SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2
Release Notes #
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension is an enterprise-level clustering solution to implement highly available Linux clusters and eliminate single points of failure. This document provides a high-level overview of features, capabilities, and limitations of SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2, and highlights important product updates.
These release notes are updated periodically. The latest version of these release notes is always available at https://www.suse.com/releasenotes (https://www.suse.com/releasenotes). General documentation can be found at https://documentation.suse.com/sle-ha-15 (https://documentation.suse.com/sle-ha-15).
- 1 About the Release Notes
- 2 SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension
- 3 Modules, Extensions, and Related Products
- 4 Installation and Upgrade
- 5 New Features, Changes & Fixes
- 6 Cluster
- 7 High-Availability Tools
- 8 Resources and Resource Agents
- 9 Storage
- 10 Known Issues & Workarounds
- 11 Removed and Deprecated Features and Packages
- 12 Obtaining Source Code
- 13 Legal Notices
1 About the Release Notes #
These Release Notes are identical across all architectures, and the most recent version is always available online at https://www.suse.com/releasenotes (https://www.suse.com/releasenotes).
Entries can be listed twice, if they are important and belong to more than one section.
Release notes usually only list changes that happened between two subsequent releases. Certain important entries from the release notes of previous product versions are repeated. To make these entries easier to identify, they contain a note to that effect.
However, repeated entries are provided as a courtesy only. If you are skipping one or more service packs, check the release notes of the skipped service packs as well. If you are only reading the release notes of the current release, you could miss important changes.
2 SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension #
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2 is an industry-leading open source high availability clustering system. It is designed to virtually eliminate unplanned downtime, be easy to use and be deployed in both physical and virtual environments. Also included is Geo Clustering for SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension, designed to manage cluster servers in data centers anywhere in the world. High availability clustering helps to minimize data loss due to corruption or failure by protecting your data assets using your existing IT infrastructure.
High availability clustering is used to automate application and data recovery. You can use our flexible, policy-driven clustering solution to implement highly available Linux clusters and eliminate single points of failure. Your servers are continuously monitored, and when a fault or failure occurs, the workload is transferred from one server to another, or the application is automatically restarted on a known working system. This helps you maintain business continuity and minimize unplanned downtime.
2.1 What Is New? #
2.1.1 General Changes in Codestream 15 #
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 introduces many innovative changes compared to SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 12. The most important changes are listed below.
2.1.2 Changes in 15 SP2 #
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2 introduces changes compared to SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension SP1. The most important changes are listed below.
2.1.3 Changes in the Base Product #
In addition to these release notes, make sure to also review the release notes for the base product, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2. They are published at https://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/SUSE-SLES/15-SP2 (https://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/SUSE-SLES/15-SP2) (these release notes are identical across all supported hardware architectures).
2.2 Important Sections of This Document #
If you are upgrading from a previous SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension release, you should review at least the following sections:
2.3 Documentation and Other Information #
2.3.1 Available on the Product Media #
-
Read the READMEs on the media.
-
Get the detailed change log information about a particular package from the RPM (where
FILENAME.rpmis the name of the RPM):rpm --changelog -qp FILENAME.rpm
-
Check the
ChangeLogfile in the top level of the media for a chronological log of all changes made to the updated packages. -
Find more information in the
docudirectory of the media of SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2. This directory includes the basic Quick Starts for SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2 in PDF format.
2.3.2 Online Documentation #
-
For the most up-to-date version of the documentation for SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2, including SUSE Best Practices, see https://documentation.suse.com/sle-ha-15 (https://documentation.suse.com/sle-ha-15).
-
Find a collection of White Papers at https://www.suse.com/products/server/#resources (https://www.suse.com/products/server/#resources). As
Resource Type, selectWhite Papers.
2.4 Support and Life Cycle #
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension is backed by award-winning support from SUSE, an established technology leader with a proven history of delivering enterprise-quality support services.
