Chapter 5 - Upgrading and Installing on Cluster Nodes

Article
12/09/2009

With Windows 2000 Advanced Server, you can use clustering to ensure that users have constant access to important server-based resources. With clustering, you create several cluster nodes that appear to users as one server. If one of the nodes in the cluster fails, another node begins to provide service (a process known as failover). Mission-critical applications and resources remain continuously available.

Preparing to Upgrade or Install Clustering

To prepare for installing or upgrading clustering, review Chapter 3, "Planning Your Windows 2000 Advanced Server Installation" and Chapter 4, "Running Setup for Windows 2000 Advanced Server," for general information about setup for Windows 2000 Advanced Server. As described in Chapter 3, check the Hardware Compatibility List to ensure that all your hardware (including your cluster disks) is compatible with Windows 2000 Advanced Server. In addition, check with the manufacturer of your cluster disks to be sure you have the drivers you need in order to use the disks with Windows 2000 Advanced Server.

Options for Upgrading or Installing Clustering

You have several options when installing or upgrading clustering. You can:

Upgrade a cluster that is running Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 Enterprise Edition. For a description of the ways you can do this, see "Upgrading Cluster Service During Operating System Upgrade," later in this chapter.
Perform a new installation of Windows 2000 Advanced Server and install the Cluster service at the same time. For important information about preparing for cluster installation, see "Installation on Cluster Nodes" later in this chapter.
Add the Cluster service components to an existing installation of Windows 2000 Advanced Server. For important information about preparing for cluster installation, see "Installation on Cluster Nodes" later in this chapter.

Note For cluster disks, you must use the NTFS file system and configure the disks as basic disks. You cannot configure cluster disks as dynamic disks, and you cannot use features of dynamic disks such as spanned volumes (volume sets). For more information, in Windows 2000 Help, see "Limitations of server clusters." To display Help, after running Setup, click Start, and then click Help.

If you need to reinstall clustering on one of the cluster nodes, in Windows 2000 Help, see "Evict a node for maintenance."

Upgrading Cluster Service During Operating System Upgrade

You can automatically upgrade an existing cluster by upgrading your operating system to Windows 2000 Advanced Server. Depending on the types of cluster resources in your cluster, you might be able to perform a rolling upgrade, which maintains availability of the cluster during the upgrade. See the following sections for more information:

To determine whether you can perform a rolling upgrade, see "Restrictions on Rolling Upgrades" later in this chapter.
For information about performing a rolling upgrade, see "Overview of Rolling Upgrades" and "Performing a Rolling Upgrade" later in this chapter.
For information about ways to upgrade your cluster nodes if you cannot perform a rolling upgrade, see "Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades" later in this chapter.

If clustering is not installed on the server you are upgrading, install Cluster service after the upgrade is complete. For more information on using Add/Remove Programs to install the Cluster service on a computer running Windows 2000 Advanced Server, see "Installing Cluster Service After Installing Windows 2000" later in this chapter.

Installing Cluster Service While Installing Windows 2000

Before installing a cluster, be sure to review the information in "Installation on Cluster Nodes" later in this chapter

To install the Cluster service while installing Windows 2000 Advanced Server

Review "Planning and Preparing for Cluster Installation" later in this chapter for important information about avoiding corruption of the cluster disks. If the operating system is started on multiple nodes before the Cluster service is running on one node, the cluster disks could be corrupted.
On one cluster node only, start Windows 2000 Advanced Server Setup.
During Setup, in the Windows 2000 Components dialog box, select Cluster Service.
Make sure that the Cluster service is running successfully on the first node before starting an operating system on another node.

Caution Carry out your installation one node at a time. Make sure that Windows 2000 Advanced Server and the Cluster service are installed and running on one node before starting an operating system on another node. If the operating system is started on multiple nodes before the Cluster service is running on one node, the cluster disks could be corrupted. For more information, see "Installation on Cluster Nodes" later in this chapter.

When Setup is complete, the Configure Your Server program will appear if you log on as the computer's administrator. Follow the instructions in Configure Your Server to start the Configure Cluster service program and configure your cluster. For information about cluster configurations, see Windows 2000 Help. To display Help, after running Setup, click Start, and then click Help.

