Clustering and High Availability

New Whitepaper: Failover Clustering with AD Certificate Services in Server 2008

Hi cluster fans,

A new whitepaper was release this week describing how to set up, configure and troubleshoot Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) with Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering.

With Windows Server 2003 and earlier versions, organizations had to deploy multiple certification authorities (CAs) to provide redundancy in case a critical network server failed. You can still have multiple CAs operating in your Active Directory forest, but with failover clustering there is no need to deploy more than one CA to protect AD CS from unexpected failure.

This white paper explains the detailed steps that are required to set up failover clustering with Windows Server 2008 and to run AD CS on shared storage with a network hardware security module (HSM).

Title: Configuring and Troubleshooting Certification Authority Clustering in Windows Server 2008

URL: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=15c75333-be26-4955-a32c-03077daf1631&DisplayLang=en

Thanks,

Symon Perriman

Program Manager

Clustering & HA

Introducing NLB Application Health Awareness!

Hi NLB users,

I just came back from TechEd 2008 which was held at Orlando this year. It was huge for Failover Clustering! We had many events going on as mentioned in our earlier post (http://blogs.msdn.com/clustering/archive/2008/05/31/8567150.aspx). The turnout from the clustering fans was phenomenal, with everyone super excited about the many changes we’ve done in Failover Clustering in Windows Server 2008.

We had presence for Network Load Balancing (NLB) in the conference as well. There was a hands-on-lab for NLB. We also had great NLB coverage in the “SVR362 How to Build a High Availability Infrastructure for Web Scenarios” (presented twice). And, also talked about the new management pack (MP) for SCOM 2007 in the “MGT381 Overview of the New and Updated Management Packs in Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007” talk.

I’m very excited to share with you the information that was presented in the MGT381 session, as related to the upcoming NLB MP.

If you have an NLB cluster providing scale-out and high availability for your IIS workload with all your important websites, you’ve probably noticed that NLB is not aware of the health state of IIS. That is, if IIS service stops or if your web page is failing for some reason on one of your cluster nodes, the NLB network driver doesn’t know anything about that. That happens because NLB is so low on the networking stack that it isn’t aware of the health state of applications running above it. The end result is that a portion of your client traffic is going into a black hole.

With the new NLB MP, we are bringing application health awareness to NLB!

You need a SCOM 2007 monitoring server (of course) with the new NLB MP and IIS MP. Then, once you push the OM agent to the servers in your environment, the discovery logic runs and finds which machines are part of an NLB cluster, which are IIS servers, and which are both. Now, your NLB clusters are “discovered” as you see here. Notice the detailed information given on each cluster at the bottom. You’ll also see the NLB cluster nodes and details on each node in the “NLB Node State” view.

Now, with the new NLB MP and IIS MP, you get IIS health awareness in NLB. And, also diagrams that easily show the health state of your NLB cluster, nodes, and IIS roles on the nodes, as shown here with the green check marks for the 10.1.1.102 two-node NLB cluster running some IIS roles.

The health state of NLB node is reported by the NLB MP. And, that of IIS is reported by the IIS MP.

And, both MP’s work together to bring NLB application health awareness. That is, when IIS MP detects a failure in IIS on a machine, and when this failure is surfaced up the entity health tree as shown below, the NLB MP will automatically stop NLB on that node to bring that NLB node out of the rotation. And, as you see below, you get the knowledge base built into the IIS MP.

And, there is a state history displayed for each entity as you can see here.

Once the IIS problem is resolved, IIS MP reports the health back to green, and NLB MP will start NLB on that node bringing the node back to rotation.

And, with all this state change history stored in the SCOM 2007 database, we can generate reports on your NLB clusters’ availability over time.

Additionally, you can model your end-to-end solutions with the new SCOM 2007 modeling capability. This allows you to monitor your solution (which might include a web front end using IIS on NLB, and a back end SQL server made highly available via Failover Clustering) end-to-end instead of monitoring the pieces or servers separately. Just build your solution model, and drag and drop your actual servers/clusters onto the model to get an end-to-end monitor of your solution. Very simple!

