Building a Cluster with Hyper-V and Server Core (Part 3) and Creating a Windows Server 2008 Cluster

In this series of posts, I will explain how to build a Windows Server 2008 cluster with Server Core and Hyper-V. There will be three posts as linked to below. Each post will be published as it get ready. Each post will have step-by-step snapshots. If it happens a certain image thumbnail is not good enough for you, then click on the snapshot to see a larger image.

1st Part: Hyper-V & Server Cluster – Server preparation

2nd Part: Hyper-V & Server Cluster – ISCSI Storage preparation & Configuration

3rd Part: Hyper-V & Server Cluster – Creating Windows Server Core 2008 & Hyper-V Cluster (You are here)

3rd Part: Creating Windows Server Core 2008 & Hyper-V Cluster:

We now have almost everything ready.

Go to a server that has GUI (e.g. the DC) and run the Failover Cluster tool (you can choose to install the RSATs or to add the Failover cluster feature to get the tool).

windows 2008 failover cluster management

Go to Validate a Configuration.

windows 2008 validate cluster configuration
Click Next.

windows 2008 failover cluster add nodes

Then add the nodes (don’t ask me why one is called ar-naplab-hv01 and the other ar-techlab-hv02 because I don’t know)

windows 2008 cluster validation run all tests

Run all the tests and cross your fingers ….

windows 2008 validating keep finger cross

Next ..

It starts.

windows 2008 cluster validation start

It is important to check that the disks were mounted on both nodes while the validation process is running.

windows 2008 cluster validation bringing disks online

Look at the report and make sure that everything is green.

Windows 2008 CLuster Validation Result

If yellow (warning) or red (failed) appears in the report, see where the error occurred and how it can be fixed.

Back in the Failover Cluster tool, click on Create a cluster and Next .

windows 2008 start cluster wizard

Add the nodes.

windows 2008 cluster add nodes to cluster

It is now time for the configurations of the cluster name and IPs. I’m going to call mine hvcs (very creative: HyperV Cluster Service), remember that the name does not have the domain, that’s why I only put hvcs and not hvcs.ponicke.ad.

windows 2008 cluster ip and name

Un-select all networks except those where the cluster will respond to requests and enter the IP address of the cluster, in my case 192.168.1.200

Review everything.

windows 2008 cluster configuraiton confirmation window

Cross your fingers again…

windows 2008 cluster configuration in process

Ready !!!!!!

windows 2008 cluster completion summary

Now there’s a nice cluster!

windows 2008 cluster management ready

Download the Hyper-V administration tool (64 bits) from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=88208468-0AD6-47DE-8580-085CBA42C0C2&displaylang=en

Connect to the servers with Hyper-V.

And it’s ready to virtualize!

You can also learn about VM deployment on the following link:

http://blogs.technet.com/ponicke/archive/2008/03/19/quick-migration-unleashed.aspx

Thank you ponicke for this last article of the series.

Comments

  1. Hi Daws,

    It seems you had been able to catch our articles before they really meant to be published due to the third post being published before being ready. Though now all of the three post are cleaned and ready for you to view.
    I hope you find them useful.

    Enjoy,
    MSHyperV

  2. Paul Winterbourne says

    Really great tutorial. I have just spent three hours trying trawling the web and technet on how to do this. I am a VCP on ESX 3.5 and wanted to start using hyperv to see what it’s like. The ms documentation is as usual very long winded so your article was great!

  3. Hi Paul,

    I am glad you like it. I hate MS documentation to, as I feel its usually very lengthy.

    Enjoy,
    Eiad

  4. Herb Constantin says

    Thank you for this tip. This bug was driving me crazy…

  5. it works fine if you are ONLY using two nodes at a time. Try three or four nodes and it just fails….. WHY ???

  6. Lol, Ask Microsoft 😛

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