If you have ever set up a Windows cluster in Windows 2003, 2000 or if you were brave enough NT4 you know it has always posed a number of challenges that usually required some specialized skills. Well in Windows Server 2008 that has changed thankfully and we can whip together a two node failover cluster in minutes! Before you get started you will need the following:
- 3 servers at minimum (1DC, 2 Nodes)
- Shared storage (iSCSI or FibreChannel)
- 3 Networks (Public, iSCSI, Heartbeat)
With that in place the first thing to do is get the cluster role installed on both nodes. On Sever Core you can do that with the following command (case sensitive):
OCSETUP FailoverCluster-Core
We can verify that the install was successful with the following command (case sensitive):
OCLIST
With that complete launch the Failover Cluster Administrator MMC from the DC and click on Create a Cluster under the Management section.
Add the two servers that will act as the cluster nodes…
…and perform a validation. You don’t have to perform one but it is a best practice to ensure everything is configured properly and it is required to get support with your cluster from Microsoft. It is also a handy troubleshooting tool to boot!
Once the validation is complete and everything checks out, give the cluster a name and set the IP address. This is the public IP that clients will use to connect.
Confirm the settings and click Next to start the cluster creation.
Once complete you can view the report and the install summary.
That is it! You now have a 2 node failover cluster installed! Don’t believe it is that easy? Check out the TechNet Virtual Labs below and do it yourself!
For more information see:
TechNet Virtual Lab: Creating a Highly Available Infrastructure
TechNet Virtual Lab: Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Failover Clustering Lab