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enabling STONITH requires STONITH device (OPENAIS)

This document (7004817) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.

Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11

Situation

After configuration of openais and the cluster with a shared storage it can be seen that dlm and all dependant resources do not start on any of the nodes. No cleanup of resources changes the behaviour. In the logfiles entries like:

mgmtd: [6435]: ERROR: unpack_resources: Resource start-up disabled since no STONITH resources have been defined
mgmtd: [6435]: ERROR: unpack_resources: Either configure some or disable STONITH with the stonith-enabled option
mgmtd: [6435]: ERROR: unpack_resources: NOTE: Clusters with shared data need STONITH to ensure data integrity

can be found. This does not happen on SLES11 HAE GA version but with later updates.

Resolution

There are 2 options for dealing with this.

Number one is to follow the clearly stated requirement that a shared storage needs STONITH. Install and configure a STONITH device. For this you can consult the output of

   stonith -L

and pick one you deem fitting. You can also contact NTS or even better get a consultant for your cluster

Option number two would be to disable STONITH in the crm configuration of the cluster itself. This is NOT recommended! Please keep in mind that a SLES Cluster with shared storage but without working STONITH is NOT supported. A setup with shared storage but without working STONITH is at least dangerous. Complete and irreversable data loss can be expected and not prevented. Running a cluster with shared storage but without STONITH defeats the very purpose of a High Availability setup.
 
This STONITH/shared storage setting was a requirement for SLES11 HAE from the beginning as stated in the documentation, but it is enforced now in the updates to protect from data loss.

Disclaimer

This Support Knowledgebase provides a valuable tool for SUSE customers and parties interested in our products and solutions to acquire information, ideas and learn from one another. Materials are provided for informational, personal or non-commercial use within your organization and are presented "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.

  • Document ID:7004817
  • Creation Date: 06-Nov-2009
  • Modified Date:12-Jun-2025
    • SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension
    • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

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