INF: Order of Installation for SQL Server 6.5 MSMQ 1.0 Clustering Setup

When you set up a new SQL Server for clustering, Microsoft recommends a specific order of installation. This article documents the optimal procedure for installing multiple Microsoft products, including Internet Information Server (IIS), Cluster Server, SQL Server, Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC), and/or Microsoft Message Queue Server (MSMQ), for use in a cluster environment.

NOTE: All Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 and 7.0 Cluster customers should upgrade to Microsoft SQL Server 2000 as soon as it is available to them. The following tools, features, and components are supported with failover clustering in SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition:

• Microsoft Search service (Full Text)
• Multiple instances
• SQL Server Enterprise Manager
• Service Control Manager
• Replication
• SQL Profiler
• SQL Query Analyzer
• SQL Mail

The SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services (OLAP) component is not supported for failover clustering.

Failure to install the programs in the order provided in this article may cause the software products to fail on installation and/or require that the disk be reformatted and installation restarted.

Order of Installation Using Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition

WARNING: You must install Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) completely on at least one node before you run Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition simultaneously on both nodes. When using MSCS, it is critical that one node be in control of the shared SCSI bus prior to the other node coming online. Failure to do so can cause the application failover to go into an "Online Pending" state and either not ever fail over to the other node or totally fail.

1. Install Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition. (This product includes Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3.)
   
   Service Pack 3 is required to complete the Windows 4.0 Enterprise Edition installation. Do not go directly to Service Pack 4 (or later) for Windows NT if you intend to install the Windows NT Option pack. Do not install Internet Information Server (IIS) during the installation of Windows NT. By default, IIS is installed and it is recommended that you clear this option during the Windows NT install process to prevent installation.
2. Please install Internet Explorer 4.x or 5.x now. A copy may be obtained from http://www.microsoft.com/ie (http://www.microsoft.com/ie) or from the Windows NT Service Pack 4 compact disk.
   
   WARNING: Do not install Windows Service Pack 4 at this time.
3. Create a service account for SQL or if you already have one verify its policies so that it has been granted the right to:
   1. Act as part of the operating system.
   2. Logon as a service.
   3. Logon locally.
   and is part of the local Adminstrators group on both nodes.
   
   WARNING: If at some later date you need to change the SQL service accounts on a cluster SQL server (SQL Virtual Server) you must do it in this order:
   1. Ensure that the SQL Virtual Servers resource group is owned by the node from which it was initially installed.
   2. Run the Cluster Failover Wizard and choose the option to remove the SQL Virtual Server.
   3. Change the service accounts for the MSSQLServer and/or the SQLExecutiveto the desired account. This account must still meet the criteria as shown earlier.
   4. Run the Cluster Failover Wizard to add back the SQL Virtual Server.
4. Install Microsoft Clustering on each node.
   
   NOTE: If you are using the Active/Passive model, set both computers to use the same drive letter for drives to be used as the cluster disk resource; if you are using the Active/Active model, the drive letters should be sequential.
5. If MSMQ is required, you should install it now. If it is not required, proceed to step 8. If you need an MSMQ Primary Site Controller (PSC) installed on the cluster, you need to delete the site from the Primary Enterprise Controller (PEC) after installing on Node1, but before installing on Node2. Otherwise, use the MSMQ cluster install instructions provided in the release notes.
   
   For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   188685  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188685/EN-US/ ) HOWTO: Install an MSMQ PSC on Microsoft Cluster Server
   NOTE: The version of SQL Server installed by MSMQ has a default sort order of Code Page 51, which provides the reverse case sensitivity of a standard SQL Server installation.
6. Switch all services to Manual mode; however, do not touch the following services (if present):
   • Alerter
   • Cluster Service
   • Computer Browser
   • Event Log
   • License Logging Service
   • Messenger
   • Net Logon
   • NTLM Security Support Provider
   • Network Connectors
   • Plug and Play
   • Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator
   • Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Service
   • Server
   • Spooler
   • TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
   • Time Service
   • Workstation
   
   NOTE: Some installations may not have all of these services, because this list covers both Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition and Windows 2000 Advanced Server.
7. Close Control Panel and reboot the server. This clears memory of DLLs loaded by services; otherwise, these services would remain in memory and hold locks on system resources.
8. Install SQL Server 6.5 Enterprise Edition on the cluster, as directed in the WhatsNew document located in the I386 directory of the SQL Server 6.5 Enterprise Edition compact disk. Pay special attention to the portion of this process that is different depending on the cluster model being used. You can only do installations of SQL Server to both nodes if each node has its own shared resource.
   