Installing Cluster Service After Installing Windows 2000

Before installing a cluster, be sure to review the information in "Installation on Cluster Nodes" later in this chapter

To install the Cluster service using Add/Remove Programs

Review "Planning and Preparing for Cluster Installation" later in this chapter for important information about avoiding corruption of the cluster disks. If the operating system is started on multiple nodes before the Cluster service is running on one node, the cluster disks could be corrupted.
On one cluster node only, allow Windows 2000 Advanced Server to start.
Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
In the left pane, click Add/Remove Windows Components.
If the Components button appears, click it.
Use the Windows Components wizard to select and install the Cluster service.

After you install the Cluster service, Add/Remove Windows Components displays the Configure Cluster service program. Follow the instructions to start the program and configure your cluster. For information about cluster configurations, see Windows 2000 Help. To display Help, after running Setup, click Start, and then click Help.

Upgrading to Windows 2000 on Cluster Nodes

Two factors complicate the process of upgrading to Windows 2000 Advanced Server on cluster nodes. First, although the nodes are physically distinct, they cooperate to provide services to clients. You cannot make upgrade plans for one node without considering the impact on the other node. Second, you probably use clustering because the cluster nodes provide critical services to your enterprise. Taking those services offline during an operating system upgrade temporarily prevents client access to important information.

You can eliminate the downtime of your cluster services and minimize administrative complexity by performing a rolling upgrade of the operating system. In a rolling upgrade, you sequentially upgrade the operating system on each node, making sure that one node is always available to handle client requests.

Note Before upgrading to Windows 2000 Advanced Server from Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition, you must have Service Pack 4 or later (the latest released Service Pack is best). Be sure to apply (or re-apply) the Service Pack after you install clustering. The Service Pack makes important changes to the clustering software that prepare it for an upgrade. For more information about the software you must have on your computer before an upgrade, see the next section, "Overview of Rolling Upgrades."

To determine whether you can perform a rolling upgrade, see "Restrictions on Rolling Upgrades" later in this chapter. For information about ways to upgrade your cluster nodes if you cannot perform a rolling upgrade, see "Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades" later in this chapter.

Overview of Rolling Upgrades

A rolling upgrade has four phases, as shown in the following description. You must have at least two nodes in your cluster to perform a rolling upgrade. In this example, they are named Node 1 and Node 2:

Phase 1: Preliminary
Each node runs Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition with the following software:

Microsoft Cluster Server.
If the cluster has an Internet Information Services (IIS) resource, IIS version 4.
The latest released Service Pack (Service Pack 4 or greater) for Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition. The Service Pack must be applied after installing IIS and Cluster Server, even if it was also applied earlier.

At this point, your cluster is configured so that each node handles client requests (an active/active configuration).

Phase 2: Upgrade Node 1
Node 1 is paused, and Node 2 handles all cluster resource groups while you upgrade the operating system of Node 1 to Windows 2000 Advanced Server.

Phase 3: Upgrade Node 2
Node 1 rejoins the cluster. Node 2 is paused and Node 1 handles all cluster resource groups while you upgrade the operating system on Node 2.

Phase 4: Final
Node 2 rejoins the cluster, and you redistribute the resource groups back to the active/active cluster configuration.

There are two major advantages to a rolling upgrade. First, there is a minimal interruption of service to clients. (However, server response time may decrease during the phases in which one node handles the work of the entire cluster.) Second, you do not have to recreate your cluster configuration. The configuration will remain intact during the upgrade process.

For information about alternatives to rolling upgrades, see "Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades" later in this chapter.

Performing a Rolling Upgrade

For an outline of the rolling upgrade process, see the preceding section "Overview of Rolling Upgrades."

Important For information about the software that must be installed before performing a rolling upgrade, see the previous section "Overview of Rolling Upgrades." For information about what resources are supported during rolling upgrades, see "Restrictions on Rolling Upgrades" and "Resource Behavior During Rolling Upgrades," later in this chapter.

To perform a rolling upgrade

In Cluster Administrator, click Node 1.
On the File menu, click Pause Node.
In the right pane, double-click Active Groups.
In the right pane, click a group, and then on the File menu, click Move Group. Repeat this step for each group listed.

