Share via


Use a different disk for the quorum resource

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To use a different disk for the quorum resource

  1. Choose the disk that you will use for the quorum resource. If the disk has two or more NTFS partitions, ensure that all partitions on the disk are assigned drive letters.

  2. Open Cluster Administrator.

  3. If one does not already exist, create a Physical Disk or other storage-class resource for the new disk.

    For more information, see "Checklist: Installing a Physical Disk resource" in Related Topics.

  4. In the console tree, click the Resources folder.

  5. In the details pane, click the resource that you will use for the quorum resource.

  6. On the File menu, click Take Offline.

  7. In the console tree, click the cluster name.

  8. On the File menu, click Properties.

  9. On the Quorum tab, click Quorum resource, and then select a new disk or storage-class resource you want to use as the quorum resource for the cluster.

  10. In Partition, if the disk has more than one partition, click the partition where you want the cluster specific data kept.

  11. In Root path, type the path to the folder on the partition; for example:

    \MSCS\

  12. In the console tree, click the Resources folder.

  13. In the details pane, click the new quorum resource.

  14. On the File menu, click Bring Online.

Important

  • If Cluster Administrator does not open, it may be because the Cluster service is not started. To start the Cluster service, see "To set the Cluster service to only start manually" in Related Topics.

  • If the quorum resource becomes corrupted, you cannot move it until it is repaired. For more information, see "Node-to-node connectivity problems" in Related Topics.

  • If the Cluster service is stopped on any other node, or the node is shut down, that node will not be able to form a cluster. Only nodes that are online when this change is made can form the cluster. However, nodes that are offline can still join the cluster and will be able to form a cluster after they have joined the cluster at least once.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.

  • To open Cluster Administrator, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Cluster Administrator.

  • Of the default resource types, only the Physical Disk, Local Quorum, or Majority Node Set resource can be a quorum resource. However, third party vendors can supply other storage class resource types that are quorum capable.

  • When you are making changes to the quorum, do not add or evict nodes at the same time.

  • If you designate a resource as the quorum resource without first taking that resource offline, restart a node afterwards. This will ensure that normal checkpointing is initiated for the quorum resource. Checkpointing is the saving of an extra copy of cluster configuration data and is normally done at four-hour intervals.

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

Assign, change, or remove a drive letter
Quorum resource
Set the Cluster service to only start manually
Checklist: Installing a Physical Disk resource
Node-to-node connectivity problems