How Microsoft IT Deploys Windows Server 2008 Failover Clusters for File Services

Dondi Vigesaa Operations Engineer Microsoft Corporation [email protected]

Agenda

Microsoft IT File Service Utility group situation Method for updating Windows Server 2008 failover cluster nodes Approach for migrating from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 cluster nodes Lessons learned Best practices

What We Will Cover

Microsoft IT business drivers Windows Server 2008 failover clustering technologies Distributed File System services Storage Area Network concepts

Prerequisite Knowledge
Understanding of General server concepts High-level failover clustering concepts Basic networking concepts Basic Storage Area Network concepts

Level 200

Situation
Microsoft IT

File Services Utility (FSU) Group

Provides file services in four primary datacenters

Dublin, Ireland Kawaguchi, Japan Redmond, WA, USA Singapore, Singapore

Provides access to over 200 TB of data Handles shares from 20 GB to 300 GB in size

Situation
Migration Business Drivers

Simplified administration

Support for more users with the same number of administrators Increased uptime through the use of fewer administrative consoles

Support for more users through Distributed File Services namespace Support for larger cluster disk volumes

Reasons for Using Windows Server 2008

Key Benefits

SCSI-3 persistent reservations used Domain user account not required by cluster service Node names, cluster name, and network names are Active Directory Computer Name Objects (CNOs) Kerberos-only authentication is the default authentication mechanism

Reasons for Using Windows Server 2008

Key Benefits (contd)

Full support for Volume Shadowcopy Service (VSS) for easier backups Support for disk volumes larger than 2 TB Centralized administration interface leverages MMC 3.0

Solution
Requirements

Protection of disk resources during migration In-place migration that requires no new server hardware or storage hardware Clearly defined and reliable roll-back plan by keeping one or more Windows Server 2003 cluster nodes in reserve Simple process that does not require a large team

Solution
Requirements (contd)

Availability of service during migration Clearly communicated and managed migration process Scheduled migrations during hours of least impact to users

Solution
Overview

Move cluster resources to a single active node Install Windows Server 2008 on passive node in a new cluster group Migrate cluster resources to Windows Server 2008 node Install Windows Server 2008 on remaining cluster node

demonstration
Migration Process

Move all cluster resources to a single node Take passive node offline Unmask storage from passive node Format and install Windows Server 2008 on passive node Mask storage

Migrating to Windows Server 2008

Typical Configuration

Active Node Passive Node
Windows Server 2003
Cluster Resource

Active/Passive configuration Shared storage Dedicated cluster heartbeat connection Dedicated public network connection

Windows Server 2003

Clustered File Share

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Migrating to Windows Server 2008

Consolidate resources on single node
Move all cluster resources to the active node
Active Node
Windows Server 2003
Clustered File Share

Passive Node
Windows Server 2003

Cluster Resource

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Migrating to Windows Server 2008

Take passive node offline
Shut down passive node Mask SAN storage from passive node (note the disconnected storage on the passive node)
Active Node
Windows Server 2003
Clustered File Share

Passive Node
Windows Server 2003

Cluster Resource

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Migrating to Windows Server 2008

Install Windows Server 2008
Format the passive node, and install Windows Server 2008
Active Node
Windows Server 2003
Clustered File Share

Passive Node
Windows Server 2008

Cluster Resource

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Migrating to Windows Server 2008

Configure new node & unmask storage
Unmask SAN storage Configure shared storage in Windows Server 2008 Configure a new, distinct cluster group
Active Node
Windows Server 2003
Clustered File Share

Passive Node
Windows Server 2008

Cluster Resource

Cluster Resource

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Migrating to Windows Server 2008

Migrate resources to new node
Check to make sure that no clustered applications or file shares have dependencies set for cluster group resources Use the Cluster Resource Migration wizard to migrate clustered file shares and applications to the Windows Server 2008 failover cluster
Active Node
Windows Server 2003

Passive Node
Windows Server 2008
Clustered File Share

Cluster Resource

Cluster Resource

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Migrating to Windows Server 2008

Take remaining node offline
After all applications and file shares are migrated and tested, power down the remaining Windows Server 2003 node Mask storage from the remaining Windows Server 2003 node
Active Node
Windows Server 2003

Passive Node
Windows Server 2008
Clustered File Share

Cluster Resource

Cluster Resource

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Migrating to Windows Server 2008

Install and configure new node
Install Windows Server 2008 on the new cluster node
Passive Node
Windows Server 2008

Active Node
Windows Server 2008
Clustered File Share

Cluster Resource

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Migrating to Windows Server 2008

Move cluster resources back to original locations
Active Node
Windows Server 2008

Passive Node
Windows Server 2008
Cluster Resource

Unmask SAN connection Join the new node to the cluster group Move cluster applications and resources back to original locations

Clustered File Share

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

demonstration
Cluster Failover Process

Take active node offline Update or repair offline node Bring passive node online to support cluster resources

Updating Windows Server 2008 Failover Clusters

Typical Configuration
Active/Passive configuration Shared storage Dedicated cluster heartbeat connection Dedicated public network connection
Active Node
Windows Server 2008
Clustered File Share

Passive Node
Windows Server 2008
Cluster Resource

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Updating Windows Server 2008 Failover Clusters

Consolidate resources
Move all cluster resources to the active node Failover process streamlined in Windows Server 2008 failover clusters faster than ever Install updates on the offline node
Active Node
Windows Server 2008
Clustered File Share

Passive Node
Windows Server 2008

Cluster Resource

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Updating Windows Server 2008 Failover Clusters

Move resources to updated node
Move all cluster resources to the recently updated node Test and verify application updates
Passive Node
Windows Server 2008

Active Node
Windows Server 2008
Clustered File Share

Cluster Resource

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Updating Windows Server 2008 Failover Clusters

Update offline node
Install updates on the offline node
Passive Node
Windows Server 2008

Active Node
Windows Server 2008
Clustered File Share

Cluster Resource

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Updating Windows Server 2008 Failover Clusters

Move resources back to original node
Move all cluster resources to the original node
Active Node
Windows Server 2008
Clustered File Share

Passive Node
Windows Server 2008
Cluster Resource

Shared Storage Array

Cluster Heartbeat Network Public Network

Benefits

Support for more cluster nodes, now a maximum of 16 per cluster group Support for larger volumes, now greater than 2 TB with GPT partitions Centralized management with new MMC 3.0 based console Migration wizard

Greatly simplifies moving cluster resources from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 clusters

Best Practices

Cluster resources

Clearly define cluster dependencies to reduce resource conflicts during migrations Use to simplify moving cluster resources from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 clusters

Migration wizard

Storage signatures

Windows Server 2008 SCSI-3 signatures do not overwrite Windows Server 2003 cluster signatures

Best Practices
(contd)

Storage masking

Allows for existing hardware to be re-used without risking production data Allows for simple disconnect and reconnect of production storage during the upgrade process Provides the ability to apply lessons learned from previous deployments, improving the migration approach

Phased migration

Lessons Learned

Active/Passive node pairs provide a scalable approach to deploying clusters Distributed File System namespace allows a single cluster to provide DFS services to multiple namespaces, even disjoined namespaces New management interface provides greater functionality, empowering administrators with greater control and efficiency

Session Summary

Windows Server 2008 failover clusters bring many new benefits for highly available services and applications Migration wizard greatly simplifies migrations Optimized cluster components offer greater performance and manageability

Next Steps

For more information about Microsoft, visit http://www.microsoft.com For more information about Microsoft IT, visit http://www.microsoft.com/technet/itshowcase Windows Server 2008 resources: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008

For More Information

Visit TechNet at www.microsoft.com/technet For additional information about books, courses, and other community resources that support this session, visit http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/ and http://www.microsoft.com/learning/windowsserver 2008/default.mspx

Questions and Answers

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