Server cluster rules

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

Server cluster rules

Following these rules will help you solve the most common problems associated with clusters.

  • Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition or Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition must be installed on each node.

  • All nodes of the cluster must belong to the same Windows Server 2003 family operating systems domain; see Choosing a domain model.

  • When you first create the cluster or add nodes to the cluster, you must be logged on to the domain that has administrative user rights and permissions on all nodes.

  • Each cluster node can belong to only one cluster.

  • The shared drive must be formatted using the NTFS file system.

  • Cluster disks on a shared bus must be partitioned as master boot record (MBR) and not as GUID partition table (GPT) disks.

  • Do not change the computer name of a cluster node after configuring the first node of your cluster.

  • Do not repartition disks on the shared bus without first deleting the corresponding disk resources.

  • If you start the node using an operating system other than Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition or Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, do not run any diagnostic tools that make low-level writes to a physical disk.

  • Do not reassign the drive letters of the system disks on the nodes.

  • Verify that either the WINS or DNS service is accessible from all nodes.

  • Verify that TCP/IP is installed on all nodes and clients.

  • Verify that all cluster nodes can detect one another over the network. Use the TCP/IP ping utility or the Windows Server 2003 family operating system net view command.

  • Check all event logs on all affected computers for error messages.

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