Licensing an application on MSCS

[pbinette]

Hi,

I have an application that is not cluster-aware where licenses are linked to a single MAC address. On the other hand I need to install this software on a VMWare ESX server based on a two-node cluster (MSCS), mainly for failover purposes.

I know I need two MAC addresses for the software to run properly, one for the main node, and another for the redundant node. However which MAC addresses would I require, the MAC address of the virtual node, or the MAC address of the physical machine? My guess is the virtual node.

My other question is how I would proceed to install the software, considering there are two distinct license files? Do I need to install it twice, once for each server with each having its own license file?

I would ask the software supplier, but they have never had a customer using a cluster environment before.

Thank you very much,
Best regards.

 

[victorv]

hi,
- a virtual machine, for definition, does not see physical devices (the phys.machine ones), except those that virtualisation sw permits (allows) as cdrom, usb flash,...
Then, if your sw make a check on a MAC address, this must
be the virtual one.
Take in mind that virtual MAC address, is not a normal one:
for comunication purpose is normal, but at low level, softwares are able to discover if this is a physical or virtual MAC address: this sw may not go in a virtual environment. I use for my job, a sw that shares CAD licenses (IBM-LUM), and it does not go in virtual environment. Others instead, (ie felxlm) go in virtual.

- a cluster env is composed by two separate computers, each has own hw, sw, nodename, ipaddress: the cluster env is a trick by which the nodes concorde to start (one for once) other ip addresses, other networkname, access disk, run services, ...
Then on each node you have to run your application setup.

- many persons think that in a cluster env there is a main node and the other is redundant: this is not correct:
the policy is that all nodes are at the same level;
(exist cluster with more than 2 nodes);
defined a cluster application, the administrator, gives a node priority list.
If you have 2 application, you decide to give precedence for App1 to Node1 and App2 to Node2, so normally both work.

- Returning to your situation, after have installed your application on both nodes, you'll see this going on both servers, together; if you have to run manually it, you can (have) to run on each node. But probably it should be a service, but you will see that the service is going on both nodes. If this is your situation, and you have installed application on both server and it goes,
(stop manually the service on one node),
feedback me something, then I will help you about how to clusterize an application.

- Just a question: supposed your application go by virtual MAC address, why do you need to install it in a MSCS env?
Is it not enough have your sw in a virtual machine, in a ESX environment ? Why buy 2 license ?

bye
vic