How to setup a failover cluster server 2008

If you want to add a disk to the cluster, right-click this option and, from the shortcut menu, choose Add Node. Figure B Details of one node in this cluster. Storage Selecting the Storage option in the navigation pane shows you, in the work pane, a list of all of the disks shared in the cluster Figure C.

If you want to add a disk to the cluster, right-click this option and, from the shortcut menu, choose Add A Disk. Figure C A list of the storage resources present in the cluster. Networks Each network in the cluster is represented in the console tree in the Networks option Figure D. When you select a network, all of the details for that network appear in the work pane in the middle of the screen. Figure D Details of one network in the cluster. You can indicate whether the cluster should use a particular network by right-clicking an individual network entry and, from the shortcut menu, choosing Properties.

Figure E Change the configuration of a network. Cluster Events This link houses all of the events related to the cluster service. Working with the tool's wizards The Failover Cluster Management tool provides wizards that help you accomplish common tasks such as setting up a cluster, adding nodes, adding groups, and adding resources. Validating your hardware configuration Before you create a cluster, you should examine your infrastructure to make sure it's ready to support your new high-availability configuration.

In the Actions pane, choose Validate A Configuration. The first screen of the wizard is simply informational. Click the Next button to continue. Figure F Figure F Enter the names of the servers that will take part in the cluster. A couple dozen tests are run that validate your configuration, including enumerating your iSCSI or Fibre Channel host adapters, clustered network configuration, cluster member firewall exception configuration, and storage files system.

You can run all of the tests if you like, or you can choose which tests to run Figure G. If you opt to run all of the tests, the process can take a bit of time. Figure G Decide which tests you want to run. After you make your selections, they will be listed for you to review. Once you confirm your choices, click the Next button to begin the analysis Figure H.

Figure H Confirm your choices. Creating a cluster The goal of your management efforts is to cluster your servers. In the Actions pane, choose Create A Cluster. Select Servers Choose the servers that will comprise the cluster. Use the Browse button to browse Active Directory for servers. Figure I Figure I Provide the names of the servers that will take part in the cluster. Access Point For Administering The Cluster Provide the name of the new cluster and, when requested, provide the IP address that will be used to address the cluster.

Figure J Enter a Name and an Address for your cluster. If the DHCP role is missing on one of the cluster nodes you will be notified with an error message again. The best part is that the message is actually telling you on which cluster node s the role is not installed.

The required role or feature for this service or application is either missing or cannot be verified as installed on the following node s : cluster node s.

Use Server Manager to add roles or features. Setup is more straightforward, with fewer steps and less configuration. Also, Cluster setup is fully scriptable so that you can automate your deployment. Security and networking in clusters have been improved, as has the way a failover cluster communicates with storage.

Does your current hardware works? Just run the new validation wizard. It will run tests to determine whether your system, storage, and network configuration is suitable for a cluster. These tests include specific simulations of cluster actions, and fall into the following categories: System Configuration tests, Network tests and Storage tests.

What else is new? Here is the answer: GPT disks provide increased disk size and robustness. If you have only one node, many of the critical storage tests do not run. On the Select Servers or a Cluster page, in the Enter name box, enter the NetBIOS name or the fully qualified domain name of a server that you plan to add as a failover cluster node, and then select Add. Repeat this step for each server that you want to add. To add multiple servers at the same time, separate the names by a comma or by a semicolon.

For example, enter the names in the format server1. When you are finished, select Next. On the Testing Options page, select Run all tests recommended , and then select Next. If the results indicate that the tests completed successfully and the configuration is suited for clustering, and you want to create the cluster immediately, make sure that the Create the cluster now using the validated nodes check box is selected, and then select Finish.

Then, continue to step 4 of the Create the failover cluster procedure. If the results indicate that there were warnings or failures, select View Report to view the details and determine which issues must be corrected.

Realize that a warning for a particular validation test indicates that this aspect of the failover cluster can be supported, but might not meet the recommended best practices. If you receive a warning for the Validate Storage Spaces Persistent Reservation test, see the blog post Windows Failover Cluster validation warning indicates your disks don't support the persistent reservations for Storage Spaces for more information.

For more information about hardware validation tests, see Validate Hardware for a Failover Cluster. To complete this step, make sure that the user account that you log on as meets the requirements that are outlined in the Verify the prerequisites section of this topic.

If the Select Servers page appears, in the Enter name box, enter the NetBIOS name or the fully qualified domain name of a server that you plan to add as a failover cluster node, and then select Add.

To add multiple servers at the same time, separate the names by a comma or a semicolon. If you chose to create the cluster immediately after running validation in the configuration validating procedure , you will not see the Select Servers page.

The nodes that were validated are automatically added to the Create Cluster Wizard so that you do not have to enter them again. If you skipped validation earlier, the Validation Warning page appears. We strongly recommend that you run cluster validation. Only clusters that pass all validation tests are supported by Microsoft. To run the validation tests, select Yes , and then select Next.

Complete the Validate a Configuration Wizard as described in Validate the configuration. In the Cluster Name box, enter the name that you want to use to administer the cluster.