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Create a Windows Server 2003 Two-Node Cluster

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Cluster Installation

Installation Overview

During the installation process, some nodes will be shut down while others are being installed. This step helps guarantee that data on disks attached to the shared bus is not lost or corrupted. This can happen when multiple nodes simultaneously try to write to a disk that is not protected by the cluster software. The default behavior of how new disks are mounted has been changed in Windows 2003 Server from the behavior in the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 operating system. In Windows 2003, logical disks that are not on the same bus as the boot partition will not be automatically mounted and assigned a drive letter. This helps ensure that the server will not mount drives that could possibly belong to another server in a complex SAN environment.

Although the drives will not be mounted, it is still recommended that you follow the procedures below to be certain the shared disks will not become corrupted.

Use the table below to determine which nodes and storage devices should be turned on during each step.

The steps in this guide are for a two-node cluster. However, if you are installing a cluster with more than two nodes, the Node 2 column lists the required state of all other nodes.

Several steps must be taken before configuring the Cluster service software. These steps are:

  • Installing Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition or Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition operating system on each node.
  • Setting up networks.
  • Setting up disks.

Perform these steps on each cluster node before proceeding with the installation of cluster service on the first node.

To configure the cluster service, you must be logged on with an account that has administrative permissions to all nodes. Each node must be a member of the same domain. If you choose to make one of the nodes a domain controller, have another domain controller available on the same subnet to eliminate a single point of failure and enable maintenance on that node.

Installing the Windows 2003 Operating System

Refer to the documentation you received with the Windows Server 2003 operating system package to install the system on each node in the cluster.

Before configuring the cluster service, you must be logged on locally with a domain account that is a member of the local administrators group.

Note: The installation will fail if you attempt to join a node to a cluster that has a blank password for the local administrator account. For security reasons, Windows Server 2003 prohibits blank administrator passwords.

Setting Up Networks

Note: For this section, power down all shared storage devices and then power up all nodes. Do not let both nodes access the shared storage device at the same time until cluster services is installed on at least one node and that node is online.

Each cluster node requires at least two adapters – one to connect to a public network and one to connect to a private network consisting of cluster nodes only.

The private network adapter establishes node-to-node communications, cluster status signals and cluster management. Each node’s public network adapter connects the cluster to the public network where clients reside.

Note: To eliminate possible communication issues refer to Knowledge Base (KB) article Q258750 – Recommended Private “HeartBeat” Configuration on a Cluster Server.

Verify that all network connections are correct, with private network adapters connected to other private network adapters only, and public network adapters connected to the public network. The connections are illustrated in Figure 7 below. Run these steps on each cluster node before proceeding with shared disk setup.

Teaming Network Adapters

Perform these steps on the first node in the cluster. Please note that the following screens assume an HP interface. If you are setting up a Dell, please refer to appendix H. To provide for network redundancy, HP provides a utility to group network adapters in teams, which can provide for fault tolerance and/or load balancing.

  1. To open the HP Network Configuration Utility, click on the Icon located in the system tray, as shown in the figure below.
  2. The HP Network Configuration Utility property window will open and show the installed network adapters
  3. Select the appropriate adapters for the Private Network Team by clicking on the adapter names.
  4. On the Teaming Setup selection box, select Team. The utility will perform the necessary configuration and change the properties of the team as shown below.
  5. Repeat the process for the Public Network Team as in steps 3-4.
  6. Highlight the network Team and then click on the Properties button. The following screen is displayed.
  7. Ensure that the Team Type Selection is set to Network Fault Tolerance Only (NFT), then click OK
  8. Repeat steps 5-8 for the Public Network Team

Configuring the Private Network Adapter

  1. Right-click My Network Places and then click Properties.
  2. Right-click the Private Network Team icon
  3. Click Status. The Private Network Team Status window shows the connection status, as well as the speed of connection. If the window shows that the network is disconnected, examine cables and connections to resolve the problem before proceeding. Click Close.
  4. Right-click Private Network Team again, click Properties, and click Configure.
  5. Click Advanced. The window shown in the figure below should appear
  6. Network adapter on the private network should be set to the actual speed of the network, rather then default automated speed selection. Select your network speed from the drop-down list. Do not use and Auto-select setting for speed. Some adapters may drop packets while determining the speed. To set the network adapter speed, click on appropriate option such as Media Type or Speed.
    All network adapters in the cluster that are attached to the same network must be identically configured to use the same Duplex Mode, Flow Control, Media Type, and so on. These settings should remain the same even if the hardware is different.
  7. Right click My Network Places
  8. Right Click the Private Network Team and select Properties
  9. Click Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
  10. Click Properties
  11. Click the radio-button for Use the following IP address and type in the address that has been assigned by the system administrator.
  12. Type in a subnet mask, which has been assigned by the system administrator
  13. Click the Advanced radio-button and select the WINS tab. Select Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP.
  14. Click OK to return to the previous menu.

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