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 has a 13-year life cycle, with 10 years of General Support and 3 years of Extended Support. The current version (SP2) will be fully maintained and supported until 6 months after the release of SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP3.
If you need additional time to design, validate and test your upgrade plans, Long Term Service Pack Support can extend the support duration. You can buy an additional 12 to 36 months in twelve month increments. This means, you receive a total of 3 to 5 years of support per Service Pack.
For more information, check our Support Policy page https://www.suse.com/support/policy.html (https://www.suse.com/support/policy.html) or the Long Term Service Pack Support Page https://www.suse.com/support/programs/long-term-service-pack-support.html (https://www.suse.com/support/programs/long-term-service-pack-support.html).
2.5 Support Statement for SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension #
To receive support, you need an appropriate subscription with SUSE. For more information, see https://www.suse.com/support/programs/subscriptions/?id=SUSE_Linux_Enterprise_High_Availability_Extension (https://www.suse.com/support/programs/subscriptions/?id=SUSE_Linux_Enterprise_High_Availability_Extension).
The following definitions apply:
- L1
-
Problem determination, which means technical support designed to provide compatibility information, usage support, ongoing maintenance, information gathering and basic troubleshooting using available documentation.
- L2
-
Problem isolation, which means technical support designed to analyze data, reproduce customer problems, isolate problem area and provide a resolution for problems not resolved by Level 1 or prepare for Level 3.
- L3
-
Problem resolution, which means technical support designed to resolve problems by engaging engineering to resolve product defects which have been identified by Level 2 Support.
For contracted customers and partners, SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension is delivered with L3 support for all packages, except for the following:
-
Technology Previews, see Section 2.6, “Technology Previews”
-
Sound, graphics, fonts and artwork
-
Packages that require an additional customer contract
-
Some packages shipped as part of the module Workstation Extension are L2-supported only
-
Packages with names ending in
-devel(containing header files and similar developer resources) will only be supported together with their main packages.
SUSE will only support the usage of original packages. That is, packages that are unchanged and not recompiled.
2.5.1 General Support #
To learn about supported features and limitations, refer to the following sections in this document:
2.6 Technology Previews #
Technology previews are packages, stacks, or features delivered by SUSE to provide glimpses into upcoming innovations. Technology previews are included for your convenience to give you a chance to test new technologies within your environment. We would appreciate your feedback! If you test a technology preview, please contact your SUSE representative and let them know about your experience and use cases. Your input is helpful for future development.
Technology previews come with the following limitations:
-
Technology previews are still in development. Therefore, they may be functionally incomplete, unstable, or in other ways not suitable for production use.
-
Technology previews are not supported.
-
Technology previews may only be available for specific hardware architectures. Details and functionality of technology previews are subject to change. As a result, upgrading to subsequent releases of a technology preview may be impossible and require a fresh installation.
-
Technology previews can be removed from a product at any time. This may be the case, for example, if SUSE discovers that a preview does not meet the customer or market needs, or does not comply with enterprise standards.
3 Modules, Extensions, and Related Products #
This section comprises information about modules and extensions for SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2. Modules and extensions add parts or functionality to the system.
3.1 Modules in the SLE 15 SP2 Product Line #
The SLE 15 SP2 product line is made up of modules that contain software packages. Each module has a clearly defined scope. Modules differ in their life cycles and update timelines.
The modules available within the product line based on SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP2 at the release of SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2 are listed in the Modules and Extensions Quick Start at https://documentation.suse.com/sles/15-SP2/html/SLES-all/art-modules.html (https://documentation.suse.com/sles/15-SP2/html/SLES-all/art-modules.html).
Not all SLE modules are available with a subscription for SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2 itself (see the column Available for).
For information about the availability of individual packages within modules, see https://scc.suse.com/packages (https://scc.suse.com/packages).