The services will be interrupted during the time they are being moved and restarted on the other node. After the groups are moved, Node 2 handles all client requests, and Node 1 is idle.
Use Windows 2000 Advanced Server Setup to upgrade Node 1 from Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition (after ensuring that the latest released Service Pack was applied and that it was applied after clustering was installed). (For information about running Setup, see the section on starting Setup in Chapter 3, "Running Setup for Windows 2000 Server.")

Setup detects the earlier version of clustering on Node 1 and automatically installs clustering for Windows 2000 Advanced Server. Node 1 automatically rejoins the cluster at the end of the upgrade process, but is still paused and does not handle any cluster-related work.
Perform validation tests on Node 1 to certify that the node is fully functional.
In Cluster Administrator, click Resume Node.
Repeat the preceding steps for Node 2 instead of Node 1.

Restrictions on Rolling Upgrades

There are two major restrictions to the rolling-upgrade process. Both restrictions involve the beginning of Phase 3, in which you operate a mixed-version cluster: a cluster in which the nodes run different versions of the operating system. For a mixed-version cluster to work, the different versions of the software running on each node must be prepared to communicate with one another. This requirement leads to the two major restrictions on the rolling-upgrade process.

You can perform a rolling upgrade to Windows 2000 Advanced Server only if you start with Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition and have applied Service Pack 4 or later. It is recommended that you use the latest released Service Pack.

Note Be sure to apply (or re-apply) the Service Pack after you install clustering. The Service Pack makes important changes to the clustering software that prepare it for the rolling upgrade. The latest released Service Pack is recommended. For additional information about the software that must be installed before performing a rolling upgrade, see "Overview of Rolling Upgrades," earlier in this chapter.
For a successful rolling upgrade, every resource that the cluster manages must be capable of a rolling upgrade. For more information, see "Resource Behavior During Rolling Upgrades," later in this chapter.

If either restriction is not met, do not perform a rolling upgrade. For more information, see "Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades," later in this chapter.

Operation of New Resource Types in Mixed-Version Clusters

The operation of a mixed-version cluster is complicated if a resource type that you add to the cluster is supported in one version of the operating system but not the other. For example, the Cluster service in Windows 2000 Advanced Server supports the Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) resource type, but older versions of the Cluster service do not support it. A mixed-version cluster can run the WINS resource on the Windows 2000 node but not on the Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition node.

The Cluster service transparently sets the possible owners of new resource types to prevent these resources from failing over to a Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition node of a mixed-version cluster. If you create such a resource during the mixed-version phase of a rolling upgrade, the resource groups containing those resources will not fail over to the Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition node. The resources affected include:

WINS resource
DHCP resource
Dfs Root File Share

Resource Behavior During Rolling Upgrades

Although the Cluster service supports rolling upgrades, not all applications have seamless rolling-upgrade behavior. The following table describes which resources will be supported during a rolling upgrade. If you have a resource that is not fully supported during rolling upgrades, see "Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades" later in this chapter.

Resource	Rolling upgrade notes
File Share	Supported during rolling upgrades.
IP Address	Supported during rolling upgrades.
Network Name	Supported during rolling upgrades.
Physical Disk	Supported during rolling upgrades
Time Service	Supported during rolling upgrades.
Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC)	DTC is a part of Component Services that coordinates two-phase transactions. During the rolling upgrade, DTC will be unavailable while the first node is being upgraded. After that, failover to the second node will not be possible until that node has been upgraded.
Internet Information Services (IIS)	IIS version 4 is supported during rolling upgrades. IIS version 3, and the IIS Virtual Root resource type (used with IIS version 3 but not version 4), are not supported during rolling upgrades. However, the configuration information for an IIS Virtual Root resource is not lost during an upgrade. To complete the upgrade of an IIS Virtual Root resource, after completing the upgrade of your server, click Start, and then click Help. On the Search tab, type "create a new resource," select the Search titles only check box, and then click List Topics. Follow the procedure for creating a new resource. For a resource type, choose IIS Server Instance , and when prompted to choose an IIS server, choose the IP address that was used by your IIS Virtual Root resource. An IIS Server Instance resource will be created, using the configuration information from your IIS Virtual Root resource.
Message Queuing services	Primary Enterprise Services, Primary Site Services, and Backup Site Services are not supported during rolling upgrades. All other Message Queuing services configurations are supported during rolling upgrades.
Print Spooler	The only Print Spooler resources supported during a rolling upgrade are those on LPR ports. See the following section, "Upgrades that Include a Print Spooler Resource."
Other resource types	See the product documentation that comes with the application or resource.

Upgrades that Include a Print Spooler Resource

If you want to perform a rolling upgrade of a cluster that has a Print Spooler resource, you must consider two issues.

First, the Print Spooler resource only supports the rolling upgrade of printers on LPR ports. For information about what to do if your printer is not supported, see "Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades" later in this chapter.

Second, when you operate a mixed-version cluster, note the following before changing the printer configuration:

If the device settings are different on the printer driver for Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition than they are on the printer driver for Windows 2000, leave the settings unchanged. Changing settings while the cluster is a mixed-version cluster may cause difficulties.
If you add a new printer, when you install the drivers for that printer, be sure to install both the driver for Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition and the driver for Windows 2000 on all nodes.
If you add a port to the cluster while it is hosted on the Windows 2000 node, you also need to add that port to the node running Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition.
If printing preferences or defaults are important, be sure to check them. Printing preferences in Windows 2000 won't necessarily correspond to document defaults for the same printer in Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition. This can be affected by differences in the drivers for the two operating systems.

When the rolling upgrade is complete and both cluster nodes are running the updated operating system, you can make any modifications you choose to your printer configuration.

Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades

If you cannot perform a rolling upgrade because some of your resources are not supported during a rolling upgrade, you have several alternatives. You can take some resources offline before the rolling upgrade, you can perform a clean installation (after an operating system upgrade), or you can upgrade the cluster without maintaining cluster availability. All three alternatives interrupt client access to resources to a greater extent than a standard rolling upgrade, and all three methods require some amount of reconfiguration.

If you cannot perform a rolling upgrade because your cluster manages a resource that is not supported during rolling upgrades, consider taking the incompatible resource offline, performing a rolling upgrade, and then installing the new version of the resource. Clients cannot access the incompatible resource during the upgrade process. However, they can access all other resources managed by your cluster, and you do not need to reconfigure other cluster resources. Regardless of how you proceed, you must be sure that you upgrade only from Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition (after ensuring that the latest released Service Pack was applied and that it was applied after Cluster Server was installed).

If most of your cluster resources are not supported during a rolling upgrade, consider performing a clean installation of the Cluster service. If you do this, you must reconfigure your cluster after the installation. Alternatively, you can perform an upgrade without maintaining cluster availability during the upgrade.

The following table summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of each of the upgrade processes.

Process	Advantages	Disadvantages
Performing a rolling upgrade	Minimal interruption of service to clients. No cluster reconfiguration.	All resources must support the rolling upgrade.
Taking some resources offline before the rolling upgrade	Most resources available to users during upgrade. Only resources that are incompatible with rolling upgrades are unavailable. Only resources that are incompatible with rolling upgrades must be reconfigured after the upgrade.	Some resources are unavailable during upgrade. Some resources require reconfiguration after the upgrade.
Performing a clean installation	Simpler than a rolling upgrade if a large number of resources are incompatible with rolling upgrades.	All resources are unavailable during upgrade. You must reconfigure the cluster after the upgrade.
Upgrading the cluster service without maintaining cluster availability	Simpler than a rolling upgrade if a large number of resources are incompatible with rolling upgrades.	All resources are unavailable during upgrade.

To take a resource offline and perform a rolling upgrade

Using the information in "Resource Behavior During Rolling Upgrades" earlier in this chapter, list the resources in your cluster that are not supported during a rolling upgrade.
In Cluster Administrator, click the Resources folder.
In the right pane, click the resource you want.
On the File menu, click Take Offline.

Repeat the previous steps until you have taken all the incompatible resources offline.
Perform a rolling upgrade, as described in "To perform a rolling upgrade," earlier in this chapter.
Install new versions of the resources that you listed in step 1.

