This topic provides information about new and custom diagnostic tests that are available for Windows® HPC Server 2008 R2. In Windows HPC Server 2008 R2, cluster administrators and partners can create custom diagnostic tests. Partners include independent software vendors (ISVs), independent hardware vendors (IHVs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and system integrators. Cluster administrators can add these tests to the list of diagnostic tests for their HPC cluster, and then run them in the same way as the built-in diagnostic tests for Windows HPC Server 2008 R2.

For information about creating custom diagnostic tests, see Diagnostics Extensibility in Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 Step-by-Step Guide on MSDN (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=177604).

With custom diagnostic tests, cluster administrators can verify that custom and non-Microsoft software or hardware that they have added to their HPC cluster works correctly.

In this topic:

• Diagnostic tests that are available for download
  
  
• Adding a custom diagnostic test to your cluster
  
  

Diagnostic tests that are available for download

Adding a custom diagnostic test to your cluster

The way that you add a custom diagnostic test to your cluster and the number of manual configuration steps depends on how the test is packaged. The test might be packaged in one of the following formats:

• An XML file   For step-by-step instructions, see Add New and Custom Diagnostic Tests.
  
  
• An installation program such as an MSI file   Follow the instructions from the software publisher or your vendor.
  
  

Important
When you install custom diagnostic tests on a cluster with a head node that is configured for high availability, you must ensure that the test binaries are installed on both the active and the passive head nodes. If the test binaries do not appear in the passive node, you must manually copy the test binaries to the passive head node.