Please note that this is under development, so, the screen shots above are subject to change before the MP’s are released.

Regards,

Ahmed Bisht

Program Manager

Clustering and High Availability – Microsoft

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Use of included utilities are subject to the terms specified at
http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm

Failover Clustering with Hyper-V – Deployment Options

Hi cluster fans,

The Cluster Program Management team recently returned from one of our biggest industry events and the second most popular question was “What is the best way to deploy Hyper-V with Failover Clustering?”  (The most popular question being “What’s new in 2008 Failover Clustering” – see our recent post for that discussion: http://blogs.msdn.com/clustering/archive/2008/06/16/8607114.aspx)

The answer really depends on your enterprise’s needs. 

You can host and fail over virtual machines (VMs) by making your physical machines highly available – this is known as ‘Host Clustering’ and is perhaps the most common and recommended deployment.  This allows you to put each service or application in multiple individual VMs which are highly available.  If a VM becomes unavailable, only that single service in that VM will fail over (assuming each VM has its own LUN).  Failure of a single VM hosting multiple services would cause all those services to become unavailable.  However you may not want to make this too granular and have too many VMs since each VM requires additional memory and resources to host the virtual OS, so consider the total processing capacity of your machines.  For storage you can use iSCSI, Fibre Channel, or Serial Attached SCSI (SAS).  When the physical host and VM are in a running state, the admin can gracefully failover the VM to another physical machine and the end user should only need to wait a few seconds until the VM is reconnected.  The admin can perform this “Quick Migration” by selecting the “Move Virtual Machine(s)” action.  In the background, Failover Clustering will save the current running state of the VM on the shared storage, stop it on the first node and start it on the new node.  Failover Clustering also monitors the health of the VMs, so if the virtual OS crashes, hangs, or blue screens, it can be automatically restarted, however the end user would need to wait a little longer while the VM state is loaded and started.  While Host Clustering can monitor the state of the virtual OS, it does not monitor the health of applications inside the VMs, however that can be accomplished using “Guest Clustering”.

Guest Clustering enables highly-available of services and applications in the virtual layer and is fully supported in Windows Server 2008.  This is done through installing Failover Clustering on several VMs, then clustering them as if they were physical nodes.  All of these VMs can use the same shared iSCSI storage which will store the state of the running applications within the VM.  You can even run ‘Validate a Cluster Configuration’ on the VMs to ensure that the Failover Clustering component works!  Making your services highly available in the virtual layer allows you monitor their health and fail them over if the VM is experiencing downtime.

By combining your guest and host clustering you can create high-availability in both your physical and virtual layers.  Here’s an example of this combined deployment.

Help the Clustering and High Availability team with Network Load Balancing features!

NLB users,

In a previous post (http://blogs.msdn.com/clustering/archive/2008/02/15/7718003.aspx), I requested your input on how you use NLB in your environments. Many of you responded with great information. Thank you! Thank you!

Taking this a step further, the Clustering and High Availability team would like to interview customers who are using NLB on any version of Windows Server. I would like to know more about your environment, needs, pain points, suggestions with NLB. I can set up a phone discussion, or perhaps even visit your site and meet in person.

If you are a Network Load Balancing customer, please contact us through the Email link in the right pane and include your contact information and company’s name. You participation is extremely appreciated and is important for us as we define how to enhance NLB.

Regards,

Ahmed Bisht

Program Manager

Clustering and High Availability

Microsoft

What’s new in Failover Clustering in 2008? . . . What isn’t new!

Now that Failover Clustering deployments on Windows Server 2008 are growing, and our customers are spreading the word about how easy it is, we’re getting an increasing number of questions about “what’s new in 2008?”

The short answer is – pretty much everything!  We’ve enhanced virtually every component and tried to simplify unnecessary details, hiding many of the “nuts and bolts” behind our new GUI.  You no longer need a cluster guru to successfully deploy and maintain your failover cluster – your regular IT generalist can do it with ease using our new Wizard-based approach to deployment and configuration.  Experts – don’t worry – you still have the same control as you had in Server 2003, we’ve just cleaned things up and given you greater flexibility in how you manage your cluster.