3.2 Available Extensions #
Extensions add extra functionality to the system and require their own registration key, usually at additional cost. Usually, extensions have their own release notes documents that are available from https://www.suse.com/releasenotes (https://www.suse.com/releasenotes).
The following extensions are available for SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2:
-
SUSE Linux Enterprise Live Patching: https://www.suse.com/products/live-patching (https://www.suse.com/products/live-patching)
-
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension: https://www.suse.com/products/highavailability (https://www.suse.com/products/highavailability)
Additionally, there is the following extension which is not covered by SUSE support agreements, available at no additional cost and without an extra registration key:
-
SUSE Package Hub: https://packagehub.suse.com/ (https://packagehub.suse.com/)
4 Installation and Upgrade #
SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension can be deployed in several ways:
-
Physical machine
-
Virtual host
-
Virtual machine
-
System containers
-
Application containers
4.1 Installation #
This section includes information related to the initial installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2. Make sure to also review the respective section of the release notes for the base product, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2 which are published at https://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/SUSE-SLES/15-SP2 (https://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/SUSE-SLES/15-SP2).
Important: Installation Documentation
The following release notes contain additional notes regarding the installation of SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension. However, they do not document the installation procedure itself.
For installation documentation, see the Installation and Setup Quick Start at https://documentation.suse.com/sle-ha-15/html/SLE-HA-all/art-sleha-install-quick.html (https://documentation.suse.com/sle-ha-15/html/SLE-HA-all/art-sleha-install-quick.html) and the Geo Clustering Quick Start at at https://documentation.suse.com/sle-ha-15/html/SLE-HA-all/art-sleha-geo-quick.html (https://documentation.suse.com/sle-ha-15/html/SLE-HA-all/art-sleha-geo-quick.html).
4.2 Upgrade-Related Notes #
This section includes upgrade-related information for SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2. Make sure to also review the respective section of the release notes for the base product, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2 which are published at https://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/SUSE-SLES/15-SP2 (https://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/SUSE-SLES/15-SP2).
Important: Upgrade Documentation
The following release notes contain additional notes regarding the upgrade of SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension. However, they do not document the upgrade procedure itself.
For upgrade documentation, see the Admin Guide at https://documentation.suse.com/sle-ha-15/html/SLE-HA-all/book-sleha-guide.html (https://documentation.suse.com/sle-ha-15/html/SLE-HA-all/book-sleha-guide.html).
4.2.1 Make Sure the Current System Is Up-To-Date Before Upgrading #
Upgrading the system is only supported from the most recent patch level.
Make sure the latest system updates are installed by either running zypper patch or by starting the YaST module Online-Update.
An upgrade on a system not fully patched may fail.
4.2.2 Skipping Service Packs Requires LTSS #
Skipping service packs during an upgrade is only supported if you have a Long Term Service Pack Support contract. Otherwise you first need to upgrade to SP1 before upgrading to SP2.
4.2.3 Terminology Changes in the Upgrade Documentation #
To increase consistency and better distinguish types of upgrades, the terminology in the product documentation has been changed:
-
Cluster Rolling Upgrade (previously, Rolling Upgrade): You take the first node offline, upgrade it and bring it back online to join the cluster. Then you continue one by one until all cluster nodes are upgraded to a major version.
-
Cluster Offline Upgrade (previously, Offline Migration): You need to take all nodes offline and upgrade the cluster as a whole (incurring cluster downtime), before you can bring all nodes back online.
This change has been applied to the documentation for SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 GA and later.
4.3 For More Information #
For more information, see Section 5, “New Features, Changes & Fixes” and the sections relating to your respective hardware architecture.
5 New Features, Changes & Fixes #
Information in this section applies to all architectures supported by SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2 unless noted otherwise.
6 Cluster #
This section lists cluster-related information for SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2.
6.1 To Take Down Cluster Nodes, Always Use crm cluster stop #
In previous versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension, you could stop a cluster node by only executing systemctl stop pacemaker.
The Corosync service would then automatically quit in response.
