September 2002
-
Enterprise Network Design Patterns: High Availability
-by Deepak Kakadia, Sam Halabi, and Bill Cormier
High availability considerations extend well beyond individual
servers in today's enterprise. Ultimately, availability is only as
good as the networking infrastructure. This article presents the
key issues, explores available network topologies and protocols,
and makes recommendations for their application in creating a
highly available network.
-
Consolidation in the Data Center
-by Ken Pepple and David Hornby
Data center
consolidation is about reducing the number of devices you have to
manage and reducing the number of ways you use to manage them. This
article introduces various types of consolidations you can
perform - servers, applications, storage, shared services, networks,
and people resources - and describes some of the benefits of each type
of consolidation.
-
Extending Authentication in the Solaris™ 9 Operating Environment Using Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM): Part I
-Michael Haines
This article is the first of a two-part series that offers a technical
overview of how the Solaris™ 9 Operating Environment implementation of
Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM) works. This article demonstrates
straightforward methods for configuring PAM to accommodate site-specific security
policy requirements and examines the PAM architecture and its components.
-
Resource Management in the Solaris™ 9 Operating Environment
-Stuart J. Lawson
The Solaris™ Resource Manager
(Solaris RM) enables the resources of a single instance of the operating
environment to be shared in an arbitrarily fine-grained manner, among
consolidated or partitioned applications or system users. The Solaris RM
can be used such that a guaranteed level of service can be given, where
appropriate. In this article, Stuart Lawson describes the three
core resource management approaches in the Solaris™ 9 Operating Environment
and offers best practices for setting up a resource management framework.
-
Sun Fire™ Systems Design and Configuration Guide
-Nathan Wiger and Roger Blythe
This article details key features of the Sun Fire™ product line and
presents a process you can follow to determine which server best meets
your needs. An excerpt from the new Sun BluePrints book, "Sun Fire™
Systems Design and Configuration Guide" by Nathan Wiger and Roger Blythe,
this article provides best practice design consideration,
rules of thumb, and sample server configurations.
-
Introduction to the Cluster Grid - Part 2
-James Coomer and Charu Chaubal
Grid computing is a rapidly emerging technology that can be implemented
through the use of the Sun™ Cluster
Grid software stack. In the second part of a two-part series, this article
takes the next step in describing the Sun Cluster Grid design phase which
includes information gathering, design decisions, installation and management
considerations, and example implementations.
August 2002
-
Monitoring and Tuning Oracle - Chapter 22, Part II
-by Allan N. Packer
Building on his July 2002 Sun BluePrints OnLine article,
Allan continues to provide more best practices for Oracle monitoring using
utlbstat/utlestat scripts and to recommend parameter settings for OLTP and
DSS environments. Issues ranging from load performance to dynamic
reconfiguration and Oracle recovery are also examined. Additional
Oracle monitoring and tuning recommendations are available in his recently
released book "Configuring and Tuning Databases on the Solaris™ Platform" (ISBN# 0-13-083417-3).
-
Sun StorEdge™ Instant Image 3.0 and Oracle8i Database Best Practices
-by Art Licht
A methodology for implementing the Sun StorEdge™ Instant
Image 3.0 Point-In-Time (PIT) copy technology to perform non-intrusive and efficient
backup operations on Oracle8i databases, without impacting business operations
is presented. A method customers can use to repurpose
the PIT Oracle8i data for parallel business processes is also included.
-
Customizing JumpStart™ Framework for Installation and Recovery
-by John S. Howard and Alex Noordergraaf
Techniques to augment a CDROM-based
installation with the services and behaviors provided by a JumpStart™ server
are detailed in this article. These techniques are suitable to situations
when a hands-free Solaris™ Operating Environment (Solaris OE) installation is necessary but when a
JumpStart server cannot be used. This article is a chapter from the Sun
BluePrints book, "JumpStart™ Technology: Effective Use in the Solaris™
Operating Environment", ISBN# 0-13-062154-4.
-
Windows NT Server Consolidation and Performance Improvements with Solaris™ PC NetLink 2.0 Software
-by Don DeVitt
This article focuses on best practices to help data center
managers meet cost reduction goals in supporting multiple users accessing
servers through PC clients. New features in Solaris™ PC NetLink 2.0 software
that improve performance and add new options for consolidating Windows NT servers
are discussed.
-
Introduction to the Cluster Grid - Part 1
-by James Coomer and Charu Chaubal
Grid computing is a rapidly emerging
technology which can be implemented today through the use of the Sun Cluster
Grid software stack. Part one of this two part series provides an introduction
to grid architecture, and discusses how the architecture can be applied to
existing compute environments using the Sun Cluster Grid software stack. Full treatment of the cluster
grid design and implementation will be provided in the September
BluePrints Online article, "Introduction to the Cluster Grid - Part 2".
-
Sun's Quality, Engineering, and Deployment (QED) Test Train Model
-by George Wood
The why and how of Sun's integration and interoperability
testing process, known internally as the Solaris™ OE
Train, are explained in this article. This long conducted software testing program supports each Solaris
Operating Environment (Solaris OE) release and have recently been expanded to include
rigorous integration and interoperability testing of key third party software
from VERITAS Software and Oracle Corporation, as well as Sun™ Open Net
Environment (Sun ONE) software.
July 2002
-
Monitoring and Tuning Oracle - Chapter 22, Part I
-by Allan N. Packer
Database expert, Allan N. Packer, shares more database best practices from his recently-released book
"Configuring and Tuning Databases on the Solaris™ Platform" (ISBN# 0-13-083417-3). In this article, Allan
examines ways of managing Oracle behavior, changing tunable parameters, calculating
the buffer cache hit rate, and discusses Oracle monitoring using the
utlbstat/utlestat scripts.
-
Reducing the Backup Window With Sun StorEdge™ Instant Image Software
-by Selim Daoud
Building on last month's article "LAN-Free Backups Using
the Sun StorEdge™ Instant Image 3.0 Software," this article discusses
the advantages and methods of using a point-in-time (PIT) type of
backup system versus a more traditional backup approach that requires
extended downtime.
-
Securing the Sun Fire™ 12K and 15K System Controllers, Updated for SMS 1.2
-by Alex Noordergraaf and Dina Nimeh
This article provides recommendations
on how to securely deploy the Sun Fire™ 12K and 15K system controllers (SC).
This article is one in a series that provides recommendations for enhancing
security of a Sun Fire system. After securing the SC, we recommend that you
use the following July 2002 Sun BluePrints OnLine article, "Securing the Sun
Fire 12K and 15K Domains," to secure SC domains.
-
Securing the Sun Fire™ 12K and 15K Domains, Updated for SMS 1.2
-by Alex Noordergraaf and Dina Nimeh
Building on the prior article
"Securing the Sun Fire™ 12K and 15K System Controllers,"
this article provides recommendations for enhancing the security of a
Sun Fire™ system that you can implement on Sun Fire 12K and 15K domains
without adversely affecting their behavior. The configuration changes
presented in this article enable Solaris™ Operating Environment (OE)
security features and disable potentially insecure services and daemons.
-
Sun™ ONE Portal Server 3.0 Rewriter Configuration and Management Guide
-by Rob Baker
This comprehensive article provides best practices and deployment
guidelines for the Sun™ ONE Portal Server 3.0 product, with a specific
emphasis on the rewriter component of the Secure Remote Access Gateway (SRAP).
The SRAP is a portal server add-on that enables end users to securely access
enterprise web content using only a standard web browser with a Java™
virtual machine. The article highlights best practices for the SRAP and
presents methods for configuring it to leverage existing corporate intranet
content while enabling flexibility for future growth. These practices will
allow users to fully utilize this unique feature of the Sun ONE Portal
Server product.
-
An Information Technology Management Reference Architecture Implementation
-by Edward Wustenhoff
A follow-up to the June 2002 Sun BluePrints OnLine
article "An Information Technology Management Reference Architecture,"
and the fifth in a series by Edward Wustenhoff on data center management
infrastructure, this article focuses on the implementation of the management
infrastructure. As a case study, the implementation of an IT management
reference architecture in the Authorized iForce[sm] Ready Center (iFRC)
program that displays an IDC Mail and Messaging Architecture is presented
and the technical aspects and details of the its management and organization
(M&O) architecture deployment are described.
June 2002
-
Drill-Down Monitoring of Database Servers
-by Allan N. Packer
Database expert, Allan N. Packer, shares database best practices from his
recently-released book, Configuring and Tuning Databases on the Solaris
Platform, (ISBN# 0-13-083417-2) In this article, Allan presents a process for
identifying and resolving problems with the performance of database servers.
-
Securing the Sun Fire Midframe System Controller
-by Alex Noordergraaf and Tony M. Benson
Securely deploying the Sun Fire™ Midframe System Controller (SC) is
crucial. This article offers recommendations on building a separate and
private SC network, to which the insecure protocols required to manage
an SC are restricted.
-
Securing LDAP Through TLS/SSL--A Cookbook
-by Stefan Weber
Deploying secure Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) connections is
becoming more demanding. This article details the steps on how to set up the
Sun™ Open Net Environment (Sun™ ONE) Directory Server software so that
it can be accessed securely from command line tools.
-
Network Storage Evaluations Using Reliability Calculations
-by Selim Daoud
This article uses a case study to introduce concepts and calculations
for systematically comparing redundancy and reliability factors as
they apply to network storage configurations.
-
LAN-Free Backups Using the Sun StorEdge Software
-by Art Licht
As data grows in size and backup windows shrink, performing backups across
the LAN is no longer the ideal method. This article gives an overview of LAN
and SAN backup practices and includes procedures for performing LAN-free
backups.
-
An Information Technology Management Reference Architecture
-by Edward Wustenhoff
Building on Edward's prior Sun BluePrints OnLine articles,
found at Archive by Subject, this article describes the results of
a proof-of-concept process to create an IT management reference
architecture that displays IDC mail and messaging, as conducted at
Sun's iForce Ready Center.
May 2002
-
How Hackers Do It: Tricks, Tools, and Techniques
-by Alex Noordergraaf
Learn how to build and maintain secure systems and
implement preventive solutions against the common tricks, tools, and
techniques used by hackers to gain unauthorized access to Solaris™
Operating Environment systems.
-
Enterprise Management Systems Part II: Enterprise Quality of Service (QoS)
Provisioning and Integration
-by Deepak Kakadia with Dr. Tony G. Thomas, Dr. Sridhar Vembu, and Jay Ramasamy
of AdventNet, Inc.
Building on the concepts of how to best manage services
in Service Driven Networks, this second article of the two-part series
describes how to integrate Sun™ Management Center 3.0 software and
AdventNet WebNMS 2.3 software to provision end-to-end services and provide a
complete solution that can effectively manage a multivendor environment. The
first article in this series can be found at:
Browse by Subject.
-
Solaris™ Operating Environment LDAP Capacity Planning and Performance Tuning
-by Steve Lopez
Experienced System Administrators can increase the
performance and scalability of Netscape Directory by utilizing the key
practice methodologies presented in this article. These include key
practices for the capacity planning of the LDAP naming service on the
Solaris™ Operating Environment, as well as performance tuning examples and
exercises. The other articles in this series can be found at:
Browse by Subject.
-
Metropolitan Area Sun Ray™ Services
-by Lars Persson
Expand into new lines of business and drastically reduce the
actual and hidden costs of ownership of the desktop PC device by
implementing these preferred practice recommendations for deploying Sun Rays
over a Metropolitan Area Network.
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Deployment Considerations for Data Center Management Tools
-by Edward Wustenhoff
Build a better management infrastructure by
understanding more about the basic building blocks, architecture, and key
design elements of a complete Systems Management Tools Framework, as
presented in this first article in a two-part series.