   WARNING: All SQL Server functionality including SQL Server Performance Monitor counters must be verified prior to clustering SQL Server.
   
   NOTE: If MSMQ is installed and the limited SQL Server required by MSMQ servers is installed, you should upgrade it according to the procedure described in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   183672  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/183672/EN-US/ ) HOWTO: Upgrade a Clustered MSMQ SQL to SQL Enterprise Edition
9. Install SQL Service Pack 5a. SQL Service Pack 5a is available for download at:
   ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/sql/public/fixes/usa/SQL65/Sp5/ (ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/sql/public/fixes/usa/SQL65/Sp5/)
   Service Pack 5a attempts to install a clustered version of DTC. It is recommended that you do not install DTC as part of the service pack installation but instead install it after SQL has been re-clustered. This means that you WILL NOT need to create resources for DTC specifically as stated in the Readme file. This DTC group needs to be owned by the first node on which you install Service Pack 5a. When you later apply Service Pack 5a on other nodes of the cluster, make sure the DTC group remains owned by the first node. If you fail to create the resources as described in the Readme file, you will receive a "resource not found error" when DTCSetup is run during the service pack installation. If this occurs, cancel the error message by clicking OK, and then allow the service pack installation to continue.
10. From the Mssql\Cluster directory, run Clustwiz.exe. If SQL Server Service Pack 5a was not installed, go to the SQL Server 6.5, Enterprise Edition CD-ROM, and double-click the SQL Cluster Setup icon to start the SQL Cluster setup.
11. Install the Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack. For additional help please refer to:
    
    
    How to Install Windows NT Option Pack on a Cluster ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/winnt/winnt-docs/papers/ntop.exe (ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/winnt/winnt-docs/papers/ntop.exe)
    NOTE: If DTC is installed, the DTC log must be installed to the cluster disk resource. When setting this up, after clustering is installed, do not click OK to restart Node1 until AFTER you have installed Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack to Node2. At the end of the installation on Node2, click OK and allow it to restart. Then and only then, click OK to restart Node1.
12. Immediately install the Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack. When installing the service pack make sure you choose to create an uninstall directory and use the Year 2000 setup from the CD-ROM. This can be done by selecting to install from the choice in the frame on the right side of the screen that appears when the compact disk auto runs.
    
    NOTE: Prior to installing Windows NT Service Packs, it is recommended you verify that your current Windows NT Service Pack uninstall directory has been renamed. It is also recommended that you rename the hidden directory, $NTServicePackUninstall$, to $NTServicePackUninstall$.SP4 and then rename it again after installing any future Service Packs, by adding .SPx as the extension, where x is the Service Pack number. This way you have uninstall directories available, should you need them. This also prevents the directories from being accidentally overwritten.
    
    For more information about installing Windows NT Service Pack 4 on a cluster, see the Readme.txt file included with Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4. Also, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    174799  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/174799/EN-US/ ) How to Install Service Packs in a Cluster
13. Install the current Windows NT Service Pack.
14. Install any additional server products before installing any user applications.

WARNING: SQL Mail is not fully supportable when used on a SQL Server Failover Cluster due to the MAPI limitation of not being cluster-aware. Support for SQL Mail when used with clustering can only be provided on a "reasonable effort" basis with no guarantees of stability or availability.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in SQL Server 6.5, 7.0, and 2000 when used with failover clustering.

Order of Installation using Windows 2000 Overview

WARNING: You must install MSCS completely on at least one node before you run Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition simultaneously on both nodes. When using MSCS, it is critical that one node be in control of the shared SCSI bus prior to the other node coming online. Failure to do so may cause application failover to go into an "Online Pending" state and either not ever failover to the other node or totally fail.

1. Install Windows 2000 RC3 or later, accepting the default application choices.
2. After installing Windows 2000 on the first node (and prior to installing MSCS), from the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools and then select Configure Your Server.
3. In the dialog box, select Choose Advanced\Cluster Service, and then from the right side, choose Learn More.
4. Review item 2 under Windows Clustering. This is the type of clustering you will be setting up and installing for SQL Server 7.0, Enterprise Edition to use.
   
