Measures reported by FCCluNetwrkTest

A network (sometimes called an interconnect) performs one of the following roles in a cluster:

• A private network carries internal cluster communication. The Cluster service authenticates all internal communication, but administrators who are particularly concerned about security can restrict internal communication to physically secure networks.
• A public network provides client systems with access to cluster application services. IP Address resources are created on networks that provide clients with access to cluster services.
• A mixed (public-and-private) network carries internal cluster communication and connects client systems to cluster application services.
• A network that is not enabled for use by the cluster (that is, neither public nor private) carries traffic unrelated to cluster operation.

Regardless of the role that a network performs, its availability is critical to the smooth functioning of the cluster, as without the network, communication between cluster nodes and between clients and cluster nodes become impossible. This is why, if a client complains of service/resource inaccessibility, administrators must check the status of the cluster networks to figure out if a down network is what is denying end-users access. This is where the FCCluNetwrkTest test helps.

Using the Cluster Networks test, administrators can determine which cluster network is up and which is down, so that they can ascertain what type of cluster communication is impacted – internal communication between the cluster nodes? Communication between the client and the cluster services/applications? Or both?

The measures made by this test are as follows: