Setting up separate network question

[Kevin D. Clark]

Ben Scott writes:

>   Hmmm.  I expect you're not talking DHCP relay.  So... do you mean:
> Connect all cluster members, and the "primary computer", to the same
> physical network (broadcast domain).  

Yes, via eth0.

> Let everybody get IP addresses
> from the corporate DHCP server.

Yes, via eth0.

> Also assign the primary and the
> cluster members IP addresses on a different IP network (but same
> broadcast domain).

No, what I am proposing is that this different IP network be strictly
limited to the dedicated switch/hub.

>  Thus letting everybody talk to everybody else, but
> keeping cluster traffic on a separate IP net for administrative
> convenience.  Is that right?

Again, this goes beyond administrative convenience -- you want to keep
the traffic on the private network for performance reasons.

>   Okay, but even so, assuming a dedicated cluster network (broadcast
> domain) (and granted, that may be a bad assumption), I find DHCP makes
> even just the initial setup easier.  Of course, I've setup more DHCP
> servers than I can count, so I find it "very easy" to configure DHCP
> at this point -- easier than configuring nodes by hand.  I suppose if
> you didn't know DHCP already and you only had a handful of nodes,
> manual configuration would be easier than learning DHCP.

I've setup DHCP servers too.  But I've seen a lot of DHCP servers
erroneously added to corporate networks too, causing the IT folks to
(justifiably) freak out.  I have never been a source of this sort of
trouble.

So, sure, a DHCP server might be a useful part of a potential solution
here -- so long as it is setup correctly.

Kind regards,

--kevin
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