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JP1 Version 12 JP1/Performance Management - Agent Option for Microsoft(R) SQL Server


3.3.1 Preparation for installation and setup

This subsection describes the prerequisites for installation and setup, and provides cautionary notes and other information you should know before installing and setting up PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server.

Organization of this subsection

(1) Prerequisites

The following are the prerequisites for running PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server in a cluster system.

(a) Cluster system

Make sure that the following conditions are satisfied:

  • The cluster system is controlled by cluster software.

  • The cluster software is able to start and stop PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server on a logical host. Additionally, PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server is able to fail over at the same time when the monitored Microsoft SQL Server fails over.

  • Both the executing and standby systems are configured to suppress error reporting to Microsoft.

    When an application error occurs, a dialog box giving you the option of reporting the problem to Microsoft appears. Because the dialog box can interfere with failover, you must disable error reporting. If the nodes have not been set up to disable error reporting, take the following steps.

In Windows Server 2012
  1. Choose Control Panel > System and Security > Action Center > Maintenance.

  2. In Check for solutions to unreported problems, click Settings.

  3. In the Windows Error Reporting Configuration dialog box, choose I don't want to participate, and don't ask me again.

  4. Click the OK button.

In Windows Server 2016 or later
  1. Right-click the Windows Start menu and then choose Run from the displayed menu.

  2. Enter gpedit.msc, and then click the OK button.

    The Local Group Policy Editor appears.

  3. Click Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, and then Windows Error Reporting.

  4. In the right pane, right-click Disable Windows Error Reporting, and then from the displayed menu, choose Edit.

    The setting window appears.

  5. In the setting window, select the Enabled check box.

  6. Click the OK button.

(b) Shared disk

Make sure that the following conditions are satisfied:

  • Each logical host has a shared disk that the standby node can inherit from the executing node.

  • The shared disk is physically connected to each node via a Fibre Channel, SCSI, or similar connection.

    Performance Management does not support the use of network drives or disks replicated over the network as the shared disk.

  • If a failover is requested while a process is accessing the shared disk, the cluster software can take the shared disk offline and force a failover.

  • Each instance of Performance Management programs on the same logical host uses the same directory on the shared disk.

    Note that you can change the location of the Store database to another directory on the shared disk.

(c) Logical host names and logical IP addresses

Make sure that the following conditions are satisfied:

  • Each logical host has a logical host name and a corresponding logical IP address, which the standby node inherits from the executing node.

  • Logical host names and logical IP addresses are set in the hosts file and on the name server.

  • For DNS operation, host names in FQDN format cannot be used. For the logical host name, use the host name with the domain name portion removed.

  • Physical host names and logical host names are unique within the system.

Notes:
  • Do not specify the physical host name (the host name displayed by the hostname command) as the name of the logical host. If you do so, normal communication may not be possible.

  • Logical host names can consist of 1 to 32 alphanumeric characters. A logical host name cannot include space characters or any of the following characters:

    / \ : ; * ? ' " < > | & = , .

  • You cannot specify localhost, an IP address, or a host name beginning with a hyphen (-) as a logical host name.

(d) Settings when IPv6 used

Performance Management supports IPv6 environments as well as IPv4 environments as a network configuration. Therefore, Performance Management can operate even in a network configuration in which both an IPv4 environment and an IPv6 environment are used. PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server can communicate with PFM - Manager via IPv6. Note that this explanation applies only when the OS of a host on which PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server is installed is Windows, and the OS of a host on which PFM - Manager is installed is Windows or Linux.

For details about the scope of communication in an environment with both IPv4 and IPv6, see L. About Communication in IPv4 Environments and IPv6 Environments.

When you want to use IPv6 for communication, the settings for using IPv6 need to be enabled on both the PFM - Manager host and the PFM - Agent host. In addition, before installing PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server, you need to enable the use of IPv6 on the PFM - Agent host. You have to execute the jpcconf ipv6 enable command to enable this setting. If this setting is already enabled, however, you do not need to execute the command. If you want to check whether the use of IPv6 is enabled, execute the jpcconf ipv6 display command.

