VMware

How to cluster SAP ASCS/SCS with SIOS DataKeeper on VMware ESXi Servers

davebermLeave a comment

This article describes the steps you take to prepare the VMware infrastructure for installing and configuring a high-availability SAP ASCS/SCS instance on a Windows failover cluster by using SIOS DataKeeper as the replicated cluster storage.

Create the ASCS VMs

For SAP ASCS / SCS cluster, deploy two VMs on different ESXi Servers.

Based on your deployment type, the host names and the IP addresses of the scenario would be like:

SAP deployment

Host name roleHost nameStatic IP address
1st cluster node ASCS/SCS clusterpr1-ascs-1010.0.0.4
2nd cluster node ASCS/SCS clusterpr1-ascs-1110.0.0.5
Cluster Network Namepr1clust10.0.0.42
ASCS cluster network namepr1-ascscl10.0.0.43
ERS cluster network name (only for ERS2)pr1-erscl10.0.0.44

On each VM add an additional virtual disk. We will later mirror these disks with DataKeeper and use them as part of our cluster.

Add the Windows VMs to the domain

After you assign static IP addresses to the virtual machines, add the virtual machines to the domain.

Install and configure Windows failover cluster

Install the Windows failover cluster feature

Run this command on one of the cluster nodes:

PowerShell

Copy

# Hostnames of the Win cluster for SAP ASCS/SCS

$SAPSID = “PR1”

$ClusterNodes = (“pr1-ascs-10″,”pr1-ascs-11”)

$ClusterName = $SAPSID.ToLower() + “clust”

# Install Windows features.

# After the feature installs, manually reboot both nodes

Invoke-Command $ClusterNodes {Install-WindowsFeature Failover-Clustering, FS-FileServer -IncludeAllSubFeature -IncludeManagementTools }

Once the feature installation has completed, reboot both cluster nodes.

Test and configure Windows failover cluster

Copy

# Hostnames of the Win cluster for SAP ASCS/SCS

$SAPSID = “PR1”

$ClusterNodes = (“pr1-ascs-10″,”pr1-ascs-11”)

$ClusterName = $SAPSID.ToLower() + “clust”

# IP address for cluster network name 

$ClusterStaticIPAddress = “10.0.0.42”

# Test cluster

Test-Cluster –Node $ClusterNodes -Verbose

New-Cluster –Name $ClusterName –Node  $ClusterNodes –StaticAddress $ClusterStaticIPAddress -Verbose

Configure cluster cloud quorum

As you use Windows Server 2016 or 2019, we recommend configuring Azure Cloud Witness, as cluster quorum.

Run this command on one of the cluster nodes:

PowerShell

Copy

$AzureStorageAccountName = “cloudquorumwitness”

Set-ClusterQuorum –CloudWitness –AccountName $AzureStorageAccountName -AccessKey <YourAzureStorageAccessKey> -Verbose

Alternatively you can use a File Share Witness on a 3rd server in your environment. This server should be running on an 3rd ESXi host for redundancy. 

SIOS DataKeeper Cluster Edition for the SAP ASCS/SCS cluster share disk

Now, you have a working Windows Server failover clustering configuration. To install an SAP ASCS/SCS instance, you need a shared disk resource. One of the options is to use SIOS DataKeeper Cluster Edition.

Installing SIOS DataKeeper Cluster Edition for the SAP ASCS/SCS cluster share disk involves these tasks:

  • Install SIOS DataKeeper
  • Configure SIOS DataKeeper

Install SIOS DataKeeper

Install SIOS DataKeeper Cluster Edition on each node in the cluster. To create virtual shared storage with SIOS DataKeeper, create a synced mirror and then simulate cluster shared storage.

Before you install the SIOS software, create the DataKeeperSvc domain user.

Add the DataKeeperSvc domain user to the Local Administrator group on both cluster nodes.

