SQLServer 2008 R2 Failover Cluster on vSphere 5.0
2 Node Cluster on a Single Host
Part One – CREATING THE
VIRTUAL MACHINE NODES
The purpose of this blog is to provide some insight into creating a SQL Server R2 cluster on Windows Server 2008 R2 in a virtual environment. It is a complex process but one that is well documented on the internet.
I followed the guidelines from this link : http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-50/topic/com.vmware.ICbase/PDF/vsphere-esxi-vcenter-server-50-mscs-guide.pdf.
The basic steps are:
- Create the vm nodes
- Configure the Failover Cluster feature
- Install the Sql cluster
I found documents that addresses each step but I thought I would consolidate the information for my specific project. Below are some tips/tricks/insights that I felt were important.
I am testing with a 3 node (3 physical servers) vSphere 5.0 cluster
with datastore’s that are Thin Provision (NFS) only and datastore’s (VMFS) that
can create Thick Provision Eager Zeroed disks.
SERVER OS EDITION MUST BE ENTERPRISE!!
Only Enterprise or DataCenter editions have the Failover
Clustering feature. Standard does not
CREATE VM’S THAT WILL BE CLUSTERED WITH THICK PROVISION EAGER
ZEREOD DISKS!!
Thick Provisioned Eager Zeroed format (VMFS) means that all
the space allocated to the disk size will be written and zeroed out at the time
the vm is created or a new disk is added. This helps with performance in a
clustered environment.
SHARED SCSI CONTROLLER TYPE MUST BE SET TO LSI LOGIC SAS!!
Windows Server 2008 R2
SHARED SCSI BUS SHARING MUST BE SET TO VIRTUAL!!
Disks can be shared between virtual machines on the same
server.
Create the First Node
for Clusters on One Physical Host
To create the first node, you create and configure a virtual
machine with two virtual network adapters and install a guest operating
system on the virtual machine. You configure the virtual network adapters to
handle virtual machine traffic for the cluster: a private network connection
for the private heartbeat and a public network connection.
Procedure
1.
Create VM
2.
Install OS
3.
Install VMWare Tools
4.
Configure NIC’s
VM_Cluster_#1
-SCSI Controller 0
– SCSI Controller Type = LSI Logic SAS, SCSI Bus Sharing = None(0:0)
- Hard Drive #1 –
Thick Provision Eager Zeroed
- NIC #1 (your
static network ip address) PUBLIC
- NIC #2 (static ip
address on a separate subnet) PRIVATE
Create the Second
Node for Clusters on One Physical Host
You can either create the second node from scratch using the
first node instructions or you can clone Node #1 to template then deploy that
template to a vm. Instructions are in the guide.
Add Hard Disks to the
First Node for Clusters on One Physical Host
In a Failover cluster, storage disks are shared between
nodes. You set up a quorum disk and an optional shared storage disk.
Procedure
1 In the vSphere
Client inventory, select the newly created virtual machine and select Edit
Settings.
The Virtual Machine Properties dialog box appears.
2 Click Add,
select Hard Disk, and click Next.
3 Select Create a
new virtual disk and click Next.
4 Select the disk
size.
5 Under Disk
Provisioning, select Thick Provision.
6 Click Next.
7 From the
Virtual Device Node drop-down menu, select a new SCSI controller (for example,
SCSI (1:0)).
NOTE You must select
a new virtual device node. You cannot use SCSI (0:0).
8 Click Next, and
click Finish.
The wizard creates a new hard disk and a new SCSI
controller.
9 In the Virtual
Machine Properties dialog box, select the new SCSI controller and click Change
Type.
The Change SCSI Controller Type dialog box appears.
10 Select the
appropriate type of controller, depending on your operating system.
Operating System Type of Controller - Windows Server 2008
LSI Logic SAS (This should already be set if you are using Server 2008)
11 Click OK.
12 On the Virtual Machine Properties dialog
box, set SCSI Bus Sharing to Virtual and click OK!
VM_Cluster_#1 with
2nd disk added
-SCSI Controller 0
– SCSI Controller Type = LSI Logic SAS, SCSI Bus Sharing = None (0:0)
- Hard Disk #1 –
Thick Provision Eager Zeroed
- NIC #1 (your
static network ip address) PUBLIC
- NIC #2 (static ip
address on a separate subnet) PRIVATE
-SCSI Controller 1
– SCSI Controller Type = LSI Logic SAS, SCSI Bus Sharing = Virtual (1:0)
- Hard Disk #2
(Quorum Disk) – Thick Provision Eager Zeroed
Add Hard Disks to the
Second Node for Clusters on One Physical Host
To allow shared access to clustered services and data, point
the quorum disk of the second node to the same location as the first node’s
quorum disk. Point shared storage disks to the same location as the first
node’s shared storage disks.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, obtain the following information:
-
Which virtual device node is for the first
virtual machine's shared storage disks (for example, SCSI (1:0)).
-
The location of the quorum disk specified for
the first node.
Procedure
1 In the vSphere
Client inventory, select the second virtual machine that you created and select
Edit Settings.
The Virtual Machine Properties dialog box appears.
2 Click Add,
select Hard Disk, and click Next.
3 Select Use an
existing virtual disk and click Next.
4 Select the same
virtual device node you chose for the first virtual machine’s shared storage
disks (for example, SCSI (1:0)), and click Next.
NOTE -The location of the virtual device node for this
virtual machine’s shared storage must match the corresponding virtual device
node for the first virtual machine.
5 In Disk File
Path, browse to the location of the quorum disk specified for the first node.
VM_Cluster_#2 with
2nd disk added
-SCSI Controller 0
– SCSI Controller Type = LSI Logic SAS, SCSI Bus Sharing = None (0:0)
- Hard Disk #1 –
Thick Provision Eager Zeroed
- NIC #1 (your
static network ip address) PUBLIC
- NIC #2 (static ip
address on a separate subnet) PRIVATE
-SCSI Controller 1
– SCSI Controller Type = LSI Logic SAS, SCSI Bus Sharing = Virtual (1:0)
- Hard Disk #2
(Quorum Disk) – Thick Provision Eager Zeroed
So now you should have 2 virtual machines sharing a drive.
Each vm should be identical to the other besides the name and ip addresses. Next step will be adding the Failover Clustering feature. THis will be in Part 2.
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