   IMPORTANT: It is necessary to read the section on "Planning for Windows Clustering\Requirements" for server clusters and to follow the checklist for server clusters named "Checklist: Creating a server cluster". This information is located under the "Server Clusters" section and "Checklist" for server clusters.
5. Create a service account for SQL. If you already have one verify its policies so that it has:
   
   
   1. Right to act as part of the operating system.
   2. Logon as a service.
   3. Logon locally.
   and is part of the local Administrators group on both nodes.
   
   NOTE: This requires a Domain Administrators account to set up the domain policy. For assistance, refer to "Windows 2000 Group Policy Scenarios" at:
   http://technet.microsoft.com/library/Bb742376.aspx (http://technet.microsoft.com/library/Bb742376.aspx)
   WARNING: If at some later date you need to change the SQL service accounts on a cluster SQL server (SQL Virtual Server) you must do it in this order:
   1. Ensure that the SQL Virtual Servers resource group is owned by the node from which it was initially installed.
   2. Run the Cluster Failover Wizard and choose the option to remove the SQL Virtual Server.
   3. Change the service accounts for the MSSQLServer and/or the SQLExecutive to the desired account. This account must still meet the criteria as shown earlier.
   4. Run the Cluster Failover Wizard to add back the SQL Virtual Server.
6. Switch all services to Manual mode; however, do not touch the following services (if present):
   • Alerter
   • Cluster Service
   • Computer Browser
   • Distributed File System
   • Distributed Link Tracking Client
   • Distributed Link Tracking Server
   • DNS Client
   • Event Log
   • IPSEC Policy Agent
   • License Logging Service
   • Logical Disk Manager
   • Messenger
   • Net Logon
   • NTLM Security Support Provider
   • Network Connectors
   • Plug and Play
   • Process Control
   • Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator
   • Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Service
   • Remote Registry Service
   • Removable Storage
   • Security Accounts Manager
   • Server
   • Spooler
   • TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
   • Time Service
   • Windows Management Instrumentation Driver Extensions
   • Windows Time Service
   • Workstation
   
   NOTE: Some installations may not have all of these services, because this list covers both Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition and Windows 2000 Advanced Server.
7. Close Control Panel and reboot the server. This clears memory of DLLs loaded by services; otherwise, these services would remain in memory and hold locks on system resources.
8. Install SQL Server 6.5 Enterprise Edition on the cluster, as directed in the WhatsNew document located in the I386 directory of the SQL Server 6.5 Enterprise Edition compact disk. Pay special attention to the portion of this process that is different depending on the cluster model being used. You can only do installations of SQL server to both nodes if each node has its own shared resource.
   
   WARNING: All SQL Server functionality including SQL Server Performance Monitor counters must be verified prior to clustering SQL Server.
9. Install SQL Service Pack 5a. SQL Service Pack 5a is available for download at:
   ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/sql/public/fixes/usa/SQL65/Sp5/ (ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/sql/public/fixes/usa/SQL65/Sp5/)
   IMPORTANT: After you have successfully clustered SQL, you will need to make Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC) cluster aware (if it is not already).
10. From the Mssql\Cluster directory, run Clustwiz.exe. If SQL Server Service Pack 5a was not installed, go to the SQL Server 6.5, Enterprise Edition CD-ROM, and double-click the SQL Cluster Setup icon to start the SQL Cluster setup.
11. From the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then select Cluster Administrator. In the dialog box, select View Groups\Cluster Group. If the group contains a MSDTC resource then MSDTC is already clustered. If not, complete the following two steps.
12. From the Start menu, point to Run and enter Comclust.exe in the dialog box. Choose OK.
13. Repeat the previous step on the remaining node.
    
    NOTE: If Comclust.exe runs prior to installing SQL, the Clustered DTC resource will be created in the Cluster group or the first group it finds containing the following three resources:
    
    • IP Address
    • Network Name
    • Cluster Disk
14. Install any additional server products before installing any user applications.

WARNING: SQL Mail is not fully supportable when used on a SQL Server Failover Cluster due to the MAPI limitation of not being cluster-aware. Support for SQL Mail when used with clustering can only be provided on a "reasonable effort" basis with no guarantees of stability or availability.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in SQL Server 6.5, 7.0, and 2000 when used with failover clustering.

SQL Service Pack Installations

When installing Service packs to clustered SQL servers you are required to uncluster all clustered SQL Servers on the cluster before you install the service packs.

Running the SQL CLuster Wizard on a already clustered SQL Server allows you to choose to remove the virtual server you created. After appling the SQL service pack you then run the SQL Cluster Wizard to re-cluster SQL.