-
Securing the Sun™ Cluster 3.0 Software
-by Alex Noordergraaf
Reduce susceptibility to attacks and increase the
reliability, availability, and serviceability of systems that run Sun™
Cluster 3.0 software by implementing the recommendations for configuring the
Solaris Operating Environment and supported agents detailed in this
article.
- Cluster Column:
IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE:
Guide to Installation-Part II: Sun™ Cluster 3.0
Software Management Services
-by Chris Dotson and Steve Lopez
The second in a two-part series, this module
details the tasks that must be performed to install the Solaris™
Operating Environment on each cluster node during a Sun™ Cluster 3.0
software installation. The first module in this series can be found at:
Browse by Subject.
April 2002
-
Using Live Upgrade 2.0 With JumpStart™ Technology and Web Start Flash
-by John S. Howard
In this final installment of his three-part series on
Solaris™ Live Upgrade 2.0 (LU) technology, John S. Howard provides
recommendations and techniques for integrating LU with the
JumpStart™ software framework and the Solaris™ Web Start Flash
software. The first two articles in this series can be found at:
Browse by Subject.
-
Service Level Agreement in the Data Center
-by Edward Wustenhoff
Building on the definitions, processes, and best practices supporting the
Service Level Management (SLM) process presented in the first article
in this two-part series, this article explores Service Level Agreements
(SLAs). Best practices for keeping SLAs simple, measurable, and
realistic--thus avoiding the most common pitfalls of overpromising and
underdelivering on agreements--are detailed and templates are provided
that illustrate the translation of SLA principles to real-world
examples. The first article in this series can be found at:
Browse by Subject.
-
Enterprise Management Systems Part I: Architectures and Standards
-by Deepak Kakadia, Dr. Tony Thomas, Dr. Sridhar Vembu and Jay Ramasamy
The first in a two-part series focused on managing services in Service
Driven Networks (SDNs), this article presents a summary of typical
architectures and a clarification of the standards to help the reader
better understand the implementations of various third-party vendor
EMSystems solutions.
-
Sun Fire™ 3800-6800 Servers Dynamic Reconfiguration
-by Peter Gonscherowski
A general overview of Dynamic Reconfiguration (DR), its
implementation on Sun Fire™ 3800-6800 servers, and best practice
guidelines for DR with Sun™ Management Center or the command line
are provided.
-
Storage Resource Management: A Practitioner's Approach
-by Stevan Arbona and Joe Catalanotti
Storage resource management (SRM) best practices
are presented, with a particular focus on the positive impact that SRM
can have on controlling costs by increasing operational efficiency.
-
Configuring Boot Disks With Solstice DiskSuite™ Software
-by Erik Vanden Meersch and Kristien Hens
How to partition the system disk, mirror
it, and create and maintain a contingency boot disk are presented.
Topics include two-, three-, and four-disk configurations, their
associated runbooks, and the SUNBEsdm package with scripts.
- Cluster Column:
IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE:
Guide to Installation-Part I: Sun™ Cluster
Management Services
-by Chris Dotson and Steve Lopez
This module contains the tasks that must
be performed for installation of Sun™ Cluster 3.0 software. These tasks
include setting up the administrative workstation, configuring the Sun
Cluster 3.0 software cluster, implementing best practices, performing
design verifications, and administering a two-node Sun Cluster 3.0
hardware cluster.
March 2002
-
Enterprise Quality of Service (QoS): Part II - Enterprise Solution
-by Deepak Kakadia
Deepak's article is the second in a two part series that focuses on Quality of
Service (QoS) issues. This article explores possible approaches to deploying an
Enterprise Quality of Service Solution using Solaris Bandwidth Manager 1.6, and
presents an integrated close loop solution using Sun MC 3.0, which exploits API's
offered by both products and creates a policy-based QoS solution for the
enterprise.
-
Securing the Enterprise 10000 System Service Processors
-by Alex Noordergraaf
Security of high end systems, such as Sun's Enterprisetm 10000 server, is of
critical concern to customers deploying such systems in their environment. This
article provides a documented and fully supported solution for protecting the
weakest link in the security of the E10000 - the System Service Processors (SSP's).
-
Service Level Management in the Data Center
-by Edward Wustenhoff
By presenting a basic definition of and best practices around Service Level
Management (SLM), this article provides the foundation for understanding this
critical datacenter discipline. SLM provides the methodology and discipline
for measuring overall system performance parameters, and forms the basis for
the implementation of Service Level Agreements (SLA).
This article details the SLM process, including gathering of metrics regarding
all aspects, at all platform layers, to evaluate compliance with SLA's and to
ensure continuous improvement in overall system performance.
Future articles from Wustenhoff will investigate best practices
surrounding SLA's.
-
Using Live Upgrade 2.0 With a Logical Volume Manager
-by John S. Howard
Part two of a three part series by John S. Howard, this article addresses best
practices surrounding system upgrades, specifically using LU 2.0 with a logical
volume manager. As system administrators know, system upgrades which can be
time-consuming and error prone processes, and frequently, mission-critical or
datacenter systems can not afford to be taken down for much time to test patches
and execute software upgrades. Examples cited use VERITAS Volume Manager
(VxVM); however, the concepts and high level procedural steps are the same
for using LU 2.0 with Solstice DiskSuite software.
-
A Short Introduction to Optimization on Sun
-by Börje Lindh
This article provides a brief introduction to optimization on SPARC/Solaris,
while Rajat Garg and Ilya Sharapov's Sun BluePrints book,
"Techniques for Optimizing Applications" explores this subject in more detail.
-
Introduction to SunTone Clustered Database Platforms
-by Ted Persky and Richard Elling
While there appears to be unanimous consent in the industry that a need exists
for integrated hardware and software platforms, exactly what constitutes an
integrated stack, particularly in the area of clusters and high availability?
What best practices should be embraced? What services should one provide?
This article provides details on the benefits that can be derived from a
clustered Oracle database software stack that has been integrated to best
practices and is ready to deploy. Examples in this article highlight Sun's
soon-to-be release Clustered Database Platform 280/3.
