How can I setup and configure Failover clustering in Windows Server 2008

[anyweb]

If you havn't already installed Failover Cluster Management Features, then do so now, you'll need to install the Failover Clustering Feature and the Failover Clustering tools (from Remote Server Administration tools).

 

Once done you can access the Failover Cluster Management gui via Start/Administrative Tools, Failover Cluster Management

 

 

Step 1. Validate

 

You must login with a domain User account if you want the full functionality of the Failover Cluster Management, and if you forget you will be reminded.

 

 

Login with a domain user account and start the Failover Cluster Management gui

 

In the Management Pane, click on Validate a Configuration

 

 

The validate a configuration Wizard will appear, click on Next.

 

 

when the Select Servers or a cluster window appears, enter the Server name to validate or click browse and browse the network for the server

 

 

 

click next when ready

 

You will now be on the Testing Options window,

 

 

click on Next to let the wizard run all tests, please note that the hardware being tested must be marked as 'Certified for Windows Server 2008'.

 

 

You'll get a confirmation screen showing the options you chose, click next to run the tests...

 

 

 

After a while, you'll get a Failover Cluster Validation report, click View Report to view the results and Finish to continue

 

 

the report itself is rather lengthy so worth looking through (please note I ran this test on some standard desktop/laptop/hyper V hardware so as expected SAN info was nowhere to be seen and the hardware did not meet Microsoft's recommended configuration standards...

Failover_Cluster_Validation_Report.mht

[anyweb]

Step 2. Create Cluster

 

In the Failover Cluster Management gui, click on Create a Cluster in the Management pane

 

 

after reading the recommendations, click next and enter the name of a server to include in the cluster in the Select Servers window

 

 

Type the name you want to use when administering the cluster (netbios name limited to 15 characters)

 

 

you'll get a confirmation screen listing your details of the cluster

 

 

and clicking next will create the new cluster

 

 

once it is complete, you'll see a summary

 

 

click finish.

 

note that in my example, the Failover Cluster Management gui now has some warnings about the Node Majority.

 

[anyweb]

Step 3. Manage the Cluster

 

In the Failover cluster Management gui, click on Action, then Manage a cluster

 

 

In the drop down menu, select a cluster to manage,

 

 

when the Failover cluster management cluster appears, click on Add Node in the right pane,

 

 

when the Add node wizard appears, click next

 

 

When the select server window appears, select the server name you are running this from by clicking on browse, advanced and then find now

 

 

in this example i choose 'no' to run the validation tests, click on next to continue *you should click yes to the tests*

 

 

review the confirmation

 

 

click next...

 

review the summary

 

 

you can now click on the nodes section of Failover cluster management to review your two nodes in the cluster.

 

[anyweb]

Step 4. Add High Availability Application or Service

 

In the Failover cluster Management gui, click on Configure a Service or Application in the right pane

 

 

review the Before you begin details in the High Availability wizard and click next...

 

 

In this example the high availability application we will add is (wait for it) Firefox, of course you can choose whatever app/service you wish but to keep this howto simple, I am choosing Firefox as we know it is already installed on both nodes.

 

 

choose Generic Application from the list in Select Service or Application window.

 

click next and paste in the path to your Mozilla Firefox application

 

 

eg:

c:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\Firefox.exe

 

click next and give the client access point a name for this service or application, I chose FirefoxHA for high availability...

 

 

select your storage (san... i don't have one, if you want to donate one to Windows-noob.com i'll make sure your product gets named again and again.... )

 

 

add in your Registry settings for replication...

 

 

review the confirmation

 

 

click next and it will configure high availability

 

review the summary

 

 

and checkout the application itself in the Cluster Services and Applications node

 

 

(offline at the moment, will fix soon)

 

in addition to the above, I added another Generic Application for Internet Explorer.... and it worked first time

 

see screenshot...

 

[shahnawaz ahmed]

Amezing explanations, Thanks a ton to provide such a gr8 details and could you please let me know where i can get such details about other technologies like Active Directory & Exchange Server 2003,2007 and ALL.

 

GOD BLESS YOU

[anyweb]

for Active Directory guides you can ask members here like Jamitupya, wmmayms or Jaoibh

 

for Exchange 2007 guides ask ITPeder to post some here,

 

all these guys are members here and just need some encouragement to post these,

 

good luck

[prerakdoshi]

Dear Anyweb,

 

I would like to know more about clustering as below point:

 

1. Does clustering require same hardware at both side.

2. What are best practices for deploy Active directory role in clustering at both sides.

3. Can we deploy clustering on virtual environments.

 

Thanks,

Prerak Doshi

[anujsharma]

again u r wonder full keep posting

[anujsharma]

Dear admin

i can create fail-over cluster in vmware workstation.

 

Anuj

[rockyprakash]

Dear anyweb,

 

Really great forum,

[ali]

i have one quatsion about filover cluster on vmware workstation when i creat two node in one host server filover cluster is work but if i created on sepreate host servers filover cluster is not work why?????