Back Up and Restore in Windows HPC Server

Applies To: Windows HPC Server 2008

This section includes guidelines for backing up the head node and the HPC databases in Windows® HPC Server 2008. This section also describes the HPC Job Scheduler Service restore mode, and the additional steps that you must perform before and after restoring the databases to help to bring the cluster to a consistent state.

Windows® HPC Server 2008 Service Pack 1 includes updates for restoring your cluster head node from catastrophic system failure or database failure. For information about how to download and install Service Pack 1, see Windows HPC Server 2008 Service Pack 1 Release Notes.

The head node maintains all the configuration information of the cluster, from the low level network information in Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS) to the information about what jobs are running on the cluster. Backups enable you to restore your system in the case of file corruption, data loss, or other unexpected system failures. You can also use system backups to perform a bare metal recovery of your head node.

If you need to provide high-availability for your job scheduler service, you can configure a second head node for failover. For more information, see Configuring Failover Clustering in Windows HPC Server 2008 Step-by-Step Guide.

In this section

Title Description

Guidelines for Backing Up the Head Node in Windows HPC Server 2008

This topic includes recommendations about how often to make a backup of the full server and how often to make backups of the HPC databases.

Steps to Perform Before and After Restoring the HPC Databases from a Backup

This topic describes what happens when the HPC Job Scheduler Service starts in restore mode, what steps you need to perform before and after restoring the HPC databases, and how you can filter the job list to view the jobs that were canceled during restore mode.

See Also

Concepts

Windows HPC Server 2008

Other Resources

Windows HPC Server 2008 R2