Setting resource properties

Article
10/08/2009

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

Setting resource properties

Using the resource Properties dialog box, you can:

View or change the resource name.
View or change the resource description and possible owners.
Specify whether the resource runs in a separate memory space.
View the resource type, group ownership, resource state, and which node currently owns the resource.
View preexisting dependencies and modify resource dependencies.
Specify whether to restart a resource and, if so, what settings to use to restart.
Specify how often you want the Cluster service to check whether the resource is in the online state (by setting the Looks Alive and Is Alive polling intervals).
Specify the amount of time that a resource in a pending state (Online Pending or Offline Pending) has to either resolve its status or report that it is making progress to the Resource Monitor before the Cluster service puts the resource in Failed status.
Set specific resource parameters.

The General, Dependencies, and Advanced tabs are the same for every resource. Some resource types support additional tabs.

Do not update the properties of a cluster object on multiple nodes simultaneously. For more information on multiple and simultaneous property updates, see the Microsoft Platform Software Development Kit (SDK).

Setting resource dependencies

The Cluster service uses the dependencies list when bringing resources online and offline. For example, if a group is brought online in which a physical disk and a file share are located, it is futile to try to bring the file share online before bringing the physical disk (on which the file share is located) online. It is important to remember this when you configure resources because the groups function properly only if these dependencies are correctly configured.

The following table shows resources and their dependencies. The resources in the right column must be configured before you create the resource.

Resource	Dependencies (required or recommended)
DHCP Service	Physical Disk or other storage class device (on which the files are located) Internet Protocol (IP) Address (for client access to the DHCP server) Network Name (for client access to the DHCP server)
Distributed Transaction Coordinator	Physical Disk or other storage class device
File Share	A file share that is configured as a DFS root has the following required dependency: Network Name A file share that is not DFS has no required dependencies. It is recommended that file share resources have the following dependencies: Physical Disk Network Name
Generic Application	Network Name
Generic Script	None
Generic Service	Network Name
IP Address	None
Local Quorum	None
Majority Node Set	None
Message Queuing	Physical Disk or other storage class device Network Name (so that remote clients can access it)
Network Name	IP Address (that you want to correspond to the name)
Physical Disk	None
Print Spooler	Physical Disk or other storage class device (on which the spool is located) Network Name (so that remote clients can access it)
Volume Shadow Copy Service Task	A Volume Shadow Copy Service Task resource has no required dependencies. However, Volume Shadow Copy Service Task resources that manage scheduled tasks for shadow copies have a required dependency on the Physical Disk resources for the volumes on which the volume shadow copies are located.
WINS Service	Physical Disk or other storage class device (on which the files are located) Network Name (for client access to the WINS server) Note The Network Name will, in turn, be dependent on the IP Address which is necessary for client access to the WINS server.

The New Resource Wizard enforces the use of resource dependencies.

Setting advanced resource properties

Use the Advanced tab of the resource Properties dialog box to:

Specify whether the Cluster service attempts to restart a resource or allows the resource to fail.
If you want the Cluster service to restart the resource, you must specify whether to affect the group. If you want the group to be failed over when this resource fails, select the Affect the group check box, and then enter the values you want in Threshold and Period. These values determine how many times the Cluster service attempts to restart the resource before failover and the amount of time in which the threshold number of restart attempts takes place. If the Affect the group check box is not selected, a failure of this resource never causes the group to fail over.
Specify how often the Cluster service makes a cursory check (Looks Alive) or in-depth check (Is Alive) to determine if a resource is in the online state.
Click Use resource type value to use the default number for the resource type.
Specify the amount of time that a resource in a pending state (Online Pending or Offline Pending) has to either resolve its status or report that it is making progress to the Resource Monitor before the Cluster service puts the resource in Failed status.

Setting resource parameters

Most resources have a resource-specific Parameters tab in their Properties dialog box. The following table lists each resource and its configurable parameters.

Resource	Configurable parameters
DHCP Service	You can enter the path to the DHCP database files and to the backup of the DHCP database files. You can enter the path to the audit log file stored by the DHCP service.
Distributed Transaction Coordinator	None.
File Share	You can use the Parameters tab for the File Share Properties dialog box to set permissions on the file share and limit the number of simultaneous users. Important When you create a new File Share resource, permissions for the Everyone group for that file share are automatically set by default to Read only. You can use Cluster Administrator or cluster.exe to change the default permissions. For more information, see View or set resource properties. You can also use the Parameters tab to set the name of the file share (because clients will detect it in their browse or explore lists), set the file share comment, and set the path to the shared files.
Generic Application	You can use the Parameters tab in the Generic Application Properties dialog box to specify the application command line, current directory, whether it uses the Network Name for the computer name, and whether or not it can interact with the desktop. Important It is recommended that you carefully consider the ways in which you interact with the server before you enable the Generic Application to interact with the desktop. This option is not valid in a number of scenarios, for example, administering a cluster either in a terminal server session or remotely using Emergency Management Services and an out-of-band connection.
Generic Script	You can use the Parameters tab for the Generic Script Properties dialog box to specify the path to the Visual Basic (VB) script file.
Generic Service	You can use the Parameters tab for the Generic Service Properties dialog box to specify the service name, startup parameters, and whether it uses the Network Name for the computer name.
IP Address	You can configure the IP address and subnet mask. You must also specify which cluster network to use and enable NetBIOS for the IP address.
Local Quorum	None.
Majority Node Set	None.
Message Queuing	None.
Network Name	You can configure the computer name parameter, enable Kerberos authentication, and indicate whether DNS registration failures are tolerated for the Network Name resource.
Physical Disk	You can specify only which drive to use for the Physical Disk resource. You cannot change this after the resource is created.
Print Spooler	You can configure the path to the Print Spooler folder and the job completion time-out for the Print Spooler resource.
Volume Shadow Copy Service Task	You can use the Parameters tab for the Volume Shadow Copy Service Task Properties dialog box to specify the command to run for the task (a combination of the Command to run and Command parameters fields), the working directory, and the schedule for running that command. Important These parameters are automatically set when you enable shadow copies on cluster nodes. For more information, see Enable Shadow Copies for Shared Folders in a cluster.
WINS Service	You can enter the path to the WINS database files and to the backup of the WINS database files.

Setting resource properties