Can I change the node numbers of servers in a cluster?

The node numbers (as opposed to node names) are stored in three places:

1) The node object inside the cluster container.

2) On arrays attached to each cluster resource object.

3) In the GIPC configuration stream, seen on the cluster container object under Protocols | Cluster Protocol Internals. 

In earlier releases of Clustering this change can be made via NetWare Remote Manager under Cluster Config | select the cluster container object | then GIPC Stream.  If you change the node number of a node via NetWare Remote Manager, the number is changed in the attribute of the node object, and the GIPC stream attribute is auto updated (this is an attribute of the cluster container).  However, the numbers remain the same on the cluster resource object. For example, a resource might have a failover list of node numbers:  0, 1, 2,... (up to 32 nodes worth of entries)

Suppose nodeX = 0, nodeY = 1, nodeZ = 2.

This means the most preferred node is node number 0, next is node number 1, next is node number 2 and so on. I.e. nodeX, nodeY, nodeZ is the failover list. If you change the assignment of node numbers, the cluster resource will still have the same node number list (failover list) but it will now mean something different.

E.g. suppose now that nodeX = 2, nodeY = 1, nodeZ = 0,

Then the ordered failover list will now be nodeZ, nodeY, nodeX. nodeZ is now the most preferred node.  The failover list of each resource will have to be adjusted to make it reflect what is desired.

If you change the node numbers, nothing will happen until you reboot the entire cluster.

The node numbers can be modified in ConsoleOne by going to the properties of the Cluster container object and modifying the Cluster Protocol Internals section.  In order to do this, the Cluster Protocol Internals page on the Protocol tab must be disabled.  To do this, go to the properties of the Cluster container object.  At the bottom left hand corner of the page there is a Page Options button.  Click on this to bring up the page options.  Expand the Protocol tab and highlight the Cluster Protocol Internals page.  Click Disable, then click OK.   This will then tell you that there has been a Property Book Configuration change.  Select OK.  You must then cancel out and go back into the properties of the Cluster container object.  Now go to the Other tab and you will see the NCS:GIPC Config attribute.  Expand this and highlight the #CIPC ... value of this attribute and click on the Modify button.  There will be 3 dots next to this value once the modify button has been clicked, clidk on them.  This will bring up the extended editor.  Scroll down to the Node number + IP address mapping table section and make the desired changes.  Click OK to record the changes.  Back at the properties page of the cluster container object, click OK or Apply for the changes to be recorded.  At this point the Cluster Protocol Internals page on the Protocol tab can be re-enabled.  Once this is complete, the node number on the node object must be changed as well.  To do this, click on the Cluster container obect.  Inside this container are the node objects.  Go to the properties of one of the nodes in the cluster.  Click on Page Options.  Expand the Node tab and disable the Cluster Node Identification page.  Cancel out and go back into the properties of the node object.  Go to the Other tab and you will see the NCS:GIPC Node Number attribute.  Select the value and click Modify.  Make the appropriate changes and save them.  Re-enable the Node tab once all nodes have been changed.  Once this is done, the failover list of each resource will need to be adjusted to make it reflect what is desired.