Summary
It is easier to configure high availability in Windows Server 2008 failover clusters then it is in earlier versions of Microsoft clustering technology. In Windows Server 2008, you can use the Failover Cluster Management snap-in to configure highly available services or highly available applications. The Failover Cluster Management snap-in involves some configuration wizards that enable you to configure high availability for specific types of services or applications on a step-by-step basis.
For example, you can use these wizards to configure file servers, Distributed File System (DFS) namespaces, print servers, and so on. After you complete a wizard, a service group or an application group is set to the “Online” state on one of the nodes in the failover cluster.
For example, you can use these wizards to configure file servers, Distributed File System (DFS) namespaces, print servers, and so on. After you complete a wizard, a service group or an application group is set to the “Online” state on one of the nodes in the failover cluster.
More Information
One of the design goals for Windows Server 2008 failover clustering is to make the configuration and the administration of a cluster much easier for users. To achieve this goal, many configuration wizards are used to configure high availability on a step-by-step basis. Most of the time, the Configure a Service or Application action is used to start the High Availability Wizard. However, some advanced procedures are required to configure additional cluster resources in some highly available application groups or services groups that are already configured.
The Add a resource action is available for all highly available service groups or application groups. You can use this action to configure the following resources:
After you create and configure a resource by using the Add a resource action, the resource is set to the “Offline” state. This enables you to complete additional configurations.
All resources that do not use the New Resource Wizard require some additional configurations. To perform these additional configurations, you must understand how cluster resources work and what additional configuration steps are required for each resource type. You must also know whether a role or a feature must be configured to support the resource. For example, if you add a Print Spooler resource, you must complete the following additional configuration steps before you bring the resource to the “Online” state:
The Add a resource action is available for all highly available service groups or application groups. You can use this action to configure the following resources:
- Client Access Point
- Generic Application
- Generic Script
- Generic Service
- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Service
- Distributed Transaction Coordinator
- File Server
- IP Address
- IPv6 Address
- IPv6 Tunnel Address
- iSNS Server (iSNS ClusRes)
- NFS Share
- Print Spooler
- Volume Shadow Copy Service Task
- Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) Server
After you create and configure a resource by using the Add a resource action, the resource is set to the “Offline” state. This enables you to complete additional configurations.
All resources that do not use the New Resource Wizard require some additional configurations. To perform these additional configurations, you must understand how cluster resources work and what additional configuration steps are required for each resource type. You must also know whether a role or a feature must be configured to support the resource. For example, if you add a Print Spooler resource, you must complete the following additional configuration steps before you bring the resource to the “Online” state:
- Add the Print Server role on each node in the cluster.
- Modify the properties of the Print Spooler resource to include dependencies for a Network Name resource and for a Physical Disk resource.
| Resource Type | Additional Configuration Tasks |
|---|---|
| DHCP Service | DHCP Server Role installed Dependencies for a Physical Disk resource and for a Network Name resource |
| Distributed Transaction Coordinator | Dependencies for a Network Name resource and for a Physical Disk resource |
| File Server | Dependencies for a Network Name resource and for a Physical Disk resource |
| IP Address | Cluster Network Selection IP Address configuration (Static or DHCP) |
| IPv6 Address | Cluster Network Selection Address Configuration |
| IPv6 Tunnel Address | IPv6 configured on the cluster node ISATAP Router availability |
| iSNS Server (iSNS ClusRes) | Internet Storage Name Server Feature installed |
| NFS Share | File Server Role installed Services for Network File System service (part of File Server Role) Dependencies for a Network Name resource and for a Physical Disk resource |
| Print Spooler | Print Server Role installed Dependencies for a Network Name resource and for a Physical Disk resource |
| Volume Shadow Copy Service Task | Command line information (command, parameters) Physical disk dependency |
| WINS Service | WINS Feature installed Dependencies for a Network Name resource and for a Physical Disk resource |
| Distributed File System | DFS Namespace Server File Server Role installed Dependencies for a Network Name resource and for a Physical Disk resource |
References
For more information about the "Shadow Copies for Shared Folders" technology, visit the following Microsoft Web site: