CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Preface

  Part I   Introduction to VAXcluster Systems

  1      VAXcluster Systems:  The Business Computing Solution

  1.1 What Is a VAXcluster System?

  2      The Benefits of VAXcluster Systems

  2.1 Resource Sharing

  2.2 Availability
    2.2.1      CPU Availability
    2.2.2      Data Availability
    2.2.3      Printer Availability

  2.3 Investment Protection

  2.4 System Management
    2.4.1      User Distribution
    2.4.2      Resource Allocation
    2.4.3      VAXcluster Security
    2.4.4      VAXcluster Membership
    2.4.5      Daily Operations
      2.4.5.1      VMS VAXcluster Tools
      2.4.5.2      System Management Applications

  2.5 Expandability

  2.6 Who Has VAXcluster Systems?
    2.6.1      Where Can You Find VAXcluster Systems?

  2.7 What's in a Name?

  3      Positioning VAXcluster Systems

  3.1 Computing Environments
    3.1.1      Desktop Computing
    3.1.2      Single-Computer (Uniprocessor) Systems
    3.1.3      Symmetrical Multiprocessor Systems
    3.1.4      Networks

  4      VAXcluster Architecture - Designed for Robust Growth

  4.1 Meeting the Needs of Timesharing Users

  4.2 Meeting the Needs of the Workstation Users

  4.3 Meeting the Needs of the Enterprise

  4.4 Fault-Tolerant System

  4.5 Where Do We Go from Here

  Part II   VAXcluster Products

  5      VAXcluster System Software and VMS Operating System

  5.1 The VMS Operating System
    5.1.1      Lock Manager
    5.1.2      Connection Manager
    5.1.3      Distributed Job Controller
    5.1.4      Volume Shadowing
    5.1.5      DECdtm
    5.1.6      VMS Utilities
      5.1.6.1      Backup Utility
      5.1.6.2      Mount Utility
      5.1.6.3      Show Cluster Utility
      5.1.6.4      System Management Utility
      5.1.6.5      Clusterwide Process Services

  5.2 VAXcluster System Management Software
    5.2.1      CA-NETMAN for VAX Systems
    5.2.2      Data Center Monitor
    5.2.3      DECalert
    5.2.4      DECscheduler for VMS
    5.2.5      License Management Facility
    5.2.6      Remote System Manager
    5.2.7      VAXsimPLUS
    5.2.8      VAX Storage Library System
    5.2.9      VAXcluster Console System
    5.2.10     VAX Encryption
    5.2.11     VAX Performance Advisor
    5.2.12     VAX Remote Environment Monitoring Software
    5.2.13     V-X MANAGER
    5.2.14     V-X PACS

  5.3 Layered Products
    5.3.1      Transaction Processing Monitors
      5.3.1.1      VAX ACMS
      5.3.1.2      DECintact
    5.3.2      Information Management Tools
      5.3.2.1      VAX CDD/Plus
      5.3.2.2      VAX Rdb/VMS
      5.3.2.3      VAX DBMS
      5.3.2.4      VAX DATATRIEVE
      5.3.2.5      VAX SQL
      5.3.2.6      DECforms
      5.3.2.7      VAXlink
      5.3.2.8      VIDA for DB2
    5.3.3      Program Development Tools

  6      VAXcluster System Hardware Products

  6.1 VAX CPUs and Their Characteristics
    6.1.1      VAXstations and Low-End Systems
    6.1.2      Fault-Tolerant Systems
    6.1.3      Mid-Range and High-End VAX Systems
    6.1.4      Mature VAX Systems

  6.2 Interconnect Devices
    6.2.1      Computer Interconnect
      6.2.1.1      Star Coupler and Star Coupler Expander
      6.2.1.2      CI Interfaces
      6.2.1.3      CI Bus
    6.2.2      Ethernet
    6.2.3      Digital Storage System Interconnect
    6.2.4      Fiber Distributed Data Interface
    6.2.5      Interconnect Comparison

  6.3 Disk Storage Devices
    6.3.1      Disk Storage Configurations
      6.3.1.1      HSC Disk Configurations
      6.3.1.2      DSSI Disk Configurations
      6.3.1.3      Local Disk Configurations
    6.3.2      Data Availability
      6.3.2.1      HSC Subsystem with Multiple Access Paths
      6.3.2.2      DSSI with Multiple Access Paths
      6.3.2.3      Local Adapters with Multiple Access Paths

  Part III   Combining Components

  7      VAXcluster Configurations

  7.1 VAXcluster System Using the Computer Interconnect

  7.2 VAXcluster System Using the Ethernet

  7.3 VAXcluster System Using Multiple Interconnects

  8      How One Company's VAXcluster System Grew

  Glossary

  FIGURES

  2-1        Resource Sharing in a VAXcluster Configuration

  2-2        High Availability Features of a VAXcluster System

  2-3        Protecting Your Investment with a VAXcluster Configuration

  2-4        Single Point VAXcluster System Management

  2-5        Expanding a VAXcluster System

  3-1        The Desktop Environment

  3-2        A Uniprocessor System

  3-3        A Symmetrical Multiprocessor System

  3-4        A Local Area Network

  4-1        An Early VAXcluster System

  4-2        VAX Volume Shadowing

  4-3        An Ethernet-Based VAXcluster System

  4-4        A VAXcluster System with Multiple Interconnects

  4-5        A VAXft 3000 System Front End to a VAXcluster System

  4-6        Connecting Multiple Locations as a Single VAXcluster System

  7-1        VAXcluster Configuration Using the CI

  7-2        VAXcluster Configuration Using the Ethernet

  7-3        VAXcluster Configuration Using Two Interconnects

  7-4        VAXcluster Configuration Using Three Interconnects

  8-1        Global Bond Trading's Initial Configuration

  8-2        Global Bond Trading's Application Structure

  8-3        Initial Production Configuration for Global Bond Trading

  8-4        Global Bond Trading Adds a Market Modeling Subsystem

  8-5        Addition of a Noncritical Application to the Global Bond Trading System

  8-6        Newsletter Publishing Is Added to Global Bond Trading's System

  8-7        Global Bond Trading's Merger Adds a Trading Group

  TABLES

  3-1        Comparison of Computing Environments

  6-1        Interconnect Comparison