A failover cluster is a group of independent computers that work together to increase the availability of applications and services. The clustered servers (called nodes) are connected by physical cables and by software. If one of the cluster nodes fails, another node begins to provide service (a process known as failover). Users experience a minimum of disruptions in service.
This guide describes the steps for installing and configuring a file server failover cluster that has two nodes. By creating the configuration in this guide, you can learn about failover clusters and familiarize yourself with the Failover Cluster Management snap-in interface in Windows Server® 2008 Enterprise or Windows Server® 2008 Datacenter.
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Note:In Windows Server 2008, the improvements to failover clusters (formerly known as server clusters) are aimed at simplifying clusters, making them more secure, and enhancing cluster stability. Cluster setup and management are easier. Security and networking in clusters have been improved, as has the way a failover cluster communicates with storage
Overview for a two-node file server cluster
Servers in a failover cluster can function in a variety of roles, including the roles of file server, print server, mail server, or database server, and they can provide high availability for a variety of other services and applications. This guide describes how to configure a two-node file server cluster.
A failover cluster usually includes a storage unit that is physically connected to all the servers in the cluster, although any given volume in the storage is only accessed by one server at a time. The following diagram shows a two-node failover cluster connected to a storage unit.
Failover cluster with two nodes connected to a storage unit
Storage volumes or logical unit numbers (LUNs) exposed to the nodes in a cluster must not be exposed to other servers, including servers in another cluster. The following diagram illustrates this.
Two failover clusters, each with its own LUNs
Note that for the maximum availability of any server, it is important to follow best practices for server management—for example, carefully managing the physical environment of the servers, testing software changes before fully implementing them, and carefully keeping track of software updates and configuration changes on all clustered servers.
The following scenario describes how a file server failover cluster can be configured. The files being shared are on the cluster storage, and either clustered server can act as the file server that shares them.
Shared folders in a failover cluster
In Windows Server 2008, the interfaces for viewing or configuring shared folders in a failover cluster have been extended and streamlined. Configuration is more straightforward and misconfiguration is less likely. The following list describes functionality that is integrated into failover clustering:
| • | Display is scoped to clustered shared folders only (no mixing with nonclustered shared folders): When you or a user views shared folders by specifying the path of a clustered file server, the display will include only the shared folders that are part of the cluster. It will exclude nonclustered shared folders that happen to be on a node of the cluster. |
| • | Access-based enumeration: You can use access-based enumeration to hide a specified folder from users’ view. Instead of allowing users to see the folder but not access anything on it, you can choose to prevent them from seeing the folder at all. You can configure access-based enumeration for a clustered shared folder in the same way as for a nonclustered shared folder. |
| • | Offline access: You can configure offline access (caching) for a clustered shared folder in the same way as for a nonclustered shared folder. |
| • | Clustered disks are always recognized as part of the cluster: Whether you use the failover cluster interface, Windows Explorer, or the Share and Storage Management snap-in, Windows Server 2008 recognizes whether a disk has been designated as being in the cluster storage. If such a disk has already been configured in Failover Cluster Management as part of a clustered file server, you can then use any of the previously-mentioned interfaces to create a share on the disk. If such a disk has not been configured as part of a clustered file server, you cannot mistakenly create a share on it. Instead, an error indicates that the disk must first be configured as part of a clustered file server before it can be shared. |
| • | Integration of Services for Network File System: The File Server role in Windows Server 2008 includes the optional role service called Services for Network File System (NFS). By installing the role service and configuring shared folders with Services for NFS, you can create a clustered file server that supports UNIX-based clients. |
Requirements for a two-node failover cluster
To create a failover cluster with two nodes (regardless of the service or application that the nodes provide), you need the hardware, software, accounts, and network infrastructure described in the sections that follow.
We recommend that you first use the information provided in this guide in a test lab environment. A Step-by-Step guide is not necessarily meant to be used to deploy Windows Server features without the accompanying documentation (as listed in the Additional references section), and it should be used with discretion as a stand-alone document.
Hardware requirements for a two-node failover cluster
You will need the following hardware for a two-node failover cluster:
| • | Servers: We recommend that you use a set of matching computers that contain the same or similar components.
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| • | Network adapters and cable (for network communication): The network hardware, like other components in the failover cluster solution, must be compatible with Windows Server 2008. If you use iSCSI, your network adapters must be dedicated to either network communication or iSCSI, not both.
In the network infrastructure that connects your cluster nodes, avoid having single points of failure. There are multiple ways of accomplishing this. You can connect your cluster nodes by multiple, distinct networks. Alternatively, you can connect your cluster nodes with one network that is constructed with teamed network adapters, redundant switches, redundant routers, or similar hardware that removes single points of failure.
Device controllers or appropriate adapters for the storage:
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| • | Storage: You must use shared storage that is compatible with Windows Server 2008.
For a two-node failover cluster, the storage should contain at least two separate volumes (LUNs), configured at the hardware level. One volume will function as the witness disk (described in the next paragraph). One volume will contain the files that are being shared to users. Storage requirements include the following:
The witness disk is a disk in the cluster storage that is designated to hold a copy of the cluster configuration database. (A witness disk is part of some, not all, quorum configurations.) For this two-node cluster, the quorum configuration will be Node and Disk Majority, the default for a cluster with an even number of nodes. Node and Disk Majority means that the nodes and the witness disk each contain copies of the cluster configuration, and the cluster has quorum as long as a majority (two out of three) of these copies are available. |
Important:Deploying storage area networks with failover clusters
When deploying a storage area network (SAN) with a failover cluster, follow these guidelines:
| • | Confirm compatibility of the storage: Confirm with manufacturers and vendors that the storage, including drivers, firmware, and software used for the storage, are compatible with failover clusters in Windows Server 2008.
