Windows Server 2008 R2 Unleashed (235 page)

each node of the cluster to help deploy a reliable failover cluster. Before deploying a

failover cluster, perform the following steps on each node that will be a member of the

failover cluster:

. Configure fault-tolerant volumes or LUNs using local disks or SAN-attached storage

for the operating system volume.

. Configure at least two network cards, one for client and cluster communication and

one for dedicated cluster communication.

. For iSCSI shared storage, configure an additional, dedicated network adapter or hard-

ware-based iSCSI HBA.

. For Hyper-V clusters, configure an additional, dedicated network adapter on each

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node for virtual guest communication.

. Rename each network card property for easy identification within the Failover

Cluster Manager console after the failover cluster is created. For example, rename

Local Area Connection to PRODUCTION, Local Area Connection 2 to iSCSI NIC,

and Local Area Connection 3 to HEARTBEAT, as required and possible. Also, if

network teaming will be used with third-party software, configure the team first and

rename each physical network adapter in the team to TEAMMEMBER1 and 2. The

virtual team adapter should then get the name of PRODUCTION. Remember,

teaming is not supported or recommended for iSCSI and heartbeat connections.

. Configure all necessary IPv4 and IPv6 addresses as static configurations.

. Verify that any and all HBAs and other storage controllers are running the proper

firmware and matched driver version suitable for Windows Server 2008 R2 failover

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clusters.

. If shared storage will be used, plan to utilize at least two separate LUNs, one to serve

as the witness disk and one to serve as the cluster disk for a high-availability Services

and Applications group.

. If applications or services not included with Windows Server 2008 R2 will be

deployed in the failover cluster, as a best practice, add an additional fault-tolerant

array or LUN to the system to store the application installation and service files.

. Ensure that proper LUN masking and zoning has been configured at the FC or

Ethernet switch level for FC or iSCSI shared storage communication, suitable for

failover clustering. Each node in the failover cluster, along with the HBAs of the

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shared storage device, should have exclusive access to the LUNs presented to the

failover cluster.

. If multiple HBAs will be used in each failover node or in the shared storage device,

ensure that a suitable Multipath I/O driver has been installed. The Windows Server

2008 R2 Multipath I/O feature can be used to provide this function if approved by

the HBA, switch, and storage device vendors and Microsoft.

. Shut down all nodes except one and on that node, configure the shared storage

LUNs as Windows basic disks, format as a single partition/volume for the entire span

of the disk, and define an appropriate drive letter and volume label. Shut down the

node used to set up the disks and bring each other node up one at a time and verify

that each LUN is available, and, if necessary, configure the appropriate drive letter if

it does not match what was configured on the first node.

. As required, test Multipath I/O for load balancing and/or failover using the appropriate

diagnostic or monitoring tool to ensure proper operation on each node one at a time.

. Designate a domain user account to be used for Failover Cluster Manager, and add

this account to the local Administrators group on each cluster node. In the domain,

grant this account the Create Computer Accounts right at the domain level to

ensure that when the administrative and high-availability Services and Applications

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groups are created, the account can create the necessary domain computer accounts.

. Create a spreadsheet with the network names, IP addresses, and cluster disks that

will be used for the administrative cluster and the high-availability Services and

Applications group or groups that will be deployed in the failover cluster. Each

Services and Applications group requires a separate network name and IPv4 address,

but if IPv6 is used, the address can be added separately in addition to the IPv4

address or a custom or generic Services and Applications group needs to be created.

After the tasks in the preceding list are completed, the Failover Clustering feature can be

installed. Failover clusters are deployed using a series of steps, including the following tasks:

1. Preconfigure the nodes, as listed previously and create a domain user account to be

used as the cluster service account.

2. Install any necessary Windows Server 2008 R2 roles, role services, or features that

will be deployed on the failover cluster. If any wizards are included with the role

installation, like creating a DFS namespace or a DHCP scope, skip those wizards.

Repeat this installation on all nodes that will be in the cluster.

3. Install the Failover Clustering feature on each node logged on with the cluster

service account.

4. Run the Validate a Configuration Wizard and review the results to ensure that all

tests pass successfully. If any tests fail, the configuration will not be supported by

Microsoft and can be prone to several different types of issues and instability.

Deploying Failover Clusters

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5. Run the Create a Cluster Wizard to actually deploy the administrative cluster.

6. Customize the failover cluster properties.

7. Install any Microsoft or third-party applications that will be added as application-

specific cluster resources, so the application can be deployed using the High

Availability Wizard.

