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# Cluster installation flow

This section provides end-to-end instructions for installing an on-premises ALM Octane server in a cluster configuration on Linux. A cluster is a group of application servers that run as a single system. Each application server in a cluster is referred to as a "node."

To install ALM Octane in a cluster configuration:

1. For each node in the cluster, check requirements and access:

   Check requirements | Verify that the all cluster nodes, including the first, meet all requirements and prerequisites. For details, see Prerequisites.
   Check database server access | All cluster nodes, including the first, must have access to the database server on which the site database schema resides.
   Check repository access | Create an environment variable OCTANE_REPOSITORY_DIR. The repository directory has to be a shared directory visible to all cluster nodes. All nodes must have read and write access to the repository. Generally, the repository is located on an NFS or SAN server. The repository must be configured to use the same mount point (path) on all nodes. It is important that you enter the repository path using the same path name on all nodes.
   Check access between nodes | All nodes must have access to each other. Verify ports are open in your firewall. ALM Octane needs to communicate between the nodes in the cluster on port 5701. Therefore, make sure that your firewall enables communication between the nodes of the cluster on the specified port.. By default, outbound ports are open. Check inbound ports.

2. Install ALM Octane on the first cluster node, as described in Installation.

   1. Verify that you have created an environment variable OCTANE_REPOSITORY_DIR, as described above. If this variable is missing, the installation will fail.

   2. Deploy the ALM Octane installation files on to the first node.

   3. Configure initial site settings in octane.conf and optional configuration files.

      - Make sure to set the database server name to a value that all cluster nodes can access.

      - Enter values described in Cluster settings.

        ALM Octane validates these settings when starting. If they are not valid, the ALM Octane server does not start.

   4. On the first node only, start the ALM Octane server by running systemctl start octane. See Start the ALM Octane server.

3. (Optional) If you want to set up a secure configuration for ALM Octane, follow the instructions in ALM Octane Secure Deployment and Configuration Guidelines.

4. Log in to the first node in the cluster. For details, see Log in to ALM Octane.

5. Download and deploy the ALM Octane package on each cluster node. For details, see Deploy ALM Octane and Deploy in cluster environment.

   Caution:

   - Do not configure octane.conf or other configuration files on the nodes.

   - Do not run connectnode.sh scripts.

6. On each other node, start ALM Octane by running systemctl start octane.

   Each node is automatically configured using the configuration files located in the repository, as defined when you configured the first node.

7. (Optional) If you want to set up a secure configuration for ALM Octane in a cluster configuration, follow these instructions on each other node: ALM Octane Secure Deployment and Configuration Guidelines.

8. Log in to make sure ALM Octane is running on each other node. For details, see Log in to ALM Octane. Use the load balancer URL when you log in.

   Tip: For best performance, configure your load balancer with round-robin (stateless) configuration.

9. If you need to make changes in configuration settings later, edit the <Repository folder>/conf\octane.conf file, and not octane.conf.new, which is a temporary file that is for internal use only. After modifying these settings, restart the ALM Octane server on each node to pull the configuration changes from the repository.

Troubleshooting:

If the cluster was not properly defined, you may receive an error message when you start the ALM Octane server:
`Cluster is unhealthy...`

During installation, values in the hazelcast.xml file change according to the octane.conf configuration. The configuration of the hazelcast.xml file is the one that controls the cluster behavior.

Make sure that the member element of the hazelcast.xml file contains the same values that were defined in the nodes section of the octane.conf file.

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Next steps:

- Prerequisites
- Deploy ALM Octane
- Configure site settings

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