topic Re: Cluster Server win2003 in Windows Server 2003

Cluster Server win2003

Kennethyap — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 00:21:23 GMT

Dear Experts,
Currently, I hv 2 window 2003 advance server running MS Cluster. Both server using MSA1000 storage.
My plan now to migrate storage from MSA1000 to EVA4000.
Question, Is the any effect from the MS Cluster? After migration the share directory still remain to original directory name.

Thks

Re: Cluster Server win2003

raadek — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 03:33:38 GMT

Almost none.

With EVA you will be able to have active-active failover config, so you should install OS-specific failover software - MPIO DSM Full Feature for Windows - Available on HP web.

Rgds.

Re: Cluster Server win2003

Kennethyap — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 03:50:41 GMT

What are the step needed to do on MS cluster site for storage migration?

Re: Cluster Server win2003

Paul Slijkhuis — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 02:07:20 GMT

In theory you should stop all Exchange and cluster services, migrate the storage hardware, restart cluster and Exchange services.

To do this: run all cluster services on a single node, upgrade the passive node with the new hardware, fail-over all services to the upgraded node, upgrade the other node.

It is very important that you realize this scenario is possible because of the location of Exchange databases, logfiles, cluster Quorum disk are confirm the best practices by Microsoft.

In the end it is good to know you should have 2 machines that are 100% identical. Otherwise clustering will not run good.

my 2 cents, Paul

Re: Cluster Server win2003

raadek — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 03:12:13 GMT

Paul's scenario is relevant to server hardware migration, while you are aiming to migrate your storage.

Unless you have storage virtualisation, you cannot do that on-line. You really have to migrate your LUNs to the new storage subsystem WHILE the cluster is shut down, then present your new LUNs with data & quorum to cluster nodes, then restart your cluster.

Rgds.

Re: Cluster Server win2003

Kennethyap — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 04:29:22 GMT

Any configuration to be concert.. I will shutdown the cluster and present new disk to both server and copy data to new disk and change to new disk drive name to original name. Lastly rename the existing disk. and reconfigure quorum disk. startup the cluster.

Re: Cluster Server win2003

raadek — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 05:04:50 GMT

I think this is a very handy step-by-step guide:
http://msmvps.com/blogs/clusterhelp/archive/2005/08/05/61741.aspx

Rgds.

Re: Cluster Server win2003

raadek — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 05:13:46 GMT

In your case you will also need to instal beforehand EVA MPIO software on your hosts to allow multipathing.

Re: Cluster Server win2003

Steven Clementi — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 10:14:20 GMT

The only comment I do not like in that link provided....

"(no, you do not have to worry about disk signatures as applications don't understand disk signatures and don't care about anything other than drive letters) "

Yes, the app does not care, but the cluster will care. Windows 2003 Cluster will fail to start if the disk signatures are not the same. To properly "replace" your disks, you can use the Cluster Recovery Utility available from MS.

" http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2be7ebf0-a408-4232-9353-64aafd65306d&DisplayLang=en "

There are other, perhaps more quicker methods... but the CRU provides a gui interface.

Steven