8. Run the High Availability Wizard to create a high-availability Services and

Applications group within the failover cluster, such as a file server, print server,

DHCP server, virtual machine, or another of the included or separate services or

applications that will run on a Windows Server 2008 R2 failover cluster.

9. Test the failover cluster configuration, and back it up.

Installing the Failover Clustering Feature

Before a failover cluster can be deployed, the necessary feature must be installed. To install

the Failover Clustering feature, perform the following steps:

1. Log on to the Windows Server 2008 R2 cluster node with an account with adminis-

trator privileges.

2. Click Start, click All Programs, click Administrative Tools, and select Server Manager.

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3. When Server Manager opens, in the tree pane select the Features node.

4. In the tasks pane, select the Add Features link.

5. In the Select Features window, select Failover Clustering, click Next, and click Install

on the Confirm Installation Selections page to install the feature.

6. When the installation completes, click Close to complete the installation and return

to Server Manager.

7. Close Server Manager and install the Failover Clustering feature on each of the

remaining cluster nodes.

Running the Validate a Configuration Wizard

Failover Cluster Manager is the MMC snap-in used to administer the Failover Clustering

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feature. After the feature is installed, the next step is to run the Validate a Configuration

Wizard from the tasks pane of the Failover Cluster Manager console. All nodes should be

up and running when the wizard is run. To run the Validate a Configuration Wizard,

perform the following steps:

1. Log on to one of the Windows Server 2008 R2 cluster nodes with an account with

administrator privileges over all nodes in the cluster.

2. Click Start, click All Programs, click Administrative Tools, and select Failover

Cluster Manager.

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3. When the Failover Cluster Manager console opens, click the Validate a

Configuration link in the Actions pane under the Management heading.

4. When the Validate a Configuration Wizard opens, click Next on the Before You

Begin page.

5. On the Select Servers or a Cluster page, enter the name of a cluster node, and click

the Add button. Repeat this process until all nodes are added to the list, as shown in

Figure 29.1, and click Next to continue.

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FIGURE 29.1

Adding the servers to be validated by the Validate a Configuration Wizard.

6. On the Testing Options page, read the details that explain the requirements for all

tests to pass in order to be supported by Microsoft. Select the Run All Tests

(Recommended) option button, and click Next to continue.

7. On the Confirmation page, review the list of servers that will be tested and the list

of tests that will be performed, and click Next to begin testing the servers.

8. When the tests complete, the Summary page displays the results and if the tests

pass, as shown in Figure 29.2, click Finish to complete the Validate a Configuration

Wizard. If the test failed, click the View Report button to review the details and

determine which test failed and why the test failed.

Even if the Validate a Configuration Wizard does not pass every test, depending on the

test, creating a cluster might still be possible. After the Validation a Configuration Wizard

is completed successfully, the cluster can be created. One common mistake is that the

disks that will be used for the cluster are not defined on any of the cluster nodes, and

these should be defined and active on at least one node, and listed as offline on the

Deploying Failover Clusters

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FIGURE 29.2

A successful result of the Validate a Configuration Wizard is required for

Microsoft failover cluster support.

remaining nodes. Alternatively, the cluster can be deployed with only a single node, the

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cluster can be created, and additional nodes can be added later.

Creating a Failover Cluster

When the failover cluster is first created, all nodes in the cluster should be up and

running. The exception to that rule is when failover clusters utilize direct attached storage

such as Serial Attached SCSI devices that require a process of creating the cluster on a

single node and adding other nodes one at a time. For clusters that will not use shared

storage or clusters that will connect to shared storage using iSCSI or Fibre Channel

connections, all nodes should be powered on during cluster creation. To create the failover

cluster, perform the following steps:

1. Log on to one of the Windows Server 2008 R2 cluster nodes with an account with

administrator privileges over all nodes in the cluster.

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2. Click Start, click All Programs, click Administrative Tools, and select Failover

Cluster Manager.

3. When the Failover Cluster Manager console opens, click the Create a Cluster link in

the Actions pane under the Management heading.

4. When the Create Cluster Wizard opens, click Next on the Before You Begin page.

5. On the Select Servers page, enter the name of each cluster node, and click the Add

button. When all the nodes are listed, click Next to continue.

6. On the Access Point for Administering the Cluster page, type in the name of the

cluster, complete the IPv4 address, and click Next, as shown in Figure 29.3.