Execute the jpcconf ipv6 enable command on both the executing node and the standby node.

For details about the jpcconf ipv6 enable command and jpcconf ipv6 display command, see the chapter that describes commands in the manual JP1/Performance Management Reference. For details about the conditions or occasions for executing the jpcconf ipv6 enable command, see the chapter that describes network configuration examples in an environment that includes IPv6 in the JP1/Performance Management Planning and Configuration Guide.

When you use IPv6 for communication between a monitored host and PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server, specify the name of a monitored host where name resolution can be performed.

Communication between PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server and a monitoring target is performed with an IP address that can be resolved. Also, if an IPv4 environment and an IPv6 environment are both used, and communication between PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server and the monitoring target fails with an IP address that can be resolved, the communication is not retried by using another IP address.

For example, if communication fails when IPv4 is used, IPv6 is not used to retry communication. Similarly, if communication fails when IPv6 is used, IPv4 is not used to retry communication. Make sure beforehand that a connection can be established.

(2) Information required to set up PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server to run on a logical host

When you set up PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server to run in a logical host environment, you must specify the information shown in the following table, in addition to the environment information required for PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server setup.

Table 3‒2:  Information required to set up PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server to run on a logical host

Item

Example

Logical host name

jp1-halSQL

Logical IP address

172.16.92.100

Shared disk

S:\jp1

When multiple Performance Management programs are installed on a single logical host, the programs share the same directory on the shared disk.

For details about how much shared disk capacity is needed, see A. Estimating System Requirements.

(3) Cautionary notes on failing over a logical host with PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server

In a system configuration in which PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server runs on a logical host, consider whether you want the entire logical host to fail over when an error occurs in PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server.

If the entire logical host is failed over when an error occurs in PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server, business applications on the same logical host will also be failed over. Failover of these applications may affect any business operations that are in progress.

We recommend that you use one of the following cluster software settings so that errors on PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server do not affect the operations of Microsoft SQL Server:

(4) Cautionary notes on upgrading when Microsoft SQL Server runs on a logical host

When you upgrade PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server that runs on a logical host, you need to bring the shared disk on either the executing node or the standby node online.

For details about notes on upgrading the version of PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server, see G. Migration Procedure and Notes on Migration.

(5) Notes when a non-default Microsoft SQL Server port number or the named pipe protocol is used to connect with Microsoft SQL Server

In a cluster environment, PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server uses the TCP/IP protocol to communicate with Microsoft SQL Server.

If port numbers for Microsoft SQL Server are set to other than standard, you need to set Aliases by using, for example, an SQL Server configuration manager. Because PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server is a 64-bit application, specify a 64-bit name for Aliases#2. If you use the SQL Server configuration manager, set Aliases from SQL Native Client n#1 Configuration in a 64-bit OS environment, and from SQL Native Client n#1 Configuration in a 64-bit OS environment.

If you use SQL Server Client Network Utility, execute the following file to specify it:

%windir%\system32\cliconfg.exe
#1

n indicates the version of SQL Server Native Client.

#2

To specify an alias, select the Alias tab and enter the following values:

  • For the default instance:

    Server name: SQL_HOST#3

    Network libraries: TCP/IP

    Port Number: Port number for Microsoft SQL Server

    Server alias: SQL_HOST#3

  • For the named instance:

    Server name: SQL_HOST#3\instance-name#4

    Network libraries: TCP/IP

    Port Number: Port number for Microsoft SQL Server

    Server alias: SQL_HOST#3\instance-name#4

#3

SQL_HOST value for PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server

#4

Instance name of PFM - Agent for Microsoft SQL Server

Note that depending on your version, the settings may look different. In that case, replace them to suit your own environment.

To check if the specified alias works for connecting with Microsoft SQL Server, use the sqlcmd command. For details, see your Microsoft SQL Server documentation.