Configuring by using the PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard

This section provides you with information that you will need to use the PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard (PCC). The PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard helps you to configure the PATROL Agent for failover in a Microsoft server cluster environment.

Understanding the PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard

The PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard allows you to easily configure the PATROL Agent to monitor cluster-aware applications such as Microsoft Exchange Server. It does this by

• Configuring the agent to operate on a virtual server name and separate port
• Storing the agent history and configuration data on cluster-shared media

Thus, in the event of a node failure, the agent will failover to another node with the monitored application, while providing a consistent view of the data being collected. For example, the history data is kept intact. 

The Wizard does not enable the monitoring of clustered resources. That functionality is handled by the PATROL Agent and the PATROL KM for Microsoft Cluster Server. The Wizard automates and simplifies cluster configuration of the PATROL Agent, and eliminates configuring the agent manually.

Before you begin

Before you begin using the PCC Wizard, you must

• Install PCC on any computer in the cluster domain
• Install PATROL Agent on all nodes in the cluster
• Know the user name and password of a cluster administrator account
• Identify a group to install the PATROL virtual Agent into; this group will need to contain the following (at a minimum):
  • Physical disk The PATROL virtual Agent stores history and configuration data on a standard cluster-shared disk which, if possible, should not be the quorum disk.

  • Network name A network name resource provides an identity to the group in the form of a unique network name and IP address. This identity makes the group or the PATROL virtual agent accessible from the PATROL Console.

    Note

    The node that you run the PCC Wizard from should be the current owner of the group you select. This recommendation prevents some caution pop-up windows from appearing.

    For information about how the PATROL Agent supports an application in a cluster environment and what type of failover tolerance it provides, see the PATROL Agent Reference Manual.

Access requirements for running the PCC Wizard

The account you use to run the PCC Wizard must be a member of the local administrator group.

Starting the PCC Wizard

you can start the PCC Wizard by performing one of the following steps:

• From Windows Start menu, click Start > BMC PATROL > PATROL Cluster Configuration Wizard.
• From the Run command, type pcc.

Post-PCC configuration

After you have finished using PCC to configure multiple PATROL Agents, you must perform some post-wizard configuration.

Each of the group agents in the cluster need to monitor resources that are a only part of that group. The node agents should not monitor group resources. This generally requires using wpconfig to modify the disabledKMs list for each group agent, and configuring the remaining KMs to monitor only resources that are instances of that group. This also means that you only need to modify the preloadedKMs list using wpconfig to preload KMs that are appropriate for that node or group agent.