How to setup windows cluster server

The topic covers a typical deployment, where computer objects for the cluster and its associated clustered roles are created in Active Directory Domain Services AD DS. You can also deploy an Active Directory-detached cluster. This deployment method enables you to create a failover cluster without permissions to create computer objects in AD DS or the need to request that computer objects are prestaged in AD DS.

This option is only available through Windows PowerShell, and is only recommended for specific scenarios. This requirement does not apply if you want to create an Active Directory-detached cluster in Windows Server R2. You must install the Failover Clustering feature on every server that you want to add as a failover cluster node. On the Select installation type page, select Role-based or feature-based installation , and then select Next.

On the Select destination server page, select the server where you want to install the feature, and then select Next. On the Select features page, select the Failover Clustering check box. To install the failover cluster management tools, select Add Features , and then select Next. On the Confirm installation selections page, select Install. A server restart is not required for the Failover Clustering feature.

After you install the Failover Clustering feature, we recommend that you apply the latest updates from Windows Update. Also, for a Windows Server based failover cluster, review the Recommended hotfixes and updates for Windows Server based failover clusters Microsoft Support article and install any updates that apply.

Before you create the failover cluster, we strongly recommend that you validate the configuration to make sure that the hardware and hardware settings are compatible with failover clustering.

Microsoft supports a cluster solution only if the complete configuration passes all validation tests and if all hardware is certified for the version of Windows Server that the cluster nodes are running. You must have at least two nodes to run all tests. 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.

The following list describes shared folder configuration functionality that is integrated into failover clustering:. Display is scoped to clustered shared folders only no mixing with non-clustered shared folders : When 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 specific file server role.

It will exclude non-clustered shared folders and shares part of separate file server roles 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 non-clustered 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 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. 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. For a failover cluster in Windows Server or Windows Server to be considered an officially supported solution by Microsoft, the solution must meet the following criteria.

All hardware and software components must meet the qualifications for the appropriate logo. For more information about what hardware and software systems have been certified, please visit the Microsoft Windows Server Catalog site. The fully configured solution servers, network, and storage must pass all tests in the validation wizard, which is part of the failover cluster snap-in.

Servers: We recommend using matching computers with the same or similar components. The servers for a two-node failover cluster must run the same version of Windows Server. They should also have the same software updates patches. Network Adapters and cable: The network hardware, like other components in the failover cluster solution, must be compatible with Windows Server or Windows Server 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.

If the cluster nodes are connected with a single network, the network will pass the redundancy requirement in the Validate a Configuration wizard.

However, the report will include a warning that the network should not have a single point of failure. Storage: You must use shared storage that is certified for Windows Server or Windows Server For a two-node failover cluster, the storage should contain at least two separate volumes LUNs if using a witness disk for quorum.

The witness disk is a disk in the cluster storage that is designated to hold a copy of the cluster configuration database. For this two-node cluster example, the quorum configuration will be Node and Disk Majority.

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. The other volume LUN will contain the files that are being shared to users.

When deploying a storage area network SAN with a failover cluster, the following guidelines should be observed. Confirm certification of the storage: Using the Windows Server Catalog site, confirm the vendor's storage, including drivers, firmware and software, is certified for Windows Server or Windows Server 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. I upload an iso to the file share I created earlier.

During failover to a different cluster node, the upload stops for some seconds. After successful failover it continues uploading the ISO file. As soon as the file server contains data, it is also time to think about backing up the file server. Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows can back up Windows failover clusters with shared disks.

We also recommend doing backups of the entire system of the cluster. Veeam Blog Technical How to create a file server cluster with Windows Technical October 3, 5 min to read. Hannes Kasparick. Best practices Virtual. Setting up a File Server Cluster Before we can start with the file server cluster configuration, the file server role must be installed and permissions must be set in Active Directory for the failover cluster computer object.

There are two ways to install the file server role on the two cluster nodes: Via the Add Roles and Features Wizard of the server manager Via PowerShell In Server manager, click Add roles and features and follow the wizard. There are multiple options:. On another Windows Server failover cluster, create a high availability file share.

On the same failover cluster that will host the high availability FTP site, create a high availability file share. Set the permissions on the share that you created in step 2. Confirm that all cluster nodes can browse to the file share. On each of the other cluster nodes, use the shared configuration that you just exported to the file share:. For more information about how to set up shared configurations in IIS, visit the following Microsoft website: Shared Configuration.

Ensure that the cache is set to read-only. To do this, run the following command at an elevated cmd prompt:. Browse to the file server from the computer. If you set up the file share to be highly available on the same failover cluster that hosts IIS nodes, the Always Available Offline option will not appear when you right-click the share if the cluster node that you are on is hosting the highly available file server.

You will have to move the high available file server application to another node.