February 2002
-
Server Virtualization Using Trusted Solaris™ 8 Operating Environment
-by Glenn Faden
Building on the concepts presented in his follow-on
article, Maintaining Network Separation with Trusted Solaris™ 8
Operating Environment, expands on the techniques of configuring
labeled networks to show how the Trusted Solaris™ Operating Environment
can be deployed by a network service provider to support multiple
customers within a single infrastructure. Through the use of the
appropriate Trusted Solaris Operating Environment functionality, each
customer can have its own virtual server or community. This article
describes best practices for administrative procedures and
configuration files that are required to set up fully contained
communities.
-
Enterprise Quality of Service (QoS): Part I - Internals
-by Deepak Kakadia
In a two-article series, distinguished Sun BluePrints™
author works to clear the confusion surrounding QoS by explaining what
it is, how it is implemented, and how to use it in an enterprise. This
month's part one article details the basics surrounding the "what" and
"how" of implementation, as well as the internals of QoS. Be sure to
return to Sun BluePrints OnLine next month for his second article which
will focus on how to deploy QoS in an enterprise.
-
Managing Solaris™ Operating Environment Upgrades With Live Upgrade 2.0
-by John S. Howard
Performing an upgrade of an operating system and the
associated system software is one of the most time-consuming and error
prone tasks facing system administrators. Compounding the upgrade
process is the reality that most mission-critical or datacenter systems
cannot afford to be taken down for any length of time to test patches
and execute software upgrades. This article, part one of a three-part
series, focuses on how Live Upgrade (LU) provides a mechanism to manage
and upgrade multiple on-disk Solaris™ Operating Environments without
taking the systems down. LU provides a framework to upgrade and work
within multiple on-disk environments and reboots into the new Solaris
Operating Environment after completion of changes to the on-disk
software images.
-
Managing Systems and Resources in HPC Environments
-by Omar Hassaine
Written for the compute-intensive site administrator
and user, this article highlights the benefits, presents preferred
practices, and provides useful recommendations for using enterprise
server tools and features available in commercial environments.
-
Establishing an Architectural Model
-by John V. Nguyen
This article is the complete third chapter of the
upcoming Sun BluePrints™ book, Designing ISP Architectures, ISBN
0-13-045496-6. This article introduces an architectural model as a
framework for designing platform-independent ISP architectures, based
upon expertise and Sun best practices for designing ISP architectures.
Ideal for IT architects and consultants who design ISP architectures,
John's complete book will be available beginning March 2002 through
www.sun.com/books, amazon.com, fatbrain.com, and Barnes & Noble
bookstores.
- Cluster Column:
Automating Sun™ Cluster 3.0 Data Service Setup
-by Tom Bialaski
After installing Sun™ Cluster 3.0 software and performing
basic cluster configuration, the next task is to set up the applications or data
services for the application to run on the cluster. This procedure involves a
number of steps, many of which need to be performed from the command line.
Others such as creating a resource group, can be performed through the
SunPlex™ GUI. Because these steps require executing complicated commands or
traversing through several GUI screens, it is advantageous to write scripts that
can simplify and automate the data service and configuration process. Scripts
are also a valuable tool to capture work completed in a test environment to
ensure consistent deployment on the production network. In addition, scripts are
useful to enable less-experienced system administrators to perform complex
configuration tasks, or to rebuild systems for multiple testing purposes. To
highlight how to architect such scripts, this article illustrates best practices
in deploying the HA-NFS data service, for which the agent is contained on the
Sun Cluster 3.0 Data Services CD-ROM.
January 2002
-
Data Center Design Philosophy
-by Rob Snevely
This article is from the entire first chapter of the Sun
BluePrints™ book, Enterprise Data Center Design and Methodology,
(ISBN 0-13-047393-6), which is available beginning January 30th through
www.sun.com/books, amazon.com, fatbrain.com and Barnes & Noble
bookstores.
This article lays the foundation for addressing challenges of data
center design, through a presentation of the more important design
issues, priorities, and philosophies. The article concludes with a
summary of the ten most important design guidelines.
-
Configuring OpenSSH for the Solaris™ Operating Environment
-by Jason Reid
The network environment was never safe. As more users connect to open
networks for remote access, the risks of compromising systems and accounts increase.
Secure network tools such as OpenSSH counter the threats of password theft, session hijacking,
and other network attacks. These tools require planning, configuration,
and integration. This article deals with server and client
configurations, key management, and integration into existing
environments for the Solaris™ Operating Environment (OE).
-
Issues in Selecting a Job Management System
-by Omar Hassaine
This article addresses the problems usually faced when selecting the most
appropriate job management system (JMS) to deploy at HPC sites. The article
describes the three most popular offerings available on the Sun platform and
provides a classification of the most important features to use as a basis in
selecting a JMS. A JMS comparison and useful set of recommendations are
included.
-
Securing Sun Fire™ 15K Domains
-by Alex Noordergraaf and Dina Kurktchi
This article describes how the Solaris™ Operating Environment can be
hardened on a Sun Fire™ 15K domain. Included are recommendations on how
the Solaris Operating Environment image running on the Sun Fire 15K
domains should be configured in secure environments.
- Cluster Column:
IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE:
Guide to Installation - Hardware Setup
-by Chris Dotson and Steve Lopez
This article provides hardware configuration and installation
procedures for each component of a Sun™ Cluster 3.0, two-node cluster.
Procedures include commands required to configure the cluster hardware
and best practices for achieving higher availability and/or performance
for the two-node cluster. Sun's Cluster Platform 220/1000, featuring
redundant Sun Enterprise™ 220R servers and Sun StorEdge™ D1000 disk
arrays, Terminal Concentrator, and the Sun Cluster 3.0 Administration
Workstation is examined. Note: This article is available in PDF format
only.