To uninstall clustering, upgrade the operating system, and perform a clean installation of the Cluster service

Start with both Node 1 and Node 2 running the Cluster service.
If you have a SCSI bus, review the appropriate instructions for making sure that the SCSI bus is terminated, or that Y-cables or TriLink cables are in place. These instructions are in Cluster Administrator Help in Windows NT version 4.0 Enterprise Edition, in the Index under "nodes, disconnecting." If you have used an alternative set of instructions from the Windows NT version 4.0 Enterprise Edition CD-ROM, in \Support\Books\Mscsadm5.doc, review these instructions. You will carry out the instructions in a later step.
To stop the Cluster service on Node 1, in Cluster Administrator, click the node, and then on the File menu, click Stop Cluster Service.
On Node 1, uninstall Microsoft Cluster Server.
Upgrade the operating system on Node 1, and test the node to ensure that the upgrade was successful.
If you have a SCSI bus, on Node 1, follow the appropriate instructions to make sure the SCSI bus is terminated, or that Y-cables or TriLink cables are in place.
If your method of termination allows you to turn the node completely off, turn off Node 1.

Important Be sure that Node 2 is the only functioning node at this point, and that it remains the only functioning node until you have upgraded it and have started the Cluster service again. This prevents corruption of the cluster disks.
In the same way that you stopped the Cluster service on Node 1, stop it on Node 2.
On Node 2, uninstall Microsoft Cluster Server.

At this point, the cluster that had been running on Node 1 and Node 2 no longer exists.
On Node 2, upgrade the operating system and perform validation tests.
On Node 2, use Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel to install the Cluster service, and then form a new cluster that uses the same name as the old cluster.

For more information on using Add/Remove Programs to install the Cluster service, see "Installing Cluster Service After Installing Windows 2000," earlier in this chapter.
Using Cluster Administrator, add cluster resources to your new cluster.

By doing this, you are checking to see that the clustering software is working, which means it is allowing only one node to access the cluster disks at a given time. This software prevents corruption of the cluster disks.
Turn on Node 1 again.
On Node 1, use Add/Remove Programs to install the Cluster service, and join the cluster formed by Node 2.
If necessary, reinstall applications that were installed on the cluster.

To upgrade the Cluster service without maintaining cluster availability

Turn off the cluster-disk unit (the unit containing the disks that are accessed by cluster nodes).

Important Be sure to carry out this step. It is necessary to prevent corruption of the cluster disks.
If you have a SCSI bus, review the appropriate instructions for making sure that the SCSI bus is terminated, or that Y-cables or TriLink cables are in place. These instructions are in Cluster Administrator Help in Windows NT version 4.0 Enterprise Edition, in the Index under "nodes, disconnecting." If you have used an alternative set of instructions from the Windows NT version 4.0 Enterprise Edition CD-ROM, in \Support\Books\Mscsadm5.doc, review these instructions. You will carry out the instructions in a later step.
Upgrade the operating system on the cluster nodes, one at a time or all at the same time. For information about running Setup, see the section on starting Setup in Chapter 3, "Running Setup for Windows 2000 Server."

The cluster software will be upgraded automatically during the operating system upgrade. Note that you cannot make configuration changes such as configuring cluster disks as dynamic disks. For more information, in Windows 2000 Help, see "Limitations of server clusters."
If you have a SCSI bus, on Node 1, follow the appropriate instructions to make sure the SCSI bus is terminated, or that Y-cables or TriLink cables are in place.
If your method of termination allows you to turn nodes completely off, turn off all but one node.

Important Be sure that only one node is functioning before continuing to the next step. This prevents corruption of the cluster disks.
Turn on the cluster-disk unit, and allow the operating system to complete the process of recognizing the unit. Make sure that all volumes on the unit are accessible (for example, by using Windows Explorer).
Start the Cluster service on the node that is running.
On the node that is running, click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Cluster Administrator.
Check to see that the cluster disks are online in Cluster Administrator.

When the disks are online, it means that the cluster service is working, which means that only one node can access the cluster disks at any given time. This prevents corruption of the cluster disks.
Turn on any nodes that were turned off.

