The Linux Enterprise Cluster: Build a Highly Available Cluster with Commodity Hardware and Free Software

Description:

The Linux Enterprise Cluster explains how to take a number of inexpensive computers with limited resources, place them on a normal computer network, and install free software so that the computers act together like one powerful server. This makes it possible to build a very inexpensive and reliable business system for a small business or a large corporation. The book includes information on how to build a high-availability server pair using the Heartbeat package, how to use the Linux Virtual Server load balancing software, how to configure a reliable printing system in a Linux cluster environment, and how to build a job scheduling system in Linux with no single point of failure. The book also includes information on high availability techniques that can be used with or without a cluster, making it helpful for System Administrators even if they are not building a cluster. Anyone interested in deploying Linux in an environment where low cost computer reliability is important will find this book useful.

The CD-ROM includes the Linux kernel, ldirectord software, the Mon monitoring package, the Ganglia package, OpenSSH, rsync, SystemImager, Heartbeat, and all the figures and illustrations used in the book.

Table of Contents:

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE LINUX SERVER

Chapter 1: Starting the Services
Chapter 2: Handling the Packets
Chapter 3: Compiling the Kernel

PART TWO: HIGH AVAILABILITY LINUX

Chapter 4: Synchronizing Servers with Rsync and SSH
Chapter 5: Cloning Systems with SystemImager
Chapter 6: Heartbeat Introduction and Theory
Chapter 7: A Sample Heartbeat Configuration
Chapter 8: Heartbeat Resources and Maintenance
Chapter 9: Stonith and Ipfail

PART THREE: CLUSTER THEORY AND PRACTICE

Chapter 10: The Ideal Cluster
Chapter 11: The Linux Virtual Server Introduction and Theory
Chapter 12: The Linux Virtual Server Network Address Translation Cluster
Chapter 13: The Linux Virtual Server Direct Routing Cluster
Chapter 14: LVS and Netfilter
Chapter 15: The High Availability Cluster
Chapter 16: The Cluster File System

PART FOUR: MAINTENANCE AND MONITORING

Chapter 17: Simple Network Management Protocol and Mon
Chapter 18: Batch Job Scheduling with Ganglia
Chapter 19: Cluster Maintenance and Operation
Chapter 20: Architecture of the Linux Enterprise: A Pictography Glossary

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Downloading Software
Appendix B: Introduction to VI
Appendix C: Tcpdump
Appendix D: Adding Network Interface Cards to Your System
Appendix E: Compiling Heartbeat from CVS
Appendix F: Compiling and Installing the Perl SNMP Package
Appendix G: Sample Mon Init Script for Red Hat
Appendix H: Kernel Options