Step 3: Set Up Failover Clustering and File Services for Servers that Will Run the Head Node

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Applies To: Windows HPC Server 2008 R2

This section describes how to set up your failover cluster and prepare it to work with Windows HPC Server 2008 R2:

  1. Install the File Services role

  2. Install the Failover Clustering feature

  3. Validate the failover cluster configuration

  4. Create the failover cluster

  5. Verify the configuration of the shared storage

  6. Configure networks for communication within the failover cluster

Install the File Services role

The File Services role is required by Setup in HPC Pack 2008 R2.

To install the File Services role on the servers that will run head node services

  1. If you recently installed Windows Server 2008 R2, the Initial Configuration Tasks interface is displayed. If this interface is displayed, under Customize This Server, click Add roles. Then skip to step 3.

  2. If the Initial Configuration Tasks interface is not displayed and Server Manager is not running, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager. (If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Yes.)

    In Server Manager, under Roles Summary, click Add Roles.

  3. In the Add Roles Wizard, if the Before You Begin page appears, click Next.

  4. From the list of server roles, select File Services, and then click Next twice.

  5. On the Select Role Services page, select File Server, click Next, and then click Install.

  6. Follow the instructions in the wizard to complete the installation of the role.

  7. Repeat this process for each server that you want to include in the failover cluster that will run head node services.

Install the Failover Clustering feature

In this step, you install the Failover Clustering feature. Also, if you plan to use service-oriented architecture (SOA), you apply a hotfix rollup for Windows Communication Foundation (WCF).

To install the Failover Clustering feature on the servers that will run head node services

  1. If you recently installed Windows Server 2008 R2, the Initial Configuration Tasks interface is displayed. If this interface is displayed, under Customize This Server, click Add features. Then skip to step 3.

  2. If the Initial Configuration Tasks interface is not displayed and Server Manager is not running, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager. (If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Yes.)

    In Server Manager, under Features Summary, click Add Features.

  3. In the Add Features Wizard, click Failover Clustering, click Next, and then click Install.

  4. Follow the instructions in the wizard to complete the installation of the feature.

  5. If you plan to use service-oriented architecture (SOA), you must apply a hotfix rollup for Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) to the server. For more information, see:

  6. Repeat the process for each server that you want to include in the failover cluster that will run head node services.

Validate the failover cluster configuration

Before you create a failover cluster, we strongly recommend that you validate your configuration. Validation helps you confirm that the configuration of your servers, network, and storage meets a set of specific requirements for failover clusters. Use an account that has local administrator rights on both servers.

To validate the failover cluster configuration on the servers that will run head node services

  1. To open the failover cluster snap-in, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Failover Cluster Manager. (If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Yes.)

  2. Confirm that Failover Cluster Manager is selected, and then in the center pane under Management, click Validate a Configuration.

  3. Follow the instructions in the wizard to specify the two servers that will run head node services in a failover cluster (do not specify any other servers). Also specify the validation tests, and then run the tests. To fully validate your configuration, you must run all tests. This may take several minutes. The storage tests are extensive, but they are worthwhile when you are setting up failover clustering for the first time.

  4. The Summary page appears after the tests run. To view Help topics that can help you interpret the results, click More about cluster validation tests.

  5. While still on the Summary page, click View Report and read the test results.

    Note

    To view the results of the tests after you close the wizard, see

    SystemRoot\Cluster\Reports\Validation Report date and time.html

    (where SystemRoot is the folder in which the operating system is installed, for example, C:\Windows).

  6. As necessary, make changes in the configuration, and then rerun the tests.

Create the failover cluster

To create a failover cluster, you run the Create Cluster Wizard from the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in on one of the servers. Use an account that has local administrator rights on both servers.

To run the Create Cluster Wizard

  1. To open the failover cluster snap-in, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Failover Cluster Manager. (If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Yes.)

  2. Confirm that Failover Cluster Manager is selected, and then in the center pane under Management, click Create a Cluster.

  3. Follow the instructions in the wizard to specify the following:

    • The servers that you want to include in the failover cluster. Specify both servers, because the server that you are currently running is not automatically added. Some checking occurs, to confirm that the two servers can contact each other. If the checking fails, review and correct your network setup. (If you ran the failover cluster validation in step 2, the checking probably will not fail).

    • An access point (a network name and associated IP address information) for administering the cluster. You will use the name for administering the cluster, not for referring to the instance of the head node in the failover cluster.

      To create an access point, choose a network name for the failover cluster, for example, Failover_Clus1. This action creates a corresponding computer account (object) in Active Directory that uses this name, and it grants full control of that account to your user account. The access point includes one or more IP addresses, which can be IPv6 addresses, IPv4 addresses supplied through DHCP, or static IPv4 addresses.

  4. After the wizard runs and the Summary page appears, to view a report of the tasks that the wizard performed, click View Report.

Verify the configuration of the shared storage

In this step, you confirm that the shared storage is accessible to the failover cluster and that the failover cluster quorum is configured to include a disk witness.

To verify the configuration of the shared storage for the failover cluster that will run head node services

  1. To open the failover cluster snap-in, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Failover Cluster Manager. (If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Yes.)

  2. In the console tree, if the failover cluster that you created is not displayed, right-click Failover Cluster Manager, click Manage a Cluster, and then select the cluster on this server.

  3. In the console tree, expand the failover cluster that you created.

  4. Click Storage. You should see that the shared storage is added to the Storage container. If not, in the Action pane, click Add a Disk and add the appropriate disks. (If you do not see your disks in the resulting dialog box, rerun the storage validation tests.)

  5. If one of the disks has the label Disk Witness in Quorum, you can skip steps 6 through 10.

    Failover Cluster Manager, Summary of Storage

  6. If necessary, configure the failover cluster quorum so that it includes a disk witness. In the console tree, right-click the fully qualified domain name of the failover cluster, click More Actions, and then click Configure Cluster Quorum Settings.

  7. In the Configure Cluster Quorum Wizard, if the Before You Begin page appears, click Next.

  8. In Select Quorum Configuration, view the selection. If Node and Disk Majority is already selected, click Next. Otherwise, select Node and Disk Majority, and then click Next. (If Node and Disk Majority is already selected, a disk witness was added to the quorum configuration during setup.)

  9. In Configure Storage Witness, if needed, expand the entries to see the drive letter or other information about a disk. Then ensure that the disk that is chosen is the one you want to use as the disk witness. You can use a relatively small disk for the disk witness, but no smaller than 512 MB.

  10. If you have made changes to the quorum configuration, follow the instructions to finish the wizard. Otherwise, click Cancel.

Configure networks for communication within the failover cluster

In this step, you configure the networks for communication within the failover cluster to ensure that they provide client access.

To configure the networks for communication within the failover cluster that will run head node services

  1. In Failover Cluster Manager, to view the networks, in the console tree, select Networks. In the Cluster Use column, if a network that you want the failover cluster to use for communication with other computers is not listed as “Enabled,” right-click the network, click Properties, and then make sure that Allow cluster network communication on this network and Allow clients to connect through this network are selected.

    Failover cluster Network Properties dialog box

    Important

    Ensure that you configure each network that is used by the HPC cluster to provide client access. The networks that are in use are determined by the network topology selected for the HPC cluster.

  2. Click OK twice.

Additional references

Step 4: Configure a Clustered File Server for the Head Node in Windows HPC Server 2008 R2