December 2001
-
The Intelligent Architectures Design Philosophy
-by John S. Howard
This article introduces the design philosophy and tenets of the
Intelligent Architectures (IA) approach to systems architecture: a
philosophy centered on the use of archetypes - original models after
which similar things are patterned. This article presents the IA
archetypes in brief, as well as rules and recommendations for
combining archetypes to design systems and datacenters.
-
Developing a Security Policy
-by Joel Weise and Charles R. Martin
Security policy development is a frequently overlooked component of
overall security architectures. This article details the
importance of security policies and the basic steps involved in
their creation.
-
Configuring Boot Disks
-by John S. Howard and David Deeths
This article is the fourth chapter of the Sun BluePrints™ book
titled "Boot Disk Management: A Guide For The Solaris™ Operating
Environment" (ISBN 0-13-062153-6), which is available through
www.sun.com/books, amazon.com, fatbrain.com and Barnes & Noble
bookstores.
This chapter presents a reference configuration of the root disk and
associated disks that emphasizes the value of configuring a system
for high availability and high serviceability. This chapter explains
the value of creating a system with both of these characteristics,
and outlines the methods used to do so.
-
Sun™ Cluster 3.0 12/01 Security: with the Apache and iPlanet™ Web and Messaging Agents
-by Alex Noordergraaf, Mark Hashimoto and Richard Lau
This article takes a first step in providing secured configurations
for Sun™ Cluster 3.0 software by describing how three specific agents
can be deployed in a secured configuration that is supported by Sun
Microsystems. Sun Cluster 3.0 software is used by organizations
to provide additional assurance that mission-critical services will
be available despite unexpected hardware or software failures.
- Cluster Column:
Building Sun based Beowulf Cluster
-by Börje Lindh
This article explains how you can build compute clusters from Sun
Microsystems components that competes with Beowulf clusters and above.
November 2001
-
Sizing Sun Ray™ Servers Running Windows Applications with SunPCi™ IIpro Coprocessor Cards
-by Don DeVitt
This paper addresses the task of sizing a server capable of supporting Wintel based
applications on a Sun Ray™ Server utilizing Sun Pci™ IIpro co-processor cards.
The paper integrates the the informationof several previously published documents
and sizing tools to determine a baselineconfiguration. The paper also suggests many
best practice options for configuring the server.
-
Securing the Sun Fire™ 15K System Controller
-by Alex Noordergraaf and Dina Kurktchi
This Sun™ BluePrints OnLine article provides specific recommendations on
how the security of the Sun Fire™ 15k System Controller (SC) can be
improved. These recommendations include specific recommendations on how
the Solaris™ Operating Environment (Solaris OE) image running on the SC
should be configured in secured environments.
-
Application Troubleshooting: Alternate Methods of Debugging
-by Chris Duncan
What to do when applications are crashing or hanging is a
critical issue for any software user. Few people will have
the resources and skill set to debug the application directly
using a source code debugger. In many cases source code debugging
may not even be an option. This paper will discuss a variety of
options open to a Solaris™ Operating Environment user to narrow down
the causes and scope of a application failure. The article
discusses programs such as truss, proc tools and features of the
Solaris runtime linker.
-
WebStart Flash
-by John S. Howard and Alex Noordergraaf
The Solaris™ Operating Environment Flash installation component
extends JumpStart™ technology by adding a mechanism to create a system archive,
a snapshot of an installed system, and installation of the
Solaris Operating Environment from that archive. This article
introduces the concepts and best practices for a Flash archive,
describes the master machine, and suggested storage strategies, and
provides a complete example of creating a Flash archive and
installing a Web server with Flash.
- Cluster Column:
Cluster and Complex Design Issues
-by Richard Elling and Tim Read
This is the entire first chapter from the Sun BluePrints Book
"Designing Solutions with Sun™ Cluster 3.0." In it, the
authors examine how failures occur in complex systems and show
methods that contain, isolate, report, and repair failures.
Special considerations for clustered systems are discussed,
including the impact of caches, timeouts, and the various
failure modes, such as split brain, amnesia, and multiple instances.
October 2001
-
Kerberos Network Security in the Solaris™ Operating Environment
-by Wyllys Ingersoll
This article describes how to correctly and
securely configure Kerberos in the Solaris™ Operating Environment.
It provides best practices and recommendations.
-
Sun StorEdge™ T3 Array: Installation, Configuration
and Monitoring Best Practices
-by Ted Gregg
In order to fully realize the benefits of the capabilities
built into the Sun StorEdge™ T3 array, it must be installed,
configured, and monitored with best practices for RAS. This article details these best
practices. It includes both Sun StorEdge T3 array configuration and host
system configuration recommendations, along with brief descriptions of some
of the available software installation and monitoring tools.
-
Sun Fire™ Midframe Server Best Practices for Administration
-by James Hsieh
This article introduces best practices to maintain a Sun
Fire™ server for mission-critical environments. It includes details of
connecting the System Controller (SC), SC Administration Concepts for the Sun
Fire Midframe Server, Platform Security, and Error Analysis and Diagnosis.
- Cluster Column:
Writing Scalable Services With Sun™ Cluster 3.0 Software
-by Peter Lees
This article provides an introduction to the supporting features
in the Sun™ Cluster 3.0 product release. It also describes both the
technical requirements that must be considered when designing and programming
an application to the most effective use of the cluster framework. This
article also details some of the tools available for creating scalable
resources.
September 2001
August 2001
-
- Using NTP to Control and Synchronize System Clocks - Part II: Basic NTP
Administration and Architecture
-by David Deeths and Glenn Brunette
This is Part 2 of a three-article series that discusses how to use
Network Time Protocol (NTP) to synchronize system clocks. This article
explains the basics of client and server administration, covering
various client/server configurations, as well as authentication and
access control mechanisms. This article also provides a number of
suggestions for an effective NTP architecture.
- Public Key Infrastructure Overview
-by Joel Weise
This article removes some of the mystique, fear and misconceptions
with Public Key Infrastructures (PKI), by providing an overview of
what it is, how it works, why and when it should be used, and the
benefits it can provide. After reading this article individuals
should be better able to determine their requirements for a PKI and
what features they need for their particular business.
