Creating a cluster

To create a cluster, you need to include at least one node in the cluster and you must have access to at least one of the nodes that will be in the cluster.

If only one node is specified, it must be the system that you are currently accessing. For a complete list of requirements for creating clusters, see the Planning checklist for clusters.

If you will be using switchable devices in your cluster or by using cross-site mirroring technologies to configure a high-availability solution, there are additional requirements. See Scenarios: Configuring high availability solutions for several configuration examples of high-availability solutions which use these technologies. Each scenario provides step-by-step configuration tasks and an overview of outage coverage this solution provides. You can use these examples to configure your high-availability solution or customize them to suit your needs.

Use the following steps to create a cluster using the PowerHA graphical interface:

  1. Start of changeIn a Web browser, enter http://mysystem:2001, where mysystem is the host name of the system.End of change
  2. Start of changeLog on to the system with your user profile and password.End of change
  3. Start of changeClick PowerHA from the IBM® Navigator for i window.End of change
  4. Start of changeOn the PowerHA page, select Create a new cluster.End of change
  5. Start of changeFollow the instructions in the Create Cluster wizard to create the cluster. End of change
After you create the new cluster, the Welcome page changes to display the name of the cluster at the top of the page. The Welcome page lists several tasks for working with clusters.
After you have created a cluster you need to add any additional nodes and create CRGs.
  1. Enabling nodes to be added to a cluster
    Before you can add a node to a cluster, you need to set a value for the Allow add to cluster (ALWADDCLU) network attribute.
  2. Adding nodes
    The IBM i PowerHA graphical interface allows you to create a cluster with multiple nodes. After the cluster has been created you may add additional nodes through an active node in the cluster. A cluster can contain up to 128 nodes.
  3. Starting nodes
    Starting a cluster node activates clustering and cluster resource services on a node in an IBM i high availability environment.
  4. Optional: Adding a node to a device domain
    A device domain is a subset of nodes in a cluster that shares device resources.
  5. Creating cluster resource groups (CRGs)
    Cluster resource groups (CRGs) manage high availability resources, such as applications, data, and devices. Each CRG type manages the particular type of resource in a high-availability environment.
  6. Starting a CRG
    Starting a cluster resource group (CRG) enables resilience for the CRG.
Parent topic: Configuring clusters
Related information:
Create Cluster (CRTCLU) command
Create Cluster (QcstCreateCluster) API