The nodes automatically rejoin the existing cluster.

Installation on Cluster Nodes

The following sections provide important information about how to prepare for cluster installation, begin hardware installation for a cluster, and start Setup on the first cluster node.

Planning and Preparing for Cluster Installation

Before carrying out cluster installation, you will need to plan hardware and network details.

Caution You must plan on carrying out your installation one node at a time. Make sure that Windows 2000 Advanced Server and the Cluster service are installed and running on one node before starting the operating system on another node. If the operating system is started on multiple nodes before the Cluster service is running on one node, the cluster disks could be corrupted. For more information, see "Beginning the Installation of the Cluster Disks" later in this chapter.

In your planning, review the following items:

Cluster hardware and drivers
Check that your hardware, including your cluster disks and other cluster hardware, is compatible with Windows 2000 Advanced Server. To check this, see the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM, in the Support folder, in Hcl.txt. You can find updated versions of the HCL on the following Web site:

https://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/search.mspx

Also check that you have the drivers you need in order to use the disks with Windows 2000 Advanced Server. (Drivers are available from your hardware manufacturer.)

Review the manufacturer's instructions carefully before you begin installing cluster hardware. Otherwise the cluster disks could be corrupted. If your cluster hardware includes a SCSI bus, be sure to review carefully any instructions about termination of the SCSI bus and configuration of SCSI IDs.

Network adapters on the cluster nodes
Each cluster node (each server that is a member of the cluster) will need at least one network adapter to connect it to the network. To reduce the risks with having a single point of failure, plan on having two or more network adapters in each cluster node. In your planning, decide what kind of communication each network adapter will carry:

Only node-to-node communication. This implies that the server has one or more additional adapters to carry other communication.

For node-to-node communication, you will connect the network adapter to a private network used exclusively within the cluster. Note that if the private network uses a single hub or network switch, that piece of equipment becomes a potential point of failure in your cluster.
Only client-to-cluster communication. This implies that the server has one or more additional adapters to carry other communication.

For client-to-cluster communication, you will connect the network adapter to the appropriate network in your organization.
Both node-to-node and client-to-cluster communication. If you have only one network adapter per node, it must carry both these kinds of communication. If you have multiple network adapters per node, a network adapter that carries both kinds of communication can provide backup for other network adapters.

For this kind of communication, you will connect the network adapter to the appropriate network in your organization.
Communication unrelated to the cluster. If a clustered node also provides services unrelated to the cluster, and there are enough adapters in the cluster node, you might want to use one adapter for carrying communication unrelated to the cluster.

Consider choosing a name for each connection that tells what it is intended for. You can assign that name when configuring the connection in the operating system. Then the connection will be easy to recognize during cluster setup.

Make a note of your decisions for each network adapter, and keep the information available during installation and configuration.

Cluster IP address
Obtain a static IP address for the cluster itself. You cannot use DHCP for this address.

IP addressing for cluster nodes
Determine how to handle the IP addressing for the cluster nodes. Each network adapter on each node will need IP addressing. You can provide IP addressing through DHCP, or you can assign each network adapter a static IP address. If you use static IP addresses, the addresses for each linked pair of network adapters (linked node-to-node) should be on the same subnet.

Note that if you use DHCP for the cluster nodes, it can act as a single point of failure. That is, if you set up your cluster nodes so that they depend on a DHCP server for their IP addresses, temporary failure of the DHCP server can mean temporary unavailability of the cluster nodes. When deciding whether to use DHCP, evaluate ways to ensure availability of DHCP services, and consider the possibility of using long leases for the cluster nodes. This will help ensure that they always have a valid IP address.

Cluster name
Determine or obtain an appropriate name for the cluster. This is the name administrators will use for connections to the cluster. (The actual applications running on the cluster will typically have different network names.) The cluster name must be different from the domain name, from all computer names on the domain, and from other cluster names on the domain.

Computer accounts for cluster nodes
If the nodes of the cluster do not already have computer accounts, create or obtain computer accounts for them. Make sure that the computer accounts are both in the same domain.

