In this article, you'll learn how to install and configure the two nodes failover cluster to setup your environment to minimize the downtime for the services to the users,
What is Failover Cluster
A failover cluster provides highly available services to the users while a group of computers works together.
Prerequisite
- A Virtual Machine for iSCSI Storage Server or iSCSI target server (DC-01)
- Two virtual Machine for the Nodes should have connected with the domain as a member server (SRV1 & SRV2
Step 1. Configure the Storage for Failover Cluster
Needs to add two HDD disks into the iSCSI storage server or iSCSI target server (DC-01)
Open the Hyper-V Manager
Go to the settings to add the disks
Go to the ICSI Controller and Add a Virtual Disk drive
Then Click New
Before you begin the page, Click Next
Choose Disk Type: for this demo, I select Dynamically expanding
Then Click Next
Specify Name and Location
- Name: ClusterDisk1
- Location: Keep by default or click browse to change the location of your Disk
Then Click Next
Configure Disk
Create a new blank virtual hard disk
Then set the disk size: to 50GB
Then Click Next and then Click Finish
From the virtual machine setting in the hyper v manager, you can see the 2 disks has added for the failover cluster in the iSCSI target Server.
Then Click OK
Start the DC-01 virtual machine to configure as an iSCSI target server
Then enter your Administrator credential to Login the DC-01
Install the iSCSI target server role from the server manager
Go to the Server Manager. Click Manager Add Roles and Features
Before you begin the page, Click Next
Select the installation type and then click Next
Select the destination server and click Next
Select server role
Expand the file and storage services
and then expand the File and iSCSI service
Then select the iSCSI Target Server role and then click Next
Then click Next
Click Next
Then Click Install
Once installation is complete, Click Close
Then go back to the Server Manager
Then Select File and Storage Services
Select Disk,
Then bring online those disks
Click Task and then Select New Volume
Before you begin, Click Next to continue the wizard
Select the Disk and then click Next
Enter the volume Size and Click Next
Select the Drive Letter and then click Next
File system settings: Keep it as default settings and then click Next
Then click Create
Apply the same steps and setting for the "Disk 2"
Create the iSCSI virtual Disk Wizard
Go to File Storage and Services and select iSCSI
then select new create an iSCSI Virtual Disk Wizard
Select the volume, then click Next,
Enter the iSCSI Disk Name and then click Next
Specify the Virtual Disk Size and then select Dynamically Expanding
Then Click Next
Assign the iSCSI target, Create New or use existing
Select New and Click Next
Enter the target Name: iscsi-target1 and then click Next
Add the iSCSI initiator to access the Disk
Click Add and then Click Browse
then Click Advance to add the Servers
Click Find Now and then Select the Server and then click OK
Once you have added iSCSI initiators, then click Next
"Enable Authentication" Keep by default and then Click Next
Confirm that the following are the settings, and then click Create
Now, successfully created iSCSI target and Virtual Disk
Connect iSCSI initiator servers to iSCSI target server
For this demo, I'm using the member servers "SRV1 and SRV2" for the failover cluster
Go to the SRV1
Open the Server Manager
Click Manage
Select the iSCSI initiator to connect the iSCSI target server
Enter the iSCSI target server IP address, then click Quick Connect
Then select the target then click Connect
Then click Done (the target name status will be connected)
Apply the same setting for SRV2 to connect the second initiator to the iSCSI target server
Now, successfully both initiators are connected with the iSCSI target
Create volume for failover cluster
Go to the SRV1 and SRV2
Then go to Server Manager File and Storage Service Disks
Select the iSCSI Disk, then right-click to bring it online
Click TAKS and then select New Volume to create the Volume for both disks
New Volume Wizard will open
Then select the Disk and then click Next
Specify the size of the volume, then click Next
Assign the drive letter and then click Next
Keep the default file system settings and then click Next
Then Click Create
Step 2. Install and Configure the Failover Cluster on both Nodes "SRV1" and "SRV2"
Go to the Server manager Manage Add Roles and Features
Before you begin the page, verify the following task and then Click Next
Select the installation type and then click Next
Select the destination server, then click Next
No need to select any server role, Click Next
From the Features section, select the Failover Cluster
Then Click Next
Click Install
Apply the same steps to Install the failover Cluster on the SRV2
Step 3. Create a Cluster using Failover Cluster Manager
Go to the Node 1 or Node 2
Go to the Server Manager Manage
Select Failover Cluster Manager
Select Validate Configuration
Before you begin, Click Next
You want to specify the server which you want to add as a cluster node
Click Browse Advance
Click Find, and then Select the servers
Click Ok
Click Ok
Click Next
Testing Options: Select Run All Test (recommended) or Run only tests I select
Then Click Next
Click Next
Once the test has been completed, click View Reports to open the Failover Cluster Validation Report, and then you should review the warning in the report to provide zero downtime services.
Create a Cluster
Select Create Cluster from the Failover Cluster Manager
Before You Begin, Click Next
Click Browse to Select the Servers which you want to add to the cluster
Click Advance
Click Find Now. Then Select the servers Node1 & Node2 and then Click OK
After you have selected the servers, then click OK
Click Next
Access point for Administering the Cluster
Enter the Cluster Name: Cluster01
Cluster IP: 192.168.1.250
Then click Next
Then Click Next to create a cluster in your network
Once you have successfully completed the create cluster, click Finish
When you create the cluster, automatically cluster will be created in your other nodes also
Now, the failover cluster has between node 1 and Node 2, and you can verify that from the failover cluster manager
Go to Node2 and open Failover Cluster manager from the Server manager
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