Introduction to Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering

Since the first introduction of the cluster in Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition, users have been complaining that it is too difficult to set up, and maintenance is even more difficult. Managing clusters requires administrators not only to understand the cluster itself, but also to be proficient in storage technologies and how cluster services interact with various storage solutions. Many organizations have difficulty acquiring all the skills they need to get a high-availability solution up and running and then maintain it.

Clusters have been improving over the years, but until Microsoft began researching Windows Server® 2008, there were still many areas to improve. With this in mind, the team set out to redesign the cluster with simplicity as its primary goal. In Windows Server 2008, Microsoft® Cluster Services (MSCS) was completely improved and is now called "failover clustering."

This is not to say that simplicity is the only improvement brought about by the new "failover clustering". Over the years, Microsoft has accumulated a lot of experience as many organizations have provided valuable feedback on what they want to see in a clustered solution. The new "failover clustering" feature addresses many of the top issues reported by users and adds exciting new features that make it more attractive. So in this article, I'll introduce you to some of the cool new features included in Windows Server 2008 failover clusters.

New Management Interface

After installing Failover Clustering, you can access the Failover Cluster Management interface in the Administrative Tools or by running Cluadmin.msc. The Failover Cluster Management snap-in (similar to the other management interface in Windows Server 2008) is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0. For the veteran of the cluster, the first time you open the Failover Cluster Management snap-in, it feels like you came abroad without a map.

The new interface is divided into three different panes, as shown in Figure 1. The left pane lists all Windows Server 2008 failover clusters in your organization. The middle pane provides details about the cluster configuration section selected in the left pane, while the right pane shows the actions that can be performed.

Figure 1 Failover Cluster Management snap-in

For example, select Storage in the left pane. The middle pane will then show you which storage is available in the cluster and which storage (if any) is currently available. As shown in Figure 1, the cluster contains a bucket that supports the witness disk, storage that has been provisioned for the File Server, and some available storage. The right pane lists related operations, such as adding more storage. Note that the Failover Cluster Management snap-in cannot be used to manage previous versions of Microsoft Cluster Service.

Improved configuration process

Configuring "failover clustering" has become very simple. Many of the operations for configuring, reconfiguring, and maintaining a cluster have wizards. With the help of these wizards, administrators no longer have to worry about whether resources are configured correctly or if they will come online in the correct order.

Figure 2 shows the High Availability Wizard. A File Server is configured in this particular example. The left side shows a list of the steps that the wizard has directed the administrator to complete. Once this process is complete, the summary page is displayed and the report can be viewed.

Figure 2 High Availability Wizard
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