Step 8: Configure a Clustered File Server for Use by Compute Nodes (Optional)

Applies To: Windows HPC Server 2008

After Windows HPC ServerĀ 2008 is configured in the failover cluster, you can add additional shared storage to the failover cluster for compute nodes to access. This is not required, but this could be used to provide high availability to shared data that is used by applications. Follow the instructions in Failover Cluster Step-by-Step Guide: Configuring a Two-Node File Server Failover Cluster (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=121196). Those instructions are copied here, but you should review the complete document.

To configure a two-node file server failover cluster

  1. To open the failover cluster snap-in, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Failover Cluster Management. (If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.)

  2. In the console tree, if the failover cluster that you created is not displayed, right-click Failover Cluster Management, click Manage a Cluster, and then select the cluster that you want to configure.

  3. In the console tree, expand the failover cluster that you created.

  4. Click Services and Applications. In the Actions pane, click Configure a Service or Application.

  5. Review the text on the first page of the wizard, and then click Next.

  6. Click File Server, and then click Next.

  7. Follow the instructions in the wizard to specify the following details:

    • A name for the clustered file server

    • Any IP address information that is not automatically supplied by your Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) settingsā€”for example, a static IPv4 address for this clustered file server

    • The storage volume or volumes that the clustered file server should use

  8. After the wizard runs and the Summary page appears, to view a report of the tasks that the wizard performed, click View Report.

  9. To close the wizard, click Finish.

  10. In the console tree, make sure Services and Applications is expanded, and then select the clustered file server that you just created.

  11. In the Actions pane, click Add a shared folder.

    The Provision a Shared Folder Wizard appears. (This is the same wizard that you would use to provision a share on a nonclustered file server.)

  12. Follow the instructions in the wizard to specify the following settings for the shared folder:

  13. After completing the wizard, confirm that the clustered file server comes online. If it does not, review the state of the networks and storage and correct any issues. Then right-click the new clustered file server and click Bring this service or application online.

  14. To perform a basic test of failover, right-click the clustered file server, click Move this service or application to another node, and click the available choice of node. When prompted, confirm your choice. You can observe the status changes in the center pane of the snap-in as the clustered file server instance is moved.