One of our support engineers, Chuck Timon, has published an article on this topic in July’s edition of TechNet Magazine, so learn about the next evolution in Failover Clustering here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc672627(TechNet.10).aspx.  Chuck discusses the new management interface, configuration process, Validation, the new Quorum model, security, networking and storage enhancements, cluster backup and recovery, and migration.

Thanks,

Symon Perriman

Program Manager

Cluster & HA

Announcing the Failover Cluster Configuration Program (FCCP)

So you want to build a Windows Server 2008 Cluster, but don’t know what hardware to use or if it will work?  Well with the FCCP we will make clustering even easier.c

You now have two choices for selecting your hardware configuration – “Mix N’ Match” or the FCCP.

Mix N’ Match

You can use any hardware you want to build the cluster if it meets two requirements:

1)      Every hardware component has a “Certified for Windows Server 2008” logo

a.       Servers, Storage, HBAs, MPIO, DSMs, etc…

2)      The complete solution passes the ‘Validate a Configuration’ Wizard

It’s that simple – you cluster is now supported!

And don’t forget that Validate can be run at anytime during the life of your cluster making it a great tool for diagnostics and troubleshooting.

Despite the flexibility of Validate, this leads to the question – what if I want to be certain that the hardware I purchase will pass Validate before I buy it?  Well, we can help address this concern through the FCCP.

Failover Cluster Configuration Program (FCCP)

The FCCP is a vender partnership program that Microsoft has created to make building your Windows Server 2008 Failover Cluster simple.  Venders add their cluster configurations that they have tested and Validated on their own websites to give you flexibility in chose and assurance that your solution will work.

Our venders currently include: Compellent, Dell, EMC, IBM, LSI, NEC and NetApp.  There are more coming soon.

So to summarize:

·         Have hardware?  Validate it!

·         Need hardware?  Use the FCCP!

Here are some helpful links:

·         FCCP Overview: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/clustering-program.aspx

·         FCCP FAQ: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/clustering-faq.aspx

·         FCCP Partners: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/clustering-partners.aspx

·         Server 2008 logo requirements: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/winlogo/hwrequirements.mspx

·         Support Policy for Windows Server 2008 Failover Clusters: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;943984 

·         Validating Hardware for a Failover Cluster (Step-by-Step guide): http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/library/b153c638-ff53-4470-8b72-010046b8dcc61033.mspx?mfr=true

Symon Perriman

Program Manager

Clustering & HA

Announcing the Failover Clustering Information Portal

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/clustering-home.aspx

Hi Cluster Fans,

For a long time we’ve been asked for a centralize location to find all of your clustering information – and it is here!  This easy-to-use website offers information about our products, programs and resources.  Check it out!

·         Home: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/clustering-home.aspx

·         Community: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/clustering-community.aspx

·         FCCP – Failover Clustering Configuration Program – Overview: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/clustering-program.aspx

·         FCCP FAQ: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/clustering-faq.aspx

·         FCCP Partners: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/clustering-partners.aspx

·         Multi-Site Clustering: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/clustering-multisite.aspx

·         Product Overview: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/clustering-overview.aspx

·         Resources: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/clustering-resources.aspx

o   IT Showcases, Webcasts, Technical Guidance, Training and Virtual Labs

Enjoy!

The Clustering and HA Team

WebCast: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Failover Clustering on Windows Server 2008

Monday, June 09, 2008 10:00 AM Pacific Time

Details: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=953170

Webcast Link: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032379512

This Support WebCast focuses on how to plan, implement, and administer a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 failover cluster on Windows Server 2008.  This session provides step-by-step instructions about how to install SQL Server 2005 clustered instance on a Windows Server 2008 cluster.  It also discusses the options you can use to move SQL Server 2005 failover cluster from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008.

This is a Level 300 session that will be presented by Uttam Parui.

