How is your server hardware holding up? Do you need to invest in some new hardware for the upgrade to OES to succeed?
Many customers tell us that choosing the right hardware is not a straightforward task.
Your best bet is to start with the Novell OES Partner Products page.
If you don’t already have an agreement with a hardware vendor, all Novell Partners deserve consideration. Be sure to communicate with your chosen hardware vendors regarding server sizing guidelines to ensure that you select the right server and hardware configuration.
Table 2-3 outlines both minimum
and recommended
requirements for running OES.
NOTE:The RAM and disk space amounts shown in Table 2-3 are for system components only. The OES components you install might require additional RAM and disk space.
Table 2-3 Minimum and Recommended Hardware Requirements
|
System Component |
Minimum |
Recommended |
|---|---|---|
|
Computer |
Server-class computer with an AMD64/Intel EM64T processor. |
Server-class computer that has been certified by the hardware vendor for SLES 11 SP4. |
|
Memory |
1 GB of RAM |
2 GB of RAM |
|
Free Disk Space |
7 GB of available, unpartitioned disk space. |
10 GB of available, unpartitioned disk space. Additional disk space might be required depending on which OES components are selected and how they are used. |
|
DVD Drive |
DVD drive if installing from physical media |
48X DVD drive if installing from physical media. |
|
Network Board |
Ethernet 100 Mbps |
|
|
Storage Adapter |
N/A |
When determining what hardware bus adapters (HBAs) to use for SAN-attached OES servers, take all of the software and hardware components into account. Linux drivers are available for almost all enterprise-class HBAs and many of them are OES certified. However, hardware vendors tend to be more restrictive with certification than the operating system is. Any HBA used with OES must be certified by both the storage vendor for a specific model as well as the Fibre Channel switch vendor. |
|
IP Address |
|
Internet connectivity from the server in order to complete registration and configure patches |
|
Mouse |
N/A |
USB or PS/2 |
|
Server Computer BIOS |
If you are doing a DVD installation, prepare the BIOS on your server computer so that it boots from the CD-ROM/DVD drive first. |
|
This might be a good time to consider taking advantage of today's more powerful hardware platforms and doing some server consolidation. Server consolidation often pays off in lower hardware costs, as well as lower cooling, power consumption, and rack space costs. For example, Novell consolidated fourteen older file and print servers to two new servers.
Which combinations of eDirectory, file, print, GroupWise, etc., might reasonably work together on the same host server?
To help with the transition from NetWare to OES, virtualization has been optimized so that you can run NetWare 6.5. SP7 and later as a paravirtualized guest operating system on OES servers.
Doing this provides another option for running NetWare-dependent applications and services. For example, most third-party NLM software can be accommodated this way until suitable alternatives can be developed for Linux.
Which NetWare-dependent applications and services will you need to run on an interim basis as part of your transition to OES? Will virtualization help with this?
Installing Hosts:
For information about installing a virtual machine host and setting up virtual machines in general, see Virtualization with Xen, particularly Setting Up Virtual Machines
.
Installing Guest Operating Systems:
For information about installing NetWare as a guest operating system, see Installing and Managing NetWare on a Xen-based VM
in the OES 2023: Installation Guide. For information about installing OES as a guest operating system, Installing OES on a VM
in the OES 2023: Installation Guide.
Which file system should be used: Linux traditional volumes (Ext3, Btrfs, XFS), NSS, or another file system?
Does it make sense to have different servers using different file systems depending on the server's primary role?
Are you already using Novell Storage Services (NSS) volumes on NetWare?
If so, you should probably preserve all the rights, metadata, and trustee information associated with the data on those volumes, so it makes sense to stay with Novell Storage Services.
Are your volumes already in a SAN environment with NSS?
If so, switching to a SAN environment that uses NSS on Linux is quite easy. Using DFS junctions also requires NSS to support volume moves and splits. And if business continuity clusters are in your plans, you might find them easier to implement if you're using NSS.
NOTE:For GroupWise under Linux, the recommended file system for GW2012 is ext3.
Which of the various tools best meets your needs? Knowing which tools you will use is important to planning your upgrade strategy.
Is the network functioning optimally, or do you need to make changes before you upgrade?
Are required ports available?
Make sure that services such as DNS, DHCP, and SLP are optimally configured and in good working order. This is critical for all installations and upgrades.
Is the eDirectory partition and replication layout optimal:
Where are the replica rings located?
Which servers have partitions on them?
Where do your want replication rings and partitions to be after you finish your upgrade to OES?
If you fail to plan properly in this area, you can count on running into network replication problems. Refer to the NetIQ eDirectory 8.8 SP8 Administration Guide, particularly Designing Your NetIQ eDirectory Network
for detailed information.
If your current eDirectory tree structure doesn’t meet your needs, is it time to redesign it?
Novell recommends implementing multiple LDAP servers because of the critical nature of the LDAP service. LDAP servers should be fronted with an L4 switch for load sharing and redundancy. If an L4 switch is not available, then DNS round-robin could be used as an alternative.
Is time synchronization on your network in order?
Are all NetWare virtual machines using Timesync rather than NTP?
Is the TCP/IP protocol loaded on any physical NetWare servers that use NTP?
Is only one server used as the ultimate time source?
NTP uses a time provider group in which all servers in a geographical network obtain time from other servers in the same network. Only one network server should communicate with a server outside the network in order to keep traffic across routers and WANs at a minimum.
To understand time synchronization requirements and possibilities in an OES network, see Time Services
in the OES 2023: Planning and Implementation Guide.
If clusters are part of your plan, how will your cluster environment impact your efforts to upgrade to OES?
What is the primary role of your cluster (GroupWise high availability, file and print services, directory services)?
Do you need to consider splitting large clusters into multiple smaller clusters, one for each service?
By separating clusters this way, problems in one service cluster won't spill over and potentially affect other clustered services.
Splitting your clusters can also simplify administration efforts, because you can independently manage each cluster. Also, if you need to do a cluster update, a rolling upgrade of a six-node cluster is much easier than a rolling upgrade of a 32-node cluster.
Are you planning to implement Novell Business Continuity Clustering to allow automated management of site-to-site failovers? If so, how will this affect your efforts and will your network topology be affected? Business Continuity Clustering lets you define which of your resources are considered vital,
so only those services move to an off-site location rather than the entire cluster.
Will a rolling upgrade help you upgrade your clustered services?
Refer to the Converting NetWare Cluster Nodes to OES (Rolling Cluster Conversion)
in the OES 2015 SP1: Novell Cluster Services NetWare to Linux Conversion Guide for detailed information.
What applications are currently hosted on your NetWare servers? Are comparable Linux applications available and are they certified for OES or SLES.
Because of the multitude of applications being used by our customers, it is impossible for Novell to make recommendations in every instance, so you might need to contact the vendor directly. But first check the Novell Partner Products site for the latest certifications.
Is the performance of all of your WAN links within acceptable limits? Are there any indications of systemic problems? Are all replica rings maintaining proper synchronization?
It is essential that all of your LAN/WAN connections be performing within the expected parameters before you begin your upgrade to OES.