- Cluster Column:
Cluster Platform 220/1000 Architecture-A Product from the SunTone™
Platforms Portfolio
-by Enrique Vargas
This article will provide customers a better understanding of this
product capabilities by presenting its hardware and software
architecture as well as best practices used in integrating the
design.
July 2001
-
- Automating LDAP Client Installations
-by Tom Bialaski
The article explains how to configure a native LDAP client at
installation time, which is a new feature in Solaris™ 8 Operating
Environment U3. The basics of sysidtools and creating a
sysidcfg file for hands-off installation is covered along
with how they relate to LDAP. Hard to find (non-documented) tips are
provided to avoid common pitfalls.
- Building and Deploying
OpenSSH on the Solaris™ Operating Environment
-Jason Reid and Keith Watson
This article describes the build and deployment processes for OpenSSH
on Solaris Operating Environment. There are several components that
must be built prior to building OpenSSH itself. Each necessary
component is listed and described along with recommendations on build
options. Openssh itself is a flexible tool with several options that
affect integration into a site's security policy. These options are
explored. Issues of packaging and deployment are also addressed.
- System Performance
Management: Moving from Chaos to Value
-Jon Hill and Kemer Thomson
This article presents the rationale for formal system performance
management from a management, systems administrative and vendor
perspective. It describes four classes of systems monitoring tools and
their uses. The article discusses the issues of tool integration,
"best-of-breed versus integrated suite" and the decision to "buy versus
build."
- Using NTP to Control and Synchronize System Clocks - Part I: Introduction to NTP
-David Deeths and Glenn Brunette
This article is the first of a series on the Network Time Protocol
(NTP). NTP allows synchronizing clocks on different network nodes,
which is critical in today's networked world. This first article
provides an overview of why time synchronization is important and
introduces basic NTP concepts.
June 2001
-
- Supporting Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Applications from Sun Enterprise™ Servers
-by Don DeVitt
This article explores using multiple SunPCi™ II Pro cards running on Sun Enterprise servers to support
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server applications. New SunPCi II Pro hardware and software now support multiple
cards in one Sun Enterprise server. Benchmarks and Sizing information for a Windows 2000 Terminal
Server environment are discussed.
- The Solaris™ Security Toolkit - Quick Start
Updated for Toolkit version 0.3
-Alex Noordergraaf and Glenn Brunette
This article provides an administrator with the information
critical to getting the Solaris Security Toolkit installed and running
as quickly as possible. None of the details included in Internals or
Configuration and Installation are included.
- The Solaris™ Security Toolkit - Release Notes
Updated for Toolkit version 0.3
-Alex Noordergraaf and Glenn Brunette
This article provides the Toolkit user with a discussion of the new
features, enhacements, and and changes included in version 0.3
of the Solaris Security Toolkit.
- The Solaris™ Security Toolkit - Installation, Configuration, and Usage Guide
Updated for Toolkit version 0.3
-Alex Noordergraaf and Glenn Brunette
This article focuses on the configuration and installation information
of the Solaris Security Toolkit. This is a more in-depth
discussion of the installation, configuration, and usage aoptions
available in the Toolkit then in the Sun BluePrints OnLine article
titled Solaris™ Security Toolkit - Quick Start Guide.
- The Solaris™ Security Toolkit - Internals
Updated for Toolkit version 0.3
-Alex Noordergraaf and Glenn Brunette
This article focuses on the internals of the Toolkit. Each directory,
file, and script included with the Toolkit source is discussed.
Each of these components of the Solaris Security Toolkit are discussed
to provide the reader with a detailed understanding of how the
different Toolkit components function and interact.
May 2001
-
- Running Multiple Solaris™ Operating Environment Naming Services on a Client
-by Tom Bialaski
The native LDAP client installation program assumes that you will not
be running another naming service on your client. Some customers, who
I have worked with, do not want to disable NIS when they configure
native LDAP. This can be done, but there is no readily available
document which describes how to do it. The article not only describes
this procedure, but also highlights best practices for running NIS and
LDAP together.
- Datacenter Naming Scheme
-by Mark Garner
Eighty percent of outages are allegedly the result of people or process
issues. An intuitive and informative naming scheme can define and
highlight the composition and function of components within a service
infrastructure. The article looks at the merits of such a naming scheme
and includes an example system for servers, storage, networks and cables
that may help reduce operational error.
- The Solaris™ Fingerprint Database - A Security Tool for Solaris Operating Environment Files
-by Vasanthan Dasan, Alex Noodergraaf, and Lou Ordorica
The Solaris Fingerprint Database (sfpDB) enables you to verify the
integrity of files distributed with the Solaris Operating
Environment. By validating that these files have not been modified administrators
can determine whether their systems have, or have not, been hacked
and had trojaned malicious replacements for system files installed.
April 2001
-
- Sun StorEdge™ T3 Dual Storage Array Part 3 - Basic
Management
-by Mark Garner
The final article in the series looks at the configuration of basic
management and monitoring functions on the T3 array. It concludes with example
Expect scripts that could be used as a starting point for automating your own T3
installations.
- Demystifying the Directory Information Tree (DIT)
-by Tom Bialaski
Understand how NIS data is stored in the LDAP Directory
Information Tree (DIT) helps you develop a directory topolgy that works best for
you. This article introduces LDAP terminology and concepts which relate to the DIT
and draws an analogy to terminology used to describe the UNIX UFS filesystem.
Examples are provided which show different options for storing NIS data.
- Solaris™ Operating Environment Security - Updated for
Solaris 8 Operating Environment
-by Alex Noordergraaf and Keith
Watson
This article discusses how system and
network security can be dramatically improved on a Solaris OE system. Specific
security recommendations are made for Solaris OE versions 2.5.1 through 8. This
revised version, of the original Solaris OE Security Sun BluePrints
published in
January of 2000, incorporates all security-related updates in Solaris 8 OE.
