Adding a Node to a Single-Node System

This topic describes how to add a second node to a system licensed for one node to create a redundant system. It supplements information in the adding a node guide for your system. (If you need to initially deploy a system, see Deployment.)

To add a node

1. Confirm that the running node is healthy – the SYS LED is flashing and the ztC Console Dashboard page displays green check marks with no outstanding issues. Resolve any issues before adding the second node.

2. In the ztC Console, open the Preferences page and click Product License. Click Check License Now to update your current license for dual-node support. Upon a successful update, the Dashboard page indicates that the dual-node upgrade is pending.

   Note: Consider delaying the following steps until a planned maintenance period, because VM performance slows until you restart the VMs in step 6.

3. Connect the P1 port of the second node to your existing LAN, and connect the blue and yellow network cables from the first node to the second node (A2 and A1 ports). Connect the power cable to the second node and verify that the node powers on. For additional information on the network configuration, see Connecting Ethernet Cables.

   Note: The ztC Console may begin to display alerts about the second node. You can safely ignore these alerts until synchronization completes in step 6.

4. After connecting the second node, wait up to 30 minutes for the SYS LED on the second node to flash and for the Add a PM button on the Physical Machines page to become active. Click Add a PM. (If the button remains inactive, verify that the product license is updated, the network and power cables are connected, and the second node is powered on.)

   Note: The management console will be unavailable for up to 15 minutes while the system adds the new node.
5. In the ztC Console, on the Preferences page, click IP Configuration to verify the network settings. If needed, enter a static IP address for the second node (node1) and click Save.

6. Any existing VMs may synchronize for hours, after which you must restart the VMs to enable redundancy and clear warnings. For systems that support fault-tolerant (FT) operation, consider updating the Protection Level (HA/FT) setting for the VMs while they are down, as described in Changing the Protection Level for a Virtual Machine (HA or FT). When the system is synchronized and the VMs are running, the Dashboard displays green check marks with no outstanding issues.