However, this behavior of Corosync was problematic in rare edge cases when SBD was used as the fencing mechanism:
If the Pacemaker service failed more often in a short time than allowed by systemd’s StartLimitBurst, systemd would not restart Pacemaker anymore.
In consequence, the Corosync and SBD services would be stopped and the node would unexpectedly go offline while still holding resources.
With SBD not running, the node could also not be fenced anymore.
To avoid this issue, starting with SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2, the Corosync service will no longer be stopped when the Pacemaker service fails.
For starting, stopping, and restarting cluster nodes, we recommend consistently using the commands crm cluster start, crm cluster stop, and crm cluster restart.
If you want to continue to use systemctl commands, make sure to read the SUSE blog post SUSE High Availability Cluster Services – How to stop, start or view the status (https://www.suse.com/c/suse-high-availability-cluster-services-how-to-stop-start-or-view-the-status/).
7 High-Availability Tools #
This section list information related to the high-availibility tools of SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2.
8 Resources and Resource Agents #
This section lists information related to resources and resource agents in SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2.
9 Storage #
This section list storage-related information for SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2.
10 Known Issues & Workarounds #
This is a list of known issues for this release.
11 Removed and Deprecated Features and Packages #
This section lists features and packages that got removed from SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension or will be removed in upcoming versions.
11.1 Removed Features and Packages #
The following features and packages had been deprecated with a previous release and have been removed with SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP2.
11.1.1 lvm2-cmirrord and lvm2-clvm Have Been Removed #
With the upgrade to lvm2 2.03, the packages lvm2-clvm and lvm2-cmirrord that were deprecated in SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension15 GA have been removed.
11.2 Deprecated Features and Packages #
The following features and packages are deprecated and will be removed with a future service pack of SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension.
12 Obtaining Source Code #
This SUSE product includes materials licensed to SUSE under the GNU General Public License (GPL). The GPL requires SUSE to provide the source code that corresponds to the GPL-licensed material. The source code is available for download at https://www.suse.com/download/sle-ha/ (https://www.suse.com/download/sle-ha/) on Medium 2. For up to three years after distribution of the SUSE product, upon request, SUSE will mail a copy of the source code. Send requests by e-mail to sle_source_request@suse.com (mailto:sle_source_request@suse.com).
13 Legal Notices #
SUSE makes no representations or warranties with regard to the contents or use of this documentation, and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, SUSE reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes to its content, at any time, without the obligation to notify any person or entity of such revisions or changes.
Further, SUSE makes no representations or warranties with regard to any software, and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, SUSE reserves the right to make changes to any and all parts of SUSE software, at any time, without any obligation to notify any person or entity of such changes.
Any products or technical information provided under this Agreement may be subject to U.S. export controls and the trade laws of other countries. You agree to comply with all export control regulations and to obtain any required licenses or classifications to export, re-export, or import deliverables. You agree not to export or re-export to entities on the current U.S. export exclusion lists or to any embargoed or terrorist countries as specified in U.S. export laws. You agree to not use deliverables for prohibited nuclear, missile, or chemical/biological weaponry end uses. Refer to https://www.suse.com/company/legal/ (https://www.suse.com/company/legal/) for more information on exporting SUSE software. SUSE assumes no responsibility for your failure to obtain any necessary export approvals.
Copyright © 2010-2019 SUSE LLC.
This release notes document is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC-BY-ND-4.0). You should have received a copy of the license along with this document. If not, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/).
SUSE has intellectual property rights relating to technology embodied in the product that is described in this document. In particular, and without limitation, these intellectual property rights may include one or more of the U.S. patents listed at https://www.suse.com/company/legal/ (https://www.suse.com/company/legal/) and one or more additional patents or pending patent applications in the U.S. and other countries.
For SUSE trademarks, see the SUSE Trademark and Service Mark list (https://www.suse.com/company/legal/ (https://www.suse.com/company/legal/)). All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.