User`s manual

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Adapter Configuration and Installation
Using Microsoft Cluster Server
The information presented in this section is intended to help you configure
SmartRAID V controllers and a storage subsystem for host systems that
use Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) to provide fault-tolerant network
server resources. For specific information about installing and configuring
MSCS support on your Windows NT server, refer to the Microsoft Cluster
Server Administrator’s Guide.
MSCS lets you create a server cluster, that is two servers sharing a
common storage subsystem. Both servers can provide resources to
clients. However, they cannot both provide the same resources. If one
server should fail, the other server can take over the resources of the
failed server. This is called failover. The MSCS software on both servers
manages the switchover if one server should experience a system failure.
The storage subsystem controller in each server must also be able to
respond to the switchover and transfer the responsibility for I/O requests
from the failed server to the remaining server.
Clients do not see the individual servers in a cluster. They are presented
with a virtual server that contains the specific resources they require.
MSCS provides the following advantages for network servers:
• Availability
MSCS automatically detects the failure of an application or server and
restarts its resources on the other server. Users will experience only a
brief interruption in service.
In some cases it might be necessary for users to log on again when the
standby server assumes control. Refer to the Microsoft Cluster Server
Administrator’s Guide for additional information.
• Manageability
MSCS lets administrators view the status of cluster resources and
move the server workload onto different servers within the cluster as
necessary. This allows an administrator to perform manual load
balancing or rolling updates on the servers without taking data
storage or applications offline.