  1. Install the SIOS software on both cluster nodes.
    SIOS installer
    Figure 31: First page of the SIOS DataKeeper installation
    First page of the SIOS DataKeeper installation
  2. In the dialog box, select Yes.
    Figure 32: DataKeeper informs you that a service will be disabled
    DataKeeper informs you that a service will be disabled
  3. In the dialog box, we recommend that you select Domain or Server account.
    Figure 33: User selection for SIOS DataKeeper
    User selection for SIOS DataKeeper
  4. Enter the domain account username and password that you created for SIOS DataKeeper.
    Figure 34: Enter the domain user name and password for the SIOS DataKeeper installation
    Enter the domain user name and password for the SIOS DataKeeper installation
  5. Install the license key for your SIOS DataKeeper instance.Figure 35: Enter your SIOS DataKeeper license key
    Enter your SIOS DataKeeper license key
  6. When prompted, restart the virtual machine.

Configure SIOS DataKeeper

After you install SIOS DataKeeper on both nodes, start the configuration. The goal of the configuration is to have synchronous data replication between the additional disks that are attached to each of the virtual machines.

  1. Start the DataKeeper Management and Configuration tool, and then select Connect Server.
    Figure 36: SIOS DataKeeper Management and Configuration tool
    SIOS DataKeeper Management and Configuration tool
  2. Enter the name or TCP/IP address of the first node the Management and Configuration tool should connect to, and, in a second step, the second node.
    Figure 37: Insert the name or TCP/IP address of the first node the Management and Configuration tool should connect to, and in a second step, the second node
    Insert the name or TCP/IP address of the first node the Management and Configuration tool should connect to, and in a second step, the second node
  3. Create the replication job between the two nodes.
    Figure 38: Create a replication job
    Create a replication job
    A wizard guides you through the process of creating a replication job.
  4. Define the name of the replication job.
    Figure 39: Define the name of the replication job
    Define the name of the replication job

    Define the base data for the node, which should be the current source node
  5. Define the name, TCP/IP address, and disk volume of the target node.
    Figure 41: Define the name, TCP/IP address, and disk volume of the current target node
    Define the name, TCP/IP address, and disk volume of the current target node
  6. Define the compression algorithms. In our example, we recommend that you compress the replication stream. Especially in resynchronization situations, the compression of the replication stream dramatically reduces resynchronization time. Compression uses the CPU and RAM resources of a virtual machine. As the compression rate increases, so does the volume of CPU resources that are used. You can adjust this setting later.
  7. Another setting you need to check is whether the replication occurs asynchronously or synchronously. When you protect SAP ASCS/SCS configurations, you must use synchronous replication.
    Figure 42: Define replication details
    Define replication details
  8. Define whether the volume that is replicated by the replication job should be represented to a Windows Server failover cluster configuration as a shared disk. For the SAP ASCS/SCS configuration, select Yes so that the Windows cluster sees the replicated volume as a shared disk that it can use as a cluster volume.
    Figure 43: Select Yes to set the replicated volume as a cluster volume
    Select Yes to set the replicated volume as a cluster volume
    After the volume is created, the DataKeeper Management and Configuration tool shows that the replication job is active.
    Figure 44: DataKeeper synchronous mirroring for the SAP ASCS/SCS share disk is active
    DataKeeper synchronous mirroring for the SAP ASCS/SCS share disk is active
    Failover Cluster Manager now shows the disk as a DataKeeper disk, as shown in Figure 45:
    Figure 45: Failover Cluster Manager shows the disk that DataKeeper replicated
    Failover Cluster Manager shows the disk that DataKeeper replicated

We don’t describe the DBMS setup in this article because setups vary depending on the DBMS system you use. We assume that high-availability concerns with the DBMS are addressed with the functionalities that different DBMS vendors support 

The installation procedures of SAP NetWeaver ABAP systems, Java systems, and ABAP+Java systems are almost identical. The most significant difference is that an SAP ABAP system has one ASCS instance. The SAP Java system has one SCS instance. The SAP ABAP+Java system has one ASCS instance and one SCS instance running in the same Microsoft failover cluster group. Any installation differences for each SAP NetWeaver installation stack are explicitly mentioned. You can assume that the rest of the steps are the same.

Install SAP with a high-availability ASCS/SCS instance

Important

If you use SIOS to present a shared disk, don’t place your page file on the SIOS DataKeeper mirrored volumes. 

Installing SAP with a high-availability ASCS/SCS instance involves these tasks:

  • Create a virtual host name for the clustered SAP ASCS/SCS instance.
  • Install SAP on the first cluster node.
  • Modify the SAP profile of the ASCS/SCS instance.

