Chapter 11: Adding a Cluster MemberDeleting a Cluster Member

Overview

"Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."

--Albert Einstein

In Chapter 10, we discussed how to create a single-node cluster based on careful cluster configuration planning and preparation. In this chapter, we will expand on that discussion. We will discuss the next step in creating a cluster, that is, expanding a cluster by adding a new member. To round off our review of creating and expanding a cluster, we will discuss how to delete a cluster member.

With the proper care, planning, and preparation, adding a new member and deleting a member from a cluster are straightforward and simple activities that can be done very quickly. It's therefore very important to continue to use the Cluster Preparation Checklist and Worksheet from section 4.8 as a guide. The Checklist and Worksheet are like the blueprint to a house – you would never want to start building a house without first having the plans in place showing what its architecture will look like.

As a rather non-scientific test, we timed ourselves to see how long it would take to add and configure a new AlphaServer into an existing TruCluster Server environment. Our fastest time from initial power on of the system to the new system being booted and operational as a cluster member was 32 minutes. While we certainly wouldn't qualify as members of a pit crew at the Indy 500, consider the normal time it takes to install and configure a single server. If it takes an hour and a half to two hours to build one server, and building two servers takes three to four hours. Building a two-member cluster on the other hand would take approximately two to two and a half hours. Not bad!

Does that give us bragging rights on how quickly we can add a new member to an existing cluster? No, but it does show that with the proper planning and preparation, and the TruCluster Server software, adding a new member to a cluster is a straightforward and simple task. The same applies to deleting a member from a cluster.