User account for the Cluster service
Create or obtain the Cluster service user account. This is the name and password under which the Cluster service will run. You will need to supply this user name and password during cluster installation. To configure the Cluster service, you must first log on with this account.

It is best if the Cluster service user account is a new account. The account must have local administrative privileges on the cluster nodes. Be sure to keep the password from expiring on the account (follow your organization's policies for password renewal).

Disk partition for important cluster configuration information (checkpoint and log files)
You need to plan on setting aside a small partition on your cluster disks for holding important cluster configuration information. This information makes up the quorum resource of the cluster, needed when a cluster node stops functioning. The quorum resource provides node-independent storage of crucial data needed by the cluster.

The partition will need to have at least 5 MB of free space (500 MB recommended). It is recommended that you use a different partition for the quorum resource than you use for user data.

Note When planning and carrying out disk configuration for the cluster disks, configure them as basic disks with all partitions formatted as NTFS. Do not configure them with other options available with Windows 2000 Advanced Server, including dynamic disks or mount points.

The following section describes the physical installation of the cluster disks.

Beginning the Installation of the Cluster Disks

The steps you carry out when first physically connecting and installing the cluster hardware are crucial. Be sure to follow the hardware manufacturer's instructions for these initial steps.

Note Carefully review your network cables after connecting them. Make sure no wires are crossed by mistake, and each network adapter is connected as you planned.

Caution When you first attach your cluster hardware (the shared bus and cluster disks), be sure to work only from the BIOS configuration screens on the cluster nodes. The instructions from your manufacturer will describe whether the BIOS configuration screens display automatically or whether you must, after turning on the computer, press specific keys to access the BIOS. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for completing the BIOS Setup process. Remain in the BIOS, and do not allow the operating system to start, during this initial installation phase.

After the BIOS configuration is completed, start the operating system on one cluster node only, and carry out the installation of the Cluster service. Make sure that Windows 2000 Advanced Server and the Cluster service are installed and running on that node before starting the operating system on another node. If the operating system is started on multiple nodes before the Cluster service is running on one node, the cluster disks could be corrupted.

Steps to Carry Out in the BIOS

Complete the following steps while the cluster nodes are still displaying BIOS configuration screens, before starting the operating system on the first cluster node.

If you have a SCSI bus, make sure you understand and follow the manufacturer's instructions for termination of the SCSI bus.
If you have a SCSI bus, make sure that each device on the shared bus (both SCSI controllers and hard disks) has a unique SCSI ID. If the SCSI controllers all default to the same ID (often it is SCSI ID 7), change one controller to a different SCSI ID, such as SCSI ID 6. If there is more than one disk that will be on the shared SCSI bus, each disk must also have a unique SCSI ID. In addition, make sure that the bus is not configured to reset SCSI IDs automatically on startup (otherwise the IDs will change from the settings you specify).
Ensure that you can scan the bus and see the drives from both cluster nodes (while remaining in the BIOS configuration screens).

Installation on the First Cluster Node

It is important that you work on one node (never two nodes) when entering this phase of cluster installation.

Caution Make sure that Windows 2000 Advanced Server and the Cluster service are installed and running on one node before starting the operating system on another node. If the operating system is started on multiple nodes before the Cluster service is running on one node, the cluster disks could be corrupted.

Completing the Installation on the First Cluster Node

If you have not already installed Windows 2000 Advanced Server on the first cluster node, install it now. For information about decisions you must make, such as decisions about licensing and the partitions on the system disk, see Chapter 3, "Planning Your Windows 2000 Advanced Server Installation." For information about running Setup, see Chapter 4, "Running Setup for Windows 2000 Advanced Server."

When Windows 2000 Advanced Server is installed, use the following procedure to obtain specific information about how to complete the installation of the cluster.

To obtain information about how to install and configure the Cluster service

With Windows 2000 Advanced Server running on one cluster node, click Start and then click Help.
Click the Contents tab. If the Contents tab is not showing, click Show and then click the Contents tab.
Double-click Windows Clustering, and then double-click Server Clusters.
Double-click Checklists: Creating Server Clusters, and then double-click Checklist: Creating a server cluster.
Use the checklist to guide you through the process of completing the installation of your server cluster.