Software for Linux clusters unveiled

SteelEye’s software for Linux server clusters focuses on availability

SteelEye Technology recently introduced a variety of high-availability software for businesses deploying Linux server clusters.

The company’s LifeKeeper software allows servers in a cluster to take over for failed servers or failed applications. Hardware component and application faults are detected via LAN heartbeats. Sending redundant signals between nodes in the cluster allows LifeKeeper to determine a server’s status before taking action. Clusters can range in size from two to 32 nodes.

SteelEye LifeKeeper runs on Windows and Linux. The company has added support for IBM Power processor platforms and for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4. In addition, LifeKeeper for Linux version 5 includes software-based RAID and LifeKeeper Extender.

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SteelEye Technology recently introduced a variety of high-availability software for businesses deploying Linux server clusters.

The company’s LifeKeeper software allows servers in a cluster to take over for failed servers or failed applications. Hardware component and application faults are detected via LAN heartbeats. Sending redundant signals between nodes in the cluster allows LifeKeeper to determine a server’s status before taking action. Clusters can range in size from two to 32 nodes.

SteelEye LifeKeeper runs on Windows and Linux. The company has added support for IBM Power processor platforms and for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4. In addition, LifeKeeper for Linux version 5 includes software-based RAID and LifeKeeper Extender.

Software RAID, which is implemented with the Linux Multiple Device driver, can protect either individual disks within the same server or disks distributed across a LAN or storage-area network.

LifeKeeper Extender consists of a set of tools and samples that allow customers to extend use of LifeKeeper throughout their infrastructures.

LifeKeeper for Windows runs on any Windows 2000, 2003 or NT server. LifeKeeper for Linux runs on SuSE, Red Hat and TurboLinux.

The product competes with Veritas’ Storage Foundation, Microsoft Cluster Services and PolyServe’s Matrix Server.

LifeKeeper was designed and developed by AT&T Bell Labs to protect its voice network system, which ran on Unix-based Star Servers. When AT&T divested the LifeKeeper division to NCR, SteelEye acquired the technology.

LifeKeeper is priced per server regardless of the number of CPUs. LifeKeeper for Linux and Power starts at $1,500. LifeKeeper for Windows starts at $1,750 per server. All software is available now.

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