Create a virtual host name for the clustered SAP ASCS/SCS instance

  1. In the Windows DNS manager, create a DNS entry for the virtual host name of the ASCS/SCS instance.
    Important

    Figure 1: Define the DNS entry for the SAP ASCS/SCS cluster virtual name and TCP/IP address
    Define the DNS entry for the SAP ASCS/SCS cluster virtual name and TCP/IP address
  2. If you are using the new SAP Enqueue Replication Server 2, which is also a clustered instance, then you need to reserve in DNS a virtual host name for ERS2 as well.

    Figure 1A: Define the DNS entry for the SAP ASCS/SCS cluster virtual name and TCP/IP address
    Define the DNS entry for the SAP ERS2 cluster virtual name and TCP/IP address
  3. To define the IP address that’s assigned to the virtual host name, select DNS Manager > Domain.
    Figure 2: New virtual name and TCP/IP address for SAP ASCS/SCS cluster configuration
    New virtual name and TCP/IP address for SAP ASCS/SCS cluster configuration

Install the SAP first cluster node

  1. Execute the first cluster node option on cluster node A. Select:
    • ABAP system: ASCS instance number 00
    • Java system: SCS instance number 01
    • ABAP+Java system: ASCS instance number 00 and SCS instance number 01
  2. Follow the SAP described installation procedure. Make sure in the start installation option “First Cluster Node”, to choose “Cluster Shared Disk” as configuration option.

The SAP installation documentation describes how to install the first ASCS/SCS cluster node.

Modify the SAP profile of the ASCS/SCS instance

If you have Enqueue Replication Server 1, add SAP profile parameter enque/encni/set_so_keepalive as described below. The profile parameter prevents connections between SAP work processes and the enqueue server from closing when they are idle for too long. The SAP parameter is not required for ERS2.

  1. Add this profile parameter to the SAP ASCS/SCS instance profile, if using ERS1.
  2. Copy

enque/encni/set_so_keepalive = true

  1. For both ERS1 and ERS2, make sure that the keepalive OS parameters are set as described in SAP note 1410736.
  2. To apply the SAP profile parameter changes, restart the SAP ASCS/SCS instance.

Install the database instance

To install the database instance, follow the process that’s described in the SAP installation documentation.

Install the second cluster node

To install the second cluster, follow the steps that are described in the SAP installation guide.

Install the SAP Primary Application Server

Install the Primary Application Server (PAS) instance <SID>-di-0 on the virtual machine that you’ve designated to host the PAS.

Install the SAP Additional Application Server

Install an SAP Additional Application Server (AAS) on all the virtual machines that you’ve designated to host an SAP Application Server instance.

Test the SAP ASCS/SCS instance failover

For the outlined failover tests, we assume that SAP ASCS is active on node A.

  1. Verify that the SAP system can successfully failover from node A to node B Choose one of these options to initiate a failover of the SAP cluster group from cluster node A to cluster node B:
    • Failover Cluster Manager
    • Failover Cluster PowerShell
  2. PowerShell
  3. Copy

$SAPSID = “PR1”     # SAP <SID>

$SAPClusterGroup = “SAP $SAPSID”

Move-ClusterGroup -Name $SAPClusterGroup

  1. Restart cluster node A within the Windows guest operating system. This initiates an automatic failover of the SAP <SID> cluster group from node A to node B.
  2. Restart cluster node A from the vCenter. This initiates an automatic failover of the SAP <SID> cluster group from node A to node B.
  3. Verification

After failover, verify that SIOS DataKeeper is replicating data from source volume drive S on cluster node B to target volume drive S on cluster node A.
Figure 9: SIOS DataKeeper replicates the local volume from cluster node B to cluster node A
SIOS DataKeeper replicates the local volume from cluster node B to cluster node A

How to cluster SAP ASCS/SCS with SIOS DataKeeper on VMware ESXi Servers

Installing Windows Server 2012 RC on VMware Workstation Step-by-Step

daveberm3 Comments

With Windows Server 2012 RC being released just yesterday, I wanted to see if I could still install it on VMware Workstation as I had done with the Beta version before. The good news is that everything works beautifully. Here is a nice picture of my Windows Server 2012 RC running in VMware Workstation 8.

I was also able to install the Hyper-V Server 2012 RC as well without a problem.

There certainly are a few tricks to be aware of in order to get them to install, so please reference my previous article for the detailed instructions.

https://clusteringformeremortals.com/2012/03/01/how-to-install-windows-server-8-beta-on-vmware-workstation-8/

It probably will only be a matter of time before I put Windows Server 8 RC on my laptop and switch to Hyper-V instead of VMware Workstation, but I’ll probably save that for another day when I don’t have some work to get done!

Installing Windows Server 2012 RC on VMware Workstation Step-by-Step

How to Install Windows Server 8 Beta on VMware Workstation 8

daveberm25 Comments

Below are the screen shots that walk you through the process of installing Windows Server 8 Beta on VMware Workstation 8. I have notated the most important things to notice.

 

Take note, I choose Windows 7, NOT Windows 7 64-bit. I’m not sure it matters, but I believe this will work best for you.

The download is pre-licenses, so you don’t have to enter anything here. However, this will cause problems later if you don’t disconnect the floppy – more on this later.

Click Customize Hardware

Choose the processor that matches your host and enable Virtualize Intel VT-x/EPT (your processor must support this) if you want to run the Hyper-V role on this server. See my earlier blog post on how to make that happen.

Make sure you unselect “Power on this virtual machine after creation”, we need to edit one more thing before we continue.

After you create the VM, go back in and disconnect the Floppy, otherwise the install will fail because the autoinst.flp is missing the product key.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A long while later after a few reboots…

You are now ready to use Windows Server 8 Beta! I have not installed the VMware tools yet, but I’ll probably try later. If you try it let me know what you think.

How to Install Windows Server 8 Beta on VMware Workstation 8

Windows Server 8 Developer Preview will not support the Hyper-V Role while running on VMware Workstation…at least on my laptop

daveberm6 Comments

Unless someone knows a trick that I don’t, it doesn’t appear as if I will be able to test out some of the Hyper-V clustering features unless I identify some actual hardware for Windows 8. I had hoped that just maybe VMware Workstation 8 would be able to fool Windows 8 into thinking it was actually a physical server, but so far no dice. This article appears to indicate it will work if you have an Intel Nehalem or Intel Core i7 processor, but my two year old Intel Core 2 Duo T9500 doesn’t seem to be able to do the trick.

I added the hypervisor.cpuid.v0 = “FALSE” to the config file and I changed the CPU settings to use Intel VT –x/EPT as shown below.

But this is what I get when I try to enable the Hyper-V role.

Maybe it is time to invest in a new laptop?

Windows Server 8 Developer Preview will not support the Hyper-V Role while running on VMware Workstation…at least on my laptop

Windows Server 8 Developer Preview Running on VMware Workstation 8

daveberm10 Comments

I’m pretty excited that I was able to get Windows Server 8 up and running on my laptop today. I wasn’t really looking forward to having to boot from VHD just to check out some of the features. I really wanted to run multiple copies of Windows Server 8 at the same time so I could check out some of the cool new clustering features, so once again, booting my laptop from a VHD really wasn’t going to give me the experience I needed. I do have some servers running Hyper-V that would have been fine, but I really like having something quick and easy on my laptop that I can fire up anywhere at any time. VMware Workstation has been my go to virtualization platform for my Windows 7 laptop for quite some time due to the lack of a real client based hypervisor alternative from Microsoft.

When I downloaded the Windows Server 8 Developer Preview Edition from MSDN earlier this week I was assuming I was getting an installation ISO. What I discovered was that I actually downloaded a pre-installed VHD. I haven’t gone back yet to check to see if there is an ISO, but from reading the blogs it appears there is an ISO available somewhere, so I probably just grabbed the wrong file. Without a Hyper-V player available for Windows 7 (well, maybe VirtualBox?), I decided to get really crazy and try out the free Starwind V2V Converter and turn it into a bootable VMDK file so I could launch it in VMware Workstation.

I found the Starwind V2V Converter to be very straight forward and soon enough I had a VMDK file ready to launch in VMware Workstation. What I soon found out was that you cannot run Windows Server 8 Developer Preview in VMware Workstation 7; you need the newly released Workstation 8. In VMware Workstation you get a message that begins as follows…

*** VMware Workstation internal monitor error ***
vcpu-0:NOT_IMPLEMENTED vmcore/vmm/intr/apic.c:1903

So, I went ahead and upgrade to Workstation 8 and tried to turn on the converted VMDK file. At first I got a message about hardware being changed and the VM would not start, but after I adjusted the processor so that it match the processor that I have (1 CPU, 2 Core) the VM launched! One other setting you need to make sure to set right is the operating system version. Since Windows 8 is not an option yet, choose Windows 7. Windows 7 x64 doesn’t work – make sure you choose Windows 7!

I tried to install the VMware tools, but that didn’t work out so well for me as I simply got a black screen with a pointer after the tools were installed. Until they come out with VMware tools specific for Windows 8 I would avoid installing the VMware tools for the time being.

Here is my first view of Windows 8. I’ll be writing more about the HA features and Hyper-V next week once I start poking around J

Windows Server 8 Developer Preview Running on VMware Workstation 8

Microsoft Virtualization for VMware Professionals – Free Online Classes – March 29 – 31

davebermLeave a comment

Just one week after Microsoft Management Summit 2011 (MMS), Microsoft Learning will be hosting an exclusive three-day Jump Start class specially tailored for VMware and Microsoft virtualization technology pros.  Registration for “Microsoft Virtualization for VMware Professionals” is open now and will be delivered as a FREE online class on March 29-31, 2010 from 10:00am-4:00pm PDT.

 

What’s the high-level overview?

  • This cutting edge course will feature expert instruction and real-world demonstrations of Hyper-V and brand new releases from System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 Beta (many of which will be announced just one week earlier at MMS).  Register Now!
  • Day 1 will focus on “Platform” (Hyper-V, virtualization architecture, high availability & clustering)
    • 10:00am – 10:30pm PDT:  Virtualization 360 Overview
    • 10:30am – 12:00pm:  Microsoft Hyper-V Deployment Options & Architecture
    • 1:00pm –   2:00pm:  Differentiating Microsoft and VMware (terminology, etc.)
    • 2:00pm –   4:00pm:  High Availability & Clustering
  • Day 2 will focus on “Management” (System Center Suite, SCVMM 2012 Beta, Opalis, Private Cloud solutions)
    • 10:00am – 11:00pm PDT:  System Center Suite Overview w/ focus on DPM
    • 11:00am – 12:00pm:  Virtual Machine Manager 2012 | Part 1
    • 1:00pm –   1:30pm:  Virtual Machine Manager 2012 | Part 2
    • 1:30pm –   2:30pm:  Automation with System Center Opalis & PowerShell
    • 2:30pm –   4:00pm:  Private Cloud Solutions, Architecture & VMM SSP 2.0
  • Day 3 will focus on “VDI” (VDI Infrastructure/architecture, v-Alliance, application delivery via VDI)
    • 10:00am – 11:00pm PDT:  Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Architecture | Part 1
    • 11:00am – 12:00pm:  Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Architecture | Part 2
    • 1:00pm –   2:30pm:  v-Alliance Solution Overview
    • 2:30pm –   4:00pm:  Application Delivery for VDI

  • Every section will be team-taught by two of the most respected authorities on virtualization technologies: Microsoft Technical Evangelist Symon Perriman and leading Hyper-V, VMware, and XEN infrastructure consultant, Corey Hynes

Who is the target audience for this training?

Suggested prerequisite skills include real-world experience with Windows Server 2008 R2, virtualization and datacenter management. The course is tailored to these types of roles:

  • IT Professional
  • IT Decision Maker
  • Network Administrators & Architects
  • Storage/Infrastructure Administrators & Architects

 

How do I to register and learn more about this great training opportunity?

