Setting up an active/active SQL 7 cluster

[Ayman Altounji]

I am trying to set up a CL380 with an active/active configuration for SQL 7, and was wondering what the best way to do this would be? Should I install SQL on either of the nodes, or just on the shared storage array? I think you can do it just on the array, and I was planning on using 2 drives for the .exe's (RAID1), and 2 for the logs (RAID1), and use the remaining drives for the data and temp files in a RAID 0+1 drive. Will this work? Thanks in advance for your help.

[Ayman Altounji]

it should work, but i'd read about it first on:
http://www.microsoft.com/SQL/techinfo/Cluster.htm
good luck

[Ayman Altounji]

Basically if you want SQL7 Active/Active on a 2000 Windows cluster you need at least three logical drives, one for Quorum (obviously) one for node A SOL and one for node I SOL. As for install procedure, install MSCS make sure that works OK, run comclust from cm line to cluster MSDTC for SOL on Both Nodes. Install SQL7 on node A to one of the remaining two logical drives, then install SQL7 on Node I to the remaining logical drive. Service pack SOL on both nodes, then run the cluster wizard on Node A to create youre first virtual SQL server, make sure that it all works and you can failover the group to the second node and back again. Then run the SQL cluster wizard again on Node B and create another virtual SQL server, follow the same checks as before to prove it all works. As far as creating multiple RAID sets is concerned, whilst this would give you optimum performance it is not realistic for the CL380 and SQL7 active/active configuration so i have just created a single RAID 5 set and created the required logical drives.

[Ayman Altounji]

Basically if you want SQL7 Active/Active on a 2000 Windows cluster you need at least three logical drives, one for Quorum (obviously) one for node A SQL and one for node B SQL. As for install procedure, install MSCS make sure that works OK, run comclust from cmd line to cluster MSDTC for SQL on Both Nodes. Install SQL7 on node A to one of the remaining two logical drives, then install SQL7 on Node B to the remaining logical drive. Service pack SQL on both nodes, then run the cluster wizard on Node A to create youre first virtual SQL server, make sure that it all works and you can failover the group to the second node and back again. Then run the SQL cluster wizard again on Node B and create another virtual SQL server, follow the same checks as before to prove it all works. As far as creating multiple RAID sets is concerned, whilst this would give you optimum performance it is not realistic for the CL380 and SQL7 active/active configuration so i have just created a single RAID 5 set and created the required logical drives.