- Building a JumpStart™ Infrastructure
-by Alex Noordergraaf
This article discussed how the core JumpStart components
interract. Recommendations on how to structure the JumpStart server are provided
in addition to step by step instructions on how to get a basic automated JumpStart
environment up and running as quickly as possible.
March 2001
-
- Sun StorEdge™ T3 Dual Storage Array Part 2 -
Configuration
-by Mark Garner
This second article in the series addresses the installation and
configuration of a T3 array partner group. It covers how two single
arrays would be reconfigured to form a partner group, how the new
devices are created on the host and how VERITAS Volume Manager
integrates into the solution.
- Customizing the JumpStart™ Boot Image for Recovery
-by John S. Howard
This article includes techniques and recommendations for creating a recovery platform
by augmenting the Solaris OE boot image (mini-root). This article
will also examine the boot and installation processes by demonstrating
how to adapt those processes for system recovery.
- Building a Bootable JumpStart™ Installation CD-ROM
-by
John S. Howard
This article presents an examination of the structure of a bootable
Solaris OE CD-ROM and procedures for how to create a bootable JumpStart
installation CD-ROM. This CD can be used to complete a standardized,
hands-free Solaris OE installation in environments where the disk space
or networking constraints do not allow for a JumpStart server.
- Maintaining Network Separation with Trusted Solaris™ 8 Operating
Environment
-by
Glenn Faden
Glenn Faden describes how Mandatory Access Control (MAC) can be used to provide concurrent access
to two isolated networks without compromising the separation.
February 2001
- Sun StorEdge™T3
Dual Storage Array - Part 1
Installation, Planning, and Design
-by Mark Garner
This article looks at the planning and design requirements for the installation of a Sun StorEdge T3 Array partner group. It is the first of three articles which address planning and design, configuration and basic management of a Sun StorEdge T3 Array.
- Auditing in the
Solaris™ 8 Operating
Environment
-by William Osser
The use of the Solaris OE auditing (BSM) has never been well understood. This article presents an auditing configuration optimized for Solaris 8. The recommended configuration will audit activity on a system without generated gigabytes of data every day. In addition, the configuration files are available for download from the Scripts/Tools page.
- Using dsimport to Convert NIS
Maps to LDAP Directory Entries
-by Tom Bialaski
This article describes a method to import your NIS maps into an LDAP directory using the dsimport utility. Use of this tool rather than a homegrown one or one found in the public domain is a best practice because it is complete, tested, and verifiable.
January 2001
- Storage Area Networks:
A blueprint for Early Deployment
-by Brian Wong
This paper surveys the applications to which Storage Area Networks (SANs) aspire, the available SAN technology-and its limitations-and attempts to prepare users for forthcoming technology, so that they can deploy real operational storage in data centers without further delay.
- Sun/Oracle Best Practices
-by Bob Sneed
In this paper, Best Practice concepts are first defined, then specific high-impact technical issues common with Oracle in the Solaris™ Operating Environment are discussed.
- MR System for Rapid
Recovery
-by John S. Howard
This article is an introduction to the MR system for rapid recovery. As the system uptime requirements have become more exacting, the length of time it takes to boot these larger and more complex systems has grown. By implementing MR on your JumpStart servers it may be possible to reduce the number of reboots required during a system recovery or service event. This minimization of reboots will speed recovery and service time as well as enable the system administrator to use datacenter tools during system recovery procedures.
- Planning for Large Configuration of Netra™ t1 Server
-by Stan Stringfellow
This article examines a wide range of management and serviceability issues that should be considered when planning a large (and possibly geographically disbursed) server farm consisting of z servers. The use of the Netra alarms and lights-out management (LOM) module is discussed in some detail. Consideration is also given to several other topics, including the power and cooling issues that arise when up to 32 Netra t1 servers are mounted within a single rack or cabinet.
December 2000
- Directory Server Security
-by Tom Bialaski
This article provides an overview of what the LDAP security model consists of and what security changes need to be made to accommodate the Solaris™ Operating Environment naming service requirements.
- Planning to Fail
-by John S. Howard
This article presents design guidelines and "best practices" for the selection and configuration of system software such as Veritas Volume Manager, Dynamic Mulit-pathing, Dynamic Reconfiguration, and Live Update. It also focuses on which versions and combinations of these software tools result in viable configurations, and which combinations to avoid.
- Solaris™ Operating Environment
Network Settings for Security Updated for Solaris 8 Operating Environment Updated
-by Keith Watson and Alex Noordergraaf
This article updates the original Solaris Operating Environment Network Settings for Security article published December 1999 to include security specific IPv4 and IPv6 options added in Solaris 8 Operating Environment. These additions and modifications have been incorporated into an updated nddconfig script available here: nddconfi.
- High Availability Best
Practices
-by Enrique Vargas
This article introduces best practices that assist in minimizing the impact of people and processes in the datacenter which helps to achieve higher availability goals.
November 2000
October 2000
- Wide Thin Disk Striping
-by Bob Larson
In this article, the technique of using stripes to distribute data and indexes over several disks is described. The article also contains the recommendations to use wide-thin stripes to maximize operational flexibility while minimizing complexity.
.
- Building Secure N-Tier
Environments
-by Alex Noordergraaf
This article provides recommendations on how to architect and implement secure N-Tier ecommerce environments.
- Implementing LDAP in the Solaris™ Operating Environment
-by Tom Bialaski
This article provides an overview of LDAP implementation. LDAP is an industry standard interface that is more than just a protocol. This article provides an explanation of the LDAP models and their actual implementation. Since the installation and configuration of Solaris Native LDAP is quite complex this article provides a foundation for understanding the fundamental principles involved.
- Administering Sun™ Cluster 2.2 Environments
-by David Deeths
David Deeths discusses the fundamentals and best practices of installing, configuring, and managing a Sun™ Cluster 2.2 environment. He also offers many tips for effective cluster administration and how to increase and maintain a high level of system availability.