  • Register: Visit the Registration Page and sign up for all three sessions
  • Blog: Learn more from the Microsoft Learning Blog
  • Twitter: Here are a few posts you can retweet:
    • Mar. 29-31 “Microsoft #Virtualization for VMware Pros” @SymonPerriman Corey Hynes http://bit.ly/JS-Hyper-V
      @MSLearning #Hyper-V
    • @SysCtrOpalis Mar. 29-31 “Microsoft #Virtualization for VMware Pros” @SymonPerriman Corey Hynes http://bit.ly/JS-Hyper-V
      #Hyper-V
    • Learn all the cool new features in Hyper-V & System Center 2012! SCVMM, Self-Service Portal 2.0, http://bit.ly/JS-Hyper-V
      #Hyper-V #Opalis

What is a “Jump Start” course?

A “Jump Start” course is “team-taught” by two expert instructors in an engaging radio talk show style format.  The idea is to deliver readiness training on strategic and emerging technologies that drive awareness at scale before Microsoft Learning develops mainstream Microsoft Official Courses (MOC) that map to certifications.  All sessions are professionally recorded and distributed through MS Showcase, Channel 9, Zune Marketplace and iTunes for broader reach.

Please join us for this fantastic event!

Microsoft Virtualization for VMware Professionals – Free Online Classes – March 29 – 31

How to Install Service Packs into a Cluster while also Minimizing Planned Downtime

daveberm1 Comment

I answer this question often enough that I thought I should probably but a link to it in my blog.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/174799?p=1

This article tells you everything you need to know. However, what you may not realize is that by following the instructions in the article you are minimizing the amount of planned downtime while also giving yourself the opportunity to “test” the update on one node before your upgrade both nodes. If the upgrade does not go well on the first node, at least the application is still running on the second node until you can figure out what went wrong.

This is just one of the side benefits that you get when you cluster at the application layer vs. clustering at the hypervisor layer. If this were simply a VM in an availability group, you would have to schedule downtime to complete the application upgrade and hope that it all went well as the only failback is to restore the VM from backup. As I discussed in earlier articles, there is a benefit to clustering at the hypervisor level, but you have to understand what you are giving up as well.

How to Install Service Packs into a Cluster while also Minimizing Planned Downtime

Are VMware’s vSphere Disaster Recovery Options Really Better than Microsoft’s options for Hyper-V?

daveberm16 Comments

Every time I read a blog post, or open a magazine article about virtualization and disaster recovery I see the same thing….VMware has a more robust DR solution than Microsoft. Well, I’d like to challenge that assumption. From the view where I sit, this is actually one of the areas where Microsoft has a major competitive advantage at the moment. Here is how I see it.

VMware Site Recovery Manager

This is an optional additional add on that rides on the back of Array based replication solutions. While the recovery point objective is good due to the array based replication, the RTO is measured in hours, not minutes. Add in the fact that moving back to the primary data center is a very manual procedure which basically requires that you re-create your jobs in the opposite direction; the complete end to end recovery operation of failover and failback could take the better part of a day or longer.

Microsoft Multi-Site Cluster

Virtual machine HA clustering is included with the free version of Hyper-V Server 2008 R2, as well as with Windows Server 2008 Enterprise and Datacenter editions. In order to do multi-site clusters, it requires array based replication or host based replication solutions that integrate with Windows Server Failover Clustering. With a multi-site cluster, failover is measured in minutes (just about the time it takes to start a VM) and can be used with array based replication solutions such as EMC SRDF CE or HP MSA CLX or the much less expensive host based replication solutions such as SteelEye DataKeeper Cluster Edition.

Not only is failover quick with Hyper-V multi-site clusters, measured in just a few minutes, failback is also quick and seamless as well. Add in support for Live Migrations or Quick Migration across Data Centers, I think this is one area that Microsoft actually has a much more robust solution than VMware. Maybe it does not included automated DR tests, but when you consider you can failover and failback all in under 10 minutes, maybe an actual DR test performed monthly would give you a much better indication of what to expect in an actual disaster?

If you want a Hyper-V solution more like SRM, then there is an option there as well, it is called Citrix Essential for Hyper-V. But much like SRM, it is an optional add-on feature and really doesn’t even match the RPO and RTO features that you can achieve with basic multi-site clusters for Hyper-V.

What do you think? Am I wrong or is there something I just don’t get? From my view, Hyper-V is heads and shoulders above vSphere in terms of disaster recovery features.

Are VMware’s vSphere Disaster Recovery Options Really Better than Microsoft’s options for Hyper-V?