Re: Windows Multi-node RAC (VMware)

Dan Yusuph wrote:

> virtual nodes must use "vmware host-only networking", hence both nodes
> should be configured using DHCP. But it makes the cluster accessible
> only from "vmware host os", and inaccessible from any other machine in
> real network.

Correct. You need to use the Bridge option to allow your VM IP addresses to be visible to the outside (i.e. VMware bridge these VM ip's across the physical network card).

> Have anybody configured vmware multinode RAC either with static IP
> addressing, or by configuring virtual switches and gateways, or by any
> other way? The goal is to access virtual RAC database not from vmware
> host os, but from client workstation in real network.

I do not think this is a RAC issue. It is a network configuration one. In your case, specifically with VMware.

When you create a VM, you have the following network options: (from the help file):
* Bridged. Select this option if you want to enable bridged networking for   the virtual machine. Bridged networking uses the VMnet0 adapter. * NAT. Select this option if you want to enable network address translation   networking for the virtual machine. Network address translation (NAT) uses   the VMnet8 adapter.
* Host-only. Select this option if you want to enable host-only networking   for the virtual machine. Host-only networking uses the VMnet1 adapter. * Custom. Select this option if you want to enable a custom network   configuration, then choose the specific virtual network you want to use.   VMnet2, VMnet3, VMnet4, VMnet5, VMnet6 and VMnet7 adapters are reserved   for custom networking configurations.

I use the bridged option to make my VM's visble on the outside (non-virtual LAN). I also use DHCP inside the VM in order for it to configure itself with an IP supplied by the DHCP on the outside LAN.

Inside the VM, you will have 3 virtual network devices. - a virtual AMD PCI NET ethernet device
- 2 x virtual VMware ethernet device

The 2 virtual VMware ethernet devices supplies the connectivity with the host operating system and the connectivity (via the host o/s) to the outside network. Basically, these 2 drivers functions as routers/switches for you to the outside network.

My suggestion is to forget RAC at the moment, and first configure the VMs correctly - ensuring that the VMs can see each other on their internal virtual LAN and that they are visible from the outside LAN.

--
Billy