H3C Technologies H3C MSR 50 - Manual (Page 69)

Configuring cluster management
Overview
Cluster management is an effective way to manage large numbers of dispersed network devices in
groups and offers the following advantages:
• Saves public IP address resources. You do not need to assign one public IP address for every cluster
member device.
• Simplifies configuration and management tasks. By configuring a public IP address on one device,
you can configure and manage a group of devices without having to log in to them one by one.
• Provides the topology discovery and display functions, which are useful for network monitoring and
debugging.
• Enables concurrent software upgrading and configuration on multiple devices, free of topology and
distance limitations.
This feature is more applicable to networks that do not require high level of security.
Roles in a cluster
The devices in a cluster play different roles according to their different functions and status. You can
specify the following three roles for the devices:
• Management device (Administrator)—A device that provides management interfaces for all
devices in a cluster and the only device configured with a public IP address. You can specify one
and only one management device for a cluster. Any configuration, management, and monitoring of
the other devices in a cluster can be implemented only through the management device. The
management device collects topology data to discover and define candidate devices.
• Member device (Member)—A device managed by the management device in a cluster.
• Candidate device (Candidate)—A device that does not belong to any cluster but can be added to
a cluster. The management device collects topology data of candidate devices but does not add
them to the cluster.
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