer to 206-176, dated July 25, 2006.

Accessibility by people with disabilities

A U.S. Section 508 Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) containing details on
accessibility compliance can be requested at

http://www.ibm.com/able/product_accessibility/index.html

Reference information

Refer to 207-271, dated November 6, 2007, for AIX V6.1.

Refer to 206-176, dated July 25, 2006, for IBM HACMP for AIX 5L™, V5.4.
Refer to 206-175, dated July 25, 2006, for IBM HACMP for Linux, V5.4.

Business Partner information

If you are a Direct Reseller - System Reseller acquiring products from IBM, you may link directly
to Business Partner information for this announcement. A PartnerWorld ID and password are
required (use IBM ID).

IBM United States Announcement 207-279 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 4
 BP Attachment for Announcement Letter 207-279

https://www.ibm.com/partnerworld/mem/sla.jsp?num=207-279

Trademarks

HACMP, POWER6, System p, System i, and AIX 5L are trademarks of International Business Machines
Corporation in the United States or other countries or both.

AIX, BladeCenter, and TotalStorage are registered trademarks of International Business Machines
Corporation in the United States or other countries or both.

Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, other countries or both.

Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

Terms and conditions

The terms and conditions for the HACMP™ programs and associated SWMA PID numbers are
the same as previously announced.

Ordering information

The program and feature numbers for ordering HACMP remain the same as previously
announced.
Refer to 206-176, dated July 25, 2006, for IBM HACMP for AIX 5L™, V5.4.
Refer to 206-175, dated July 25, 2006, for IBM HACMP for Linux™, V5.4.

Prices

For current prices, contact us at 888-Shop-IBM, or visit

http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/p/

IBM Global Financing

IBM Global Financing offers competitive financing to credit-qualified customers to assist them in
acquiring IT solutions. Offerings include financing for IT acquisition, including hardware,
software, and services, from both IBM and other manufacturers or vendors. Offerings (for all
customer segments: small, medium, and large enterprise), rates, terms, and availability can vary
by country. Contact your local IBM Global Financing organization or visit

http://www.ibm.com/financing

IBM Global Financing offerings are provided through IBM Credit LLC in the United States, and
other IBM subsidiaries and divisions worldwide to qualified commercial and government
customers. Rates are based on a customer's credit rating, financing terms, offering type,
equipment type, and options, and may vary by country. Other restrictions may apply. Rates and
offerings are subject to change, extension, or withdrawal without notice.

Order now

To order, contact the Americas Call Centers, your local IBM representative, or your IBM
Business Partner.
To identify your local IBM representative or IBM Business Partner, call 800-IBM-4YOU
(426-4968).

Phone: 800-IBM-CALL (426-2255)

IBM United States Announcement 207-279 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 5
 Fax: 800-2IBM-FAX (242-6329)
Internet: callserv@ca.ibm.com
Mail: IBM Teleweb Customer Support
ibm.com Sales Execution Center, Americas North
3500 Steeles Ave. East, Tower 3/4
Markham, Ontario
Canada
L3R 2Z1

Reference: RE001

The Americas Call Centers, our national direct marketing organization, can add your name to the
mailing list for catalogs of IBM products.

Note: Shipments will begin after the planned availability date.

Trademarks

HACMP and AIX 5L are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States
or other countries or both.

Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, other countries or both.

Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

This announcement is provided for your information only. For additional information, contact your IBM representative, call
800-IBM-4YOU, or visit the IBM home page at: http://www.ibm.com

IBM United States Announcement 207-279 IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation 6