September 2000
- Sun StorEdge™ T3 Single Storage Array Design and Installation
-by Mark Garner
Mark provides a roadmap for the cinfirguration of a single Sun StorEdge™ T3 Storage Array. It addresses: Prerequisites, Storage Layout Design, Implementation, Configuration, and Basic Management.
.
- Online Backups Using the VxVM Snapshot Facility
-by John S. Howard
Complete and accurate backups performed in a timely fashion are crucial to every datacenter. This article presents a procedure utilizaing the snapshot facility of the Veritas Volume Manager software which enables the System Administrator to perform timely, complete and accurate online backups with minimal impact to the user or applications.
- Sun HPC ClusterTools™ Software Best Practices
-by Omar Hassaine
This article discusses the Best Practices for successfully cinfiguring, installing and using the Sun High Performance Computing (HPC) ClusterTools software. It also covers the current status of the Sun HPC ClusterTools in the field and briefly describes the archtecture.
- JumpStart™ Architecture and Security Scripts for the Solaris™ Operating Environment - Part 3
-by Alex Noordergraaf
This article is third in a three part series describing an automated toolkit for implementing the security modifications documented in earlier BluePrint onLine articles. In conjuction with this final article the toolkit itself is being made freely available.
(See "November 2000" for updated version)
August 2000
- Toward a Reference Configuration for VxVM Managed Boot Disks
-by Gene Trantham and John S. Howard
Gene and John outline the fundamental procedures typically followed in a boot disk encapsulation and the problems this default encapsulation introduces. A best practice for VxVM installation, root disk encapsulation and a reference configuration is presented.
.
- Exploring the iPlanet(tm) Directory Server NIS Extensions
-by Tom Bialaski
Tom discusses how to implement a phased deployment using the Solaris Extensions for Netscape Directory Server 4.11.
- JumpStart™ Architecture and Security Scripts for the Solaris™ Operating Environment - Part 2
-by Alex Noordergraaf
This article is part two of a three part series that presents the JumpStart Architecture and Security Scripts toolkit. We continue with an in-depth review of the configuration files, directories, and scripts used by the toolkit to enhance the security of Solaris Operating Environment systems. This series is a must read for anyone interested in upgrading the security of their site.
(See "November 2000" for updated version)
- SCSI-Intitiator ID
-by David Deeths
Changing the SCSI-initiator ID is necessary for cluster configurations that share SCSI devices between multiple hosts. This article walks you through the process, and also provides an excellent background on SCSI issues in clustered systems.
July 2000
- JumpStart™
Architecture and Security Scripts for the Solaris™ Operating Environment - Part 1
-by Alex Noordergraaf
This article is part one of a three part series presenting the JumpStart Architecture and
Security Scripts tool (Toolkit) for the Solaris Operating Environment. The Toolkit is a
set of scripts which automatically harden and minimize Solaris Operating Environment
systems. The modifications made are based on the recommendations made in the previously
published Sun BluePrints OnLine security articles.
(See "November 2000" for updated version)
- An
Introduction to Live Upgrade
-by John S. Howard
John provides an introduction and overview of Live Upgrade and also provides techniques
and best practices for the usage of Live Upgrade.
- VxVM
Private Regions: Mechanics and Internals of the VxVM Configuration Database
-by Gene Trantham
Gene discuss the functions of the VxVM public and private regions, the configuration
database, and the special considerations for root disk encapsulation.
- Disaster
Recovery Requirements Analysis
-by Stan Stringfellow
Stan discusses how to successfully implement a disaster recovery program through careful
and exhaustive disaster recovery requirements analysis. He also provides a disaster
recovery requirements analysis form that can serve as the basis for an iterative
negotiation process that helps all parties to arrive at realistic expectations and
well-understood disaster recovery service level agreements.
June 2000
May 2000
April 2000
March 2000
- Scenario
Planning - Part 2
-by Adrian Cockcroft
Presents part two of the Scenario Planning article and explains how to follow-up a simple
planning methodology based on a spreadsheet that is used to break down the problem and
experiment with alternative future scenarios.
- Solaris™ 8 Operating Environment
Additions to sysidcfg
-by Rob Snevely
Shows you how to do fully hands-off installations of the Solaris™ 8 Operating
Environment. He also discusses how to use Jumpstart™ and sysidcfg to provide
uniform Solaris Operating Environment installations and save you time.
- Operating
Environments: Solaris™
8 Operating Environment Installation and Boot Disk Layout
-by Richard Elling
Discusses Solaris™ WebStart, a new Java-based procedure that simplifies installation
of the Solaris 8 Operating Environment. Richard also recommends a boot disk layout for
desktop and small workgroup servers.
- Fast
Oracle Parallel Exports on Sun Enterprise™ Servers
-by Stan Stringfellow
Gives a script that performs very fast Oracle database exports by taking advantage of
parallel processing on SMP machines. This script can be invaluable for situations where
you need to perform exports of large mission-critical databases that require high
availability.
- SSP Best
Practices
-by John S. Howard
Presents best practice procedures and configurations for the SSP and backup SSP. In
addition, an overview of the MR system for rapid recovery of systems or domains.
February 2000
- NIS to LDAP
Transition: Exploring
-by Tom Bialaski
Examines technologies that help increase availability during the transition from legacy
Solaris Operating Environment directory services to LDAP based ones.
- Rapid
Recovery Techniques: Auditing Custom Software Configuration
-by Richard Elling
The fourth article in a series that covers rapid recovery techniques for the Solaris
Operating Environment.
- Managing
the Solaris™ PC NetLink
Registry
-by Don DeVitt
Highlights the importance of documenting and managing changes to the Solaris PC NetLink
registry and establishing procedures for maintaining the state server.
- Scenario
Planning - Part 1
-by Adrian Cockcroft
Discusses scenario planning techniques to help predict latent demand during overload
periods. In this part 1 he explains how to simplify your model down to a single
bottleneck.
January 2000
December 1999
October 1999
August 1999
June 1999
April 1999
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