How to configure MSDTC in a Windows 2000 cluster environment

After you install Cluster Server on Windows 2000 Advanced Server and configure Internet Information Services (IIS) or SQL Server, you may have to manually install Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) as a cluster instance. By default, Microsoft Windows installs MSDTC in the first group going alphabetically ordered in the Cluster Administrator that contains an IP address resource, Network Name Resource and a Disk Resource. Note This article assumes that the cluster has more than one shared disk.

SQL Server users must use the following SQL Server specific Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

To configure MSDTC in a Windows 2000 cluster, follow these steps.

Microsoft only supports the running of MSDTC on cluster nodes as a clustered resource. MSDTC running in stand-alone mode on a cluster is not a recommended or a supported configuration. Using MSDTC in as a non-clustered resource on a MSCS cluster is a problematic configuration because transactions might be orphaned, and data corruption might occur in the event of a cluster failover.

1. If the cluster group is the first group in Cluster Administrator, and you do not want to install MSDTC in this group, then open the Cluster Administrator on node A, and click to select the cluster group.
2. In the Cluster Administrator, create a group and name it Temp Group. Right-click the quorum disk resource, click Change Group, and then click Temp Group. A warning dialog box appears. Click Yes to dismiss the warning, and then click Yes in the Move Resource dialog box.
   
   Note Make sure that you note the disk letter before you move the disk resource. If you want to install MSDTC in the cluster group, see step 7.
3. If you have any other groups in Cluster Administrator other than the one in which you want to install MSDTC, and they have three resources that contain an IP address resource, Network Name Resource and a Disk Resource, then you must also move the disk from that specific group to the Temp Group. Now, there is only one group left in the Cluster Administrator that meets the IP, Network Name and Disk requirements. That is where Windows will install MSDTC.
4. Close Cluster Administrator.
5. At a command prompt on node A, type
   
   comclust
   
   and then press ENTER. After Comclust completes, the program returns you to the DOS command prompt.
6. Do not close the DOS command prompt. Move to node B.
7. At a command prompt on node B, type
   
   comclust
   
   and then press ENTER. After Comclust completes, the program returns you to the DOS command prompt.
8. Close the command prompt on node B first, and then close the command prompt on node A.
9. Click to select the Temp Group to which you moved the quorum disk and other disks (step 4), and then move the disks back to their original groups.
10. Right-click the quorum disk resource, click Change Group, and then click Cluster Group. A warning dialog box appears. Click Yes to dismiss the warning, and then click Yes in the Move Resource dialog box.
11. Click to select your Web or your SQL Server group.
12. Bring the MSDTC instance online.
13. Move your Web or your SQL Server group to node B, and back, to test whether MSDTC is configured correctly on both nodes. You should have an active MSDTC instance in your Web or your SQL Server group.

For additional information about configuring MSDTC in a Windows Server 2003 cluster, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: