1. Tech Ed North America 2010
11/27/ :19 PM
SESSION CODE: DAT407
Windows Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008: Failover Clustering Implementations
Allan Hirt
Clustering MVP
Consultant and CEO
Megahirtz, LLC
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

2. Agenda Windows Server 2008 RTM/R2 Failover Clustering
SQL Server 2008 RTM/R2 Failover Clustering
Summary
Book Giveaway

3. Three Variations of Clustered SQL Server Installations
Traditional
Install instance(s) on top of a Windows failover cluster
Cluster Windows with Hyper-V and implement SQL Server using clustered VMs
Cluster VMs under a hypervisor as you would physical nodes (aka “guest clustering”)

4. Basics for SQL Server Failover Clustering
Core variant of Windows Server 2008 RTM or R2 not supported for SQL Server failover clustering implementations
Failover clustering is a Feature of Windows Server 2008 R2 – must enable
Can only implement a 32-bit SQL Server instance on a 32-bit OS
Windows Server 2008 RTM is your only option
SQL Server 2005 and 2008/2008 R2 supported in a side-by-side configuration
SQL Server 2000 not supported under any version of Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 RTM/SP2
Windows Server 2008 R2
SQL Server 2005
SP2+
SP3+
SQL Server 2008
RTM
SP1+
SQL Server 2008 R2

5. Installing .NET Framework 3.51 on Windows Server 2008 R2
Tech Ed North America 2010
11/27/ :19 PM
Installing .NET Framework 3.51 on Windows Server 2008 R2
DEMO
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

6. Networking for Failover Clustering
Still need redundancy and separate paths
Teaming fully supported
SQL Server 2008 does not support the multiple subnet feature of Windows Server 2008 failover clustering
Must use traditional VLAN for a geographically dispersed cluster
Network prioritization possible with Windows Server 2008 R2 (good for things like Live Migration)
Minimum of two networks; may need more
Example 1: iSCSI requires its own dedicated network
Example 2: Live Migration (Public, Private, Live Migration traffic, CSV, etc.) see

7. Security for Failover Clustering
Windows
Domain account needed for creation and administration
Requires Create Computer Objects right on Computers OU
If cannot give CCO, must create CNO and VCO manually
Domain account NOT used to run the cluster service; runs in a special context
SQL Server
Still requires service accounts
Use a Service SID during the installation process
Only need to be domain users NOT domain admins
Do not need to be added to the local Administrator group unless using something like xp_cmdshell (which is off by default)

8. Anti-Virus and SQL Server Failover Clustering
Not recommended if not needed
If you do put it on, exclude the following:
.mdf (data), .ldf (log), .ndf (additional data)
.bak (default backup extension), .trn (default t-log backup extension)
All directories with Analysis Services data, log, temporary files, backups
Entire quorum/witness disk
\MSDTC directory for MSDTC disks (if used)
\Cluster subdirectory under %windir%
SQL Server & anti-virus KB:
Cluster & anti-virus KB:

9. Restricting Cluster Access in Windows Server 2008 R2
Tech Ed North America 2010
11/27/ :19 PM
Restricting Cluster Access in Windows Server 2008 R2
DEMO
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

10. Storage for Failover Clustering
Drive types supported: only SAS, iSCSI, Fibre; no old parallel SCSI
Storage must be SCSI-3 SPC-3 command compliant
Storage must support persistent reservations
SQL Server 2008 still requires at least one drive letter
Can use mount points for everything else if desired
Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) not supported for SQL Server use; VMs only
Can select multiple drives during SQL Server 2008 install
TIP: Rename drives to make them easier to discern

11. Tech Ed North America 2010
11/27/ :19 PM
Renaming a Cluster Disk & Adding a Disk to a SQL Server Failover Clustering Instance
DEMO
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

12. Cluster Validation No more Windows Server Catalog/HCL reliance
Only “real” HW requirement: must be logoed for Windows Server 2008 R2
Different types of tests run (storage, networking, etc.)
Report location: %windir%\Cluster\Reports
Pass, Warning, Fail
Warning not fatal, but must investigate
Fix any problems and re-run
TIP: Re-run failed tests first, then re-run full suite
Additional validation tests if run after configured in Windows Server 2008 R2
SQL Server relies on a successful result
Prevent a false positive

13. Cluster Validation Reports
Tech Ed North America 2010
11/27/ :19 PM
Cluster Validation Reports
DEMO
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

14. MSDTC, SQL Server 2008/R2, and Windows Server 2008 R2
OS supports multiple DTCs – no longer need to share one per Windows failover cluster
Installation options
Old way: DTC in its own group (with its own IP, disk)
One DTC per SQL Server instance
Old way + bind to instance
Put in same group with SQL Server
Do not cluster DTC at all; clustered SQL Server will “negotiate down” to use a local DTC if nothing clustered
Use MSDTC instance installed to the local group
Else
Use the mapped instance of MSDTC
Else
Use the cluster's default instance of MSDTC
Else
Use the local machine's instance of MSDTC

15. Creating MSDTC in the SQL Server Application Group
Tech Ed North America 2010
11/27/ :19 PM
Creating MSDTC in the SQL Server Application Group
DEMO
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

16. SQL Server Failover Clustering Installation Tips
Installation is a node-by-node, instance-by-instance affair
Two variations of a new install:
“Normal”
Cluster prep
Slipstream the install media
SQL Server SQL Server 2008 SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2
SQL Server 2008 R2 + SQL Server 2008 R2 CU1 (if need later hotfixes in SQL Server 2008 SP1)
Instance ID
Watch nested dialogs

17. Using PowerShell for Failover Cluster Administration
Tech Ed North America 2010
11/27/ :19 PM
Using PowerShell for Failover Cluster Administration
DEMO
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

18. SQL Server 2008 Service Packs and Failover Clusters
SQL 2K8 Ins
Not Upgraded
Failover Initiated
3. Add the nodes back and remove other nodes except the one running the instance
SQL 2K8 Ins
Not Upgraded
2. Upgrade the removed nodes
SQL 2K8 Ins
Not Upgraded
4. Remove nodes not upgraded, upgrade, and add back in
SQL 2K8 Ins
Not Upgraded
1. Remove half (or more) of the nodes from the possible owners
SQL 2K8 Ins
Not Upgraded
SQL 2K8 Ins
Not Upgraded
Removed nodes cannot be failed over to until added back in
SQL 2K8 Ins
Not Upgraded
SQL 2K8 Ins
Upgraded

19. Removing Possible Owners for a SQL Server Instance Using PowerShell
Tech Ed North America 2010
11/27/ :19 PM
Removing Possible Owners for a SQL Server Instance Using PowerShell
DEMO
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

20. Guest Clustering Fully supported
Windows Server 2008 RTM/R2 only for guest OS
SQL Server 2005 or 2008/2008 R2 only
Recommendation: split VMs acting as nodes over different hypervisors
Otherwise you have a single point of failure
The problem: ensuring separate network paths and things like multi-path I/O
iSCSI for shared disks
Watch other hypervisors – vSphere 4.0 currently does not support iSCSI for clustered setups (p. 13 of Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service)

21. Live Migration of a SQL Server VM
Tech Ed North America 2010
11/27/ :19 PM
Live Migration of a SQL Server VM
VIDEO
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

22. Summary
Validation is key to a successful SQL Server failover clustering implementation
PowerShell is a powerful alternative to a GUI-based administration scheme for failover clustering with Windows Server 2008 R2
Installing, upgrading, and patching is very different with SQL Server 2008 (and SQL Server 2008 R2) failover clustering
The story for the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator is very different with Windows Server 2008/R2
Virtualization may be an option for clustering in your environment
Live Migration is a good story if you are using Hyper-V

23. Related Sessions & Labs
WSV313 – Failover Clustering Success
WSV314 – Failover Clustering Pro Troubleshooting with Windows Server 2008 R2
WSV315 – Guest vs. Host Clustering: What, When, and Why
Labs
DAT02-HOL – Create a Windows Server 2008 R2 MSDTC Cluster
DAT09-HOL – Installing a Microsoft SQL Server SP1 Clustered Instance
DAT12-HOL – Maintaining a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Failover Cluster
DAT14-HOL – Rolling Upgrade to Microsoft SQL Server 2008
WSV01-HOL – Failover Clustering in Windows Server 2008 R2

24. Failover Clustering Resources
Pro SQL Server 2008 Failover Clustering (Allan Hirt; Apress, 2009)
Blog at SQLHA.com (
SQL Server 2008 failover clustering whitepaper
Server Virtualization Validation Program
The Microsoft SQL Server support policy for Microsoft Clustering (KB327518)
Support policy for Microsoft SQL Server products that are running in a hardware virtualization environment (KB956893)

25. Required Slide
Track PMs will supply the content for this slide, which will be inserted during the final scrub.
Tech Ed North America 2010
11/27/ :19 PM
DAT Track Scratch 2 Win
Find the DAT Track Surface Table in the Yellow Section of the TLC
Try your luck to win a Zune HD
Simply scratch the game pieces on the DAT Track Surface Table and Match 3 Zune HDs to win
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

26. Resources Learning Required Slide www.microsoft.com/teched
Tech Ed North America 2010
11/27/ :19 PM
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© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

27. Complete an evaluation on CommNet and enter to win!
Tech Ed North America 2010
11/27/ :19 PM
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Complete an evaluation on CommNet and enter to win!
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

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29. Questions? Tech Ed North America 2010 11/27/2018 10:19 PM
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

30. Book Giveaway Tech Ed North America 2010 11/27/2018 10:19 PM
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

31. Tech Ed North America 2010 11/27/2018 10:19 PM
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

32. Tech Ed North America 2010 11/27/2018 10:19 PM
© 2010 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.