Uttam Parui has been working with Microsoft SQL Server for the past 10 years. He has been at Microsoft for more than 8 years and has worked with all versions of Microsoft SQL Server, starting with version 6.5. He is currently a senior premier field engineer working with major customers in the United States. His areas of expertise are high availability, scalability, and performance tuning. Uttam led the development and successfully completed the globally coordinated intellectual property for "SQL Server 2005 Failover Clustering" workshop. He is also a master trainer for Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and 2005 Performance Tuning and Optimization workshops. He is one of the technical editors for "Professional SQL Server 2005 Performance Tuning" book published by Wiley Publishing Inc. He has a master's degree in computer science and is a certified Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA), and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT).

Clustering is coming to TechEd!

Hi cluster fans,

TechEd site: https://www.msteched.com/

Here’s our schedule of clustering and high-availability events:

Monday June 9^th

PRC18 High Availability Planning with Windows Server 2008

This pre-conference seminar is designed to help you build a highly available infrastructure for all your organizational needs. We cover the deep technical issues to be addressed and all the possible issues you could run into when designing a Messaging, Database, Virtualized, Web, and File/Print infrastructure.

Wednesday June 11^th

SVR52-TLC Top Ten Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering Enhancements over Windows Server 2003 Clustering, Based on Best Practices

Wednesday, June 11 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM, Blue Theater 2 

Speaker(s): Elden Christensen, Ahmed Bisht and Symon Perriman

Level: 300 - Advanced

Session Type: Interactive Theaters

Does the word cluster leave a sour taste in your mouth? Does it strike fear into your heart? Come learn about how simple Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering is and how you can now be successful. Come and share the pain you have with clustering today or reasons you don’t deploy them even when you have a need to implement a high availability solution. Come to this session and learn about how you can use the enhancements; be ready to ask tough questions and get answers.

SVR372 Bringing Clustering to the Masses with Windows Server 2008

Wednesday, June 11 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM, S210 E 

Speaker(s): John Savill

Level: 300 - Advanced

Session Type: Breakout Session

Microsoft made great technical improvements to Failover Clustering in Windows Server 2008. Enhancements included new SCSI-3 storage communication removing the hated "SCSI Bus reset," a brand new quorum model removing dependence on components that could be a single point of failure, and most of all, an interface that makes validating an infrastructure for cluster support, deploying a cluster, and managing a cluster a far more intuitive experience. The end result is to finally bring clustering as a viable option for mortals to use and manage. This session looks at the ways clustering can be deployed, including new IP and geographically dispersed options, supported configurations via the new validation tool and the death of the cluster hardware certification, supported storage, a.k.a. RIP parallel SCSI, quorum options including witness disk and file share witness, and most of all the improved interface—allowing administrators to concentrate more on making services and applications highly available, and less on the underlying cluster structure.

Microsoft made great technical improvements to Failover Clustering in Windows Server 2008. Enhancements included new SCSI-3 storage communication removing the hated "SCSI Bus reset," a brand new quorum model removing dependence on components that could be a single point of failure, and most of all, an interface that makes validating an infrastructure for cluster support, deploying a cluster, and managing a cluster a far more intuitive experience. The end result is to finally bring clustering as a viable option for mortals to use and manage. This session looks at the ways clustering can be deployed, including new IP and geographically dispersed options, supported configurations via the new validation tool and the death of the cluster hardware certification, supported storage, a.k.a. RIP parallel SCSI, quorum options including witness disk and file share witness, and most of all the improved interface—allowing administrators to concentrate more on making services and applications highly available, and less on the underlying cluster structure.

Thursday June 12^th

SVR361 Advanced Overview on Failover Clustering in Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Storage and Understanding Quorum

Thursday, June 12 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM, S220 C (ITPRO) 

Speaker(s): Symon Perriman and Elden Christensen

Level: 300 - Advanced

Session Type: Breakout Session

This is a nuts-and-bolts session that covers the new cluster storage architecture and how the new quorum model works in Windows Server 2008. The session covers the new way that shared storage is managed, how clustering is now totally SAN friendly, how Failover Clusters arbitrate for disks to determine what to do when things go wrong, and the improvements that make deploying Windows Server 2008 Failover Clusters a key win to your SAN infrastructure.