Emergency Repair Disk Does Not Create Cluster Configuration Database

When you use an emergency repair disk that was created with Rdisk.exe, a backup copy of the cluster configuration database is not created.

To resolve this issue, use Regback.exe from the Microsoft Windows NT Resource Kit, in addition to your emergency repair disk, to back up the cluster registry.

To back up the cluster registry, type the following at a command prompt:
NOTE: filename must be a valid path and file name, for example, C:\Clusbak.

The exit error is 0 if the backup is successful. The exit error is 1 if you encounter a hive that requires manual backup. All other errors have an exit error 2.

To restore the cluster registry, follow these steps:

1. Stop the Cluster service on both nodes.
2. On Node1, click Start, click Run, and then type regedt32.
3. Locate and click the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Cluster
4. On the Registry menu, click Unload Hive.
5. Rename %SystemRoot%\Cluster\Clusdb and %SystemRoot%\Cluster\Clusdb.log to Clusdb.old and Clusdb.log.old respectively.
6. Rename your cluster registry backup file from Filename to Clusdb and copy it to the %SystemRoot%\Cluster directory
7. Repeat all of the previous steps on Node2 to replace the cluster directory database (Clusdb) on that computer.
8. On Node1, in Control Panel, click Services.
9. Enter the -NoQuorumLogging switch into the Parameters box of the Cluster service.
   
   NOTE: This procedure also works for Windows 2000. However, instead of starting the cluster service with the -noquorumlogging switch, use the -ResetQuorumLog switch. Then, it is not necessary to stop and restart the service; the resetquorumlog switch stops and restarts the service in one step.
   
   Important If this cluster is running Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 and the hotfix 872970 has previously been installed, you may start the cluster service normally and skip using -ResetQuorumLog.
10. Start the Cluster service.
11. Open Windows Explorer and delete the Quolog.log file and all the Chkxxx.tmp files from the Mscs folder on the quorum drive.
12. Stop the Cluster service, and restart it without using the -noquorumlogging switch.
    
    NOTE: The cluster re-creates the quorum log and checkpoint file.
13. Start the Cluster service on Node2

This behavior is by design.

Rdisk was only designed to back up system specific information. However, if you use Windows 2000 NTBackup.exe, you can back up and restore the cluster hive (Clusdb) if you click the Back up Local Registry (System State) option during a backup.

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: