Step 2: Set Up Shared Storage for Servers in the Failover Cluster

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Use the following instructions to connect the two newly-installed servers to networks and storage.

For a failover cluster network, avoid having single points of failure. To accomplish this with Windows HPC Server 2008, use one of the network topologies that is not public-only, that is, choose from Topology 1 through 4 (not Topology 5). These topologies connect your head node by multiple, distinct networks. If you use a network for iSCSI, create this network in addition to the other networks. For more information, see “Network infrastructure requirements” in Overview and Requirements for Windows HPC Server 2008 in a Failover Cluster.

When you connect the servers to the failover 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 failover cluster.

To connect the failover cluster servers to the networks and storage

  1. Review the details about networks in the Hardware Requirements section in Overview and Requirements for Windows HPC Server 2008 in a Failover Cluster.

  2. Connect and configure the networks that the servers in the failover cluster will use.

  3. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for physically connecting the servers to the storage.

  4. Ensure that the disks (LUNs) that you want to use in the failover cluster are exposed to the two servers that will be in the failover cluster (and only those servers). You can use any of the following interfaces to expose disks or LUNs:

    • 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.

  5. If you have purchased software that controls the format or function of the disk, follow instructions from the vendor about how to use that software with Windows Server 2008. Host bus adapters and multipath I/O software can be very version sensitive. If you are implementing a multipath solution for your cluster, you should work closely with your hardware vendor to choose the correct adapters, firmware, and software for Windows Server 2008.

  6. On a server that you want to include in the failover cluster, click Start, click Administrative Tools, click Computer Management, and then click Disk Management. (If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.) In Disk Management, confirm that the cluster disks are visible.

  7. If you want to have a storage volume larger than 2 terabytes, and you are using the Windows interface to control the format of the disk, convert that disk to the partition style called GUID partition table (GPT). To do this, back up any data on the disk and delete all volumes on the disk. Then in Disk Management, right-click the disk (not a partition), and then click Convert to GPT Disk.

  8. Format both volumes with NTFS. (The witness disk supports only the NTFS file system.)