Failover clusters include the following new requirements for storage:
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| • | Isolate storage devices, one cluster per device: Servers from different clusters must not be able to access the same storage devices. In most cases, a LUN that is used for one set of cluster servers should be isolated from all other servers through LUN masking or zoning. | ||||||
| • | Consider using multipath I/O software: In a highly available storage fabric, you can deploy failover clusters with multiple host bus adapters by using multipath I/O software. This provides the highest level of redundancy and availability. For Windows Server 2008, your multipath solution must be based on Microsoft Multipath I/O (MPIO). Your hardware vendor will usually supply an MPIO device-specific module (DSM) for your hardware, although Windows Server 2008 includes one or more DSMs as part of the operating system.
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Software requirements for a two-node failover cluster
The servers for a two-node failover cluster must run the same version of Windows Server 2008, including the same hardware version (32-bit, x64-based, or Itanium architecture-based). They should also have the same software updates (patches) and service packs.
Network infrastructure and domain account requirements for a two-node failover cluster
You will need the following network infrastructure for a two-node failover cluster and an administrative account with the following domain permissions:
| • | Network settings and IP addresses: When you use identical network adapters for a network, also use identical communication settings on those adapters (for example, Speed, Duplex Mode, Flow Control, and Media Type). Also, compare the settings between the network adapter and the switch it connects to and make sure that no settings are in conflict.
If you have private networks that are not routed to the rest of your network infrastructure, ensure that each of these private networks uses a unique subnet. This is necessary even if you give each network adapter a unique IP address. For example, if you have a cluster node in a central office that uses one physical network, and another node in a branch office that uses a separate physical network, do not specify 10.0.0.0/24 for both networks, even if you give each adapter a unique IP address. |
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| • | DNS: The servers in the cluster must be using Domain Name System (DNS) for name resolution. The DNS dynamic update protocol can be used. | ||
| • | Domain role: All servers in the cluster must be in the same Active Directory domain. As a best practice, all clustered servers should have the same domain role (either member server or domain controller). The recommended role is member server. | ||
| • | Domain controller: We recommend that your clustered servers be member servers. If they are, you need an additional server that acts as the domain controller in the domain that contains your failover cluster. | ||
| • | Clients: As needed for testing, you can connect one or more networked clients to the failover cluster that you create, and observe the effect on a client when you move or fail over the clustered file server from one cluster node to the other. | ||
| • | Account for administering the cluster: When you first create a cluster or add servers to it, you must be logged on to the domain with an account that has administrator rights and permissions on all servers in that cluster. The account does not need to be a Domain Admins account, but can be a Domain Users account that is in the Administrators group on each clustered server. In addition, if the account is not a Domain Admins account, the account (or the group that the account is a member of) must be given the Create Computer Objects permission in the domain.
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Steps for installing a two-node file server cluster
You must complete the following steps to install a two-node file server failover cluster.
Step 1: Connect the cluster servers to the networks and storage
Step 2: Install the failover cluster feature
Step 3: Validate the cluster configuration
Step 4: Create the cluster
Step 1: Connect the cluster servers to the networks and storage
Use the following instructions to connect your selected cluster servers to networks and storage.
For a failover cluster network, avoid having single points of failure. There are multiple ways of accomplishing this. You can connect your cluster nodes by multiple, distinct networks. Alternatively, you can connect your cluster nodes with one network that is constructed with teamed network adapters, redundant switches, redundant routers, or similar hardware that removes single points of failure (If you use a network for iSCSI, you must create this network in addition to the other networks).
For a two-node file server cluster, when you connect the servers to the cluster storage, you must expose at least two volumes (LUNs). You can expose additional volumes as needed for thorough testing of your configuration. Do not expose the clustered volumes to servers that are not in the cluster.
| To connect the cluster servers to the networks and storage | |
| • | The interface provided by the manufacturer of the storage. |
| • | If you are using iSCSI, an appropriate iSCSI interface. |
| • | Microsoft Storage Manager for SANs (part of the operating system in Windows Server 2008). To use this interface, you need to contact the manufacturer of your storage for a Virtual Disk Service (VDS) provider package that is designed for your storage. |
Step 2: Install the failover cluster feature
In this step, you install the failover cluster feature. The servers must be running Windows Server 2008.
| To install the failover cluster feature on the servers |
Step 3: Validate the cluster configuration
Before creating a cluster, we strongly recommend that you validate your configuration. Validation helps you confirm that the configuration of your servers, network, and storage meets a set of specific requirements for failover clusters.
| To validate the failover cluster configuration |
Step 4: Create the cluster
To create a cluster, you run the Create Cluster wizard.
| To run the Create Cluster wizard | |
| • | The servers to include in the cluster. |
| • | The name of the cluster. |
| • | Any IP address information that is not automatically supplied by your DHCP settings. |
Steps for configuring a two-node file server cluster
To configure a two-node file server failover cluster, follow these steps:
| To configure a two-node file server failover cluster | |
| • | A name for the clustered file server |
| • | Any IP address information that is not automatically supplied by your DHCP settings—for example, a static IPv4 address for this clustered file server |
| • | The storage volume or volumes that the clustered file server should use |
- User limits.
- Offline settings (caching).
- Access-based enumeration.
(Microsoft.com)
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