You cannot configure a Hyper-V virtual machine by using Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering when the virtual machine uses a storage device that is managed by a third-party clustered file system or a third-party replication solution

When a virtual machine uses a storage device that is managed by a third-party clustered file system or by a third-party replication solution, you cannot configure a Hyper-V virtual machine by using Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering. You receive the following error message:This issue prevents high availability deployment of Hyper-V under the following circumstances:

• You use a clustered file system that has a Storage Area Network (SAN).
• You use a solution that uses replication to keep VHD data consistent between the nodes in the cluster.

This issue occurs because the Windows Server 2008 Failover Cluster virtual machine High Availability Role Wizard cannot determine whether the storage is located on a shared clustered disk that will be available after a failover. Therefore, the High Availability Role Wizard reports the error message that is mentioned in the "Symptoms" section.

The VHD and all configuration data are required to be shared across all nodes in a cluster. If the VHD and configuration data reside on a local disk, you may have to configure a shared clustered physical disk.

There may be a valid configuration for the High Availability Role Wizard if you are using one of the following to keep virtual machine data synchronized on all nodes:

• A third-party clustered file system
• A third-party storage resource
• A third-party replication solution

However, the High Availability Role Wizard rejects the valid configuration because the High Availability Role Wizard cannot verify configuration.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problem described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix, you must have the following software updates and features installed or enabled:

• Failover clustering feature is installed
• Cluster not using cluster-managed shared storage
• Hyper-V update for Windows Server 2008 (KB950050) is installed
• Windows Server 2008

Restart requirement

You have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows Server 2008, x64-based versions

This hotfix updates the Failover Cluster Management "Configure a Service or Application" business logic that is related to the virtual machine role.

Before you install this hotfix, the High Availability Role Wizard return an error message that states that the configuration cannot be clustered and that the virtual machine will not be added to the cluster. This occurs if a virtual machine is stored on a disk that is not verified by the cluster.

This hotfix changes this error message to a warning message. Additionally, the details of the warning message are provided in the report that is at the end of the wizard. The warning states that the configuration is not located on a storage disk that can verified by the cluster. It does allow for the virtual machine to be added to the cluster or to be made highly available.

You must contact your vendor to make sure that your storage is configured correctly and that virtual machine data is available to all nodes.

Note This hotfix applies only to the Windows Server 2008 x64-based platform.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Additional file information for Windows Server 2008

Additional files for all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008