Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service 17 APR 2018 VMware vSphere 6.7 VMware ESXi 6.7 vCenter Server 6.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware website at: https://docs.vmware.com/ If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to docfeedback@vmware.com VMware, Inc. 3401 Hillview Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.vmware.com Copyright © 2006–2018 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright and trademark information. VMware, Inc.
Contents About Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service 5 1 Getting Started with MSCS 6 Clustering Configuration Overview 6 Hardware and Software Requirements for Clustering Supported Shared Storage Configurations PSP_RR Support for MSCS 11 FCoE Support for MSCS 12 VVol Support for MSCS 10 11 iSCSI Support for MSCS vMotion support for MSCS 10 12 13 vSphere MSCS Setup Limitations MSCS and Booting from a SAN 14 14 Setting up Clustered Continuous Replication or Database Avail
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Create VM-VM Affinity Rules for MSCS Virtual Machines Enable Strict Enforcement of Affinity Rules (MSCS) 33 33 Set DRS Automation Level for MSCS Virtual Machines 34 Using vSphere DRS Groups and VM-Host Affinity Rules with MSCS Virtual Machines 34 6 vSphere MSCS Setup Checklist 37 VMware, Inc.
About Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service describes the types of clusters you can implement using virtual machines with Microsoft Cluster Service for Windows Server 2003 and Failover Clustering for Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012 and above releases. You get step-by-step instructions for each type of cluster and a checklist of clustering requirements and recommendations.
Getting Started with MSCS ® 1 ® VMware vSphere supports clustering using MSCS across virtual machines. Clustering virtual machines can reduce the hardware costs of traditional high-availability clusters. Note vSphere High Availability (vSphere HA) supports a clustering solution in conjunction with vCenter Server clusters. vSphere Availability describes vSphere HA functionality.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service A typical clustering setup includes: n Disks that are shared between nodes. A shared disk is required as a quorum disk. In a cluster of virtual machines across physical hosts, the shared disk must be on a Fibre Channel (FC) SAN, FCoE or iSCSI. A quorum disk must have a homogenous set of disks. This means that if the configuration is done with FC SAN, then all of the cluster disks should be FC SAN only. Mixed mode is not supported.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Clustering Virtual Machines Across Physical Hosts A cluster of virtual machines across physical hosts (also known as a cluster across boxes) protects against software failures and hardware failures on the physical machine by placing the cluster nodes on separate ESXi hosts. This configuration requires shared storage on an Fibre Channel SAN for the quorum disk. The following figure shows a cluster-across-boxes setup.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Figure 1‑3. Clustering Multiple Virtual Machines Across Hosts 1 2 3 4 5 7 6 8 VM1 VM2 VM3 VM4 VM5 VM6 VM7 VM8 physical machine physical machine Clustering Physical Machines with Virtual Machines For a simple MSCS clustering solution with low hardware requirements, you might choose to have one standby host.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Hardware and Software Requirements for Clustering All vSphere MSCS configurations require certain hardware and software components. The following table lists hardware and software requirements that apply to all vSphere MSCS configurations. Table 1‑1. Clustering Requirements Component Requirement Virtual SCSI adapter LSI Logic Parallel for Windows Server 2003. LSI Logic SAS for Windows Server 2008 SP2 and above.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Table 1‑2.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service n All hosts must be running ESXi 6.0. n Mixed cluster nodes running FC or FCOE and iSCSI are not supported. n Mixed mode of iSCSI config is supported. For example, Node A on ESXi with iSCSI software initiator and Node B on ESXi with Qlogic, Emulex or Broadcom hardware adapter. n Mixed mode configurations of ESXi 6.0 with previous ESXi releases are not supported. n Rolling upgrades of cluster Hosts from previous versions of ESXi to ESXi 6.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Pre-requisites for vMotion support: n vMotion is supported only for a cluster of virtual machines across physical hosts (CAB) with passthrough RDMs. n The vMotion network must be a 10Gbps Ethernet link. 1Gbps Ethernet link for vMotion of MSCS virtual machines is not supported. n vMotion is supported for Windows Server 2008 SP2 and above releases. Windows Server 2003 is not supported.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service n MSCS on VVols can work with any type of disk, "Thin" as well as "Thick"-provisioned disks. n This feature enables customers to move away from using Pass-through RDM (physical compatibility mode). n MSCS on VVols supports HA, DRS and vMotion. n The underlying transport protocol can be FC, ISCSI or FCOE. n Cluster-in-a-box (CIB) and a mixture of CAB and CIB is not supported.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Follow these guidelines when you place the boot disk of a virtual machine on a SAN-based VMFS volume: n Consider the best practices for boot-from-SAN that Microsoft publishes in the following knowledge base article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305547/en-us. n Use StorPort LSI Logic drivers instead of SCSIport drivers when running Microsoft Cluster Service for Windows Server 2003 or 2008 guest operating systems.
Cluster Virtual Machines on One Physical Host 2 You can create an MSCS cluster with up to five nodes on a single ESXi host. Note Windows Server 2008 SP2 and above systems support up to five nodes (virtual machines). For supported guest operating systems see Table 6‑2. Windows Server 2003 SP1 and SP2 systems support two nodes. A cluster of virtual machines on one physical machine requires a host with one physical network adapter for the VMkernel.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service 3 4 Proceed through the wizard to create the virtual machine. Page Action Creation type Select Create a new virtual machine. Name and folder Enter a name and select a location. Compute resource Select a cluster, host, vApp or resource pool to run this virtual machine. Storage Select a datastore as the location for the virtual machine configuration file and the virtual machine disk (.vmdk) file.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service 2 Proceed through the wizard to create the virtual machine template. Page Action Name and folder Enter a name (for example, Node2_Template) and select a location. Compute Resource Select the host or cluster where you will run the virtual machine. Disk Format Select Same format as source. Storage Select a datastore as the location for the virtual machine configuration file and the .vmdk file.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service 5 Expand the New Hard Disk. 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. 6 Click OK. The wizard creates a new hard disk and a new SCSI controller. 7 In the New Virtual Machine - Edit Settings dialog box, expand SCSI controller and select the Change Type drop-down menu.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service 3 Select the same virtual device node you chose for the first virtual machine’s shared storage disks (for example, SCSI (1:0)), and click OK. 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. 4 In Disk File Path, browse to the location of the quorum disk specified for the first node. VMware, Inc.
Cluster Virtual Machines Across Physical Hosts 3 You can create a MSCS cluster that consists of two or more virtual machines on two ESXi or more hosts. A cluster across physical hosts requires specific hardware and software. n ESXi hosts that have the following: n Two physical network adapters dedicated to the MSCS cluster and to the public and private networks. n One physical network adapter dedicated to the VMkernel. n Supported shared storage configuration.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Procedure 1 Open the vSphere Client and connect to the vCenter Server system. Use the user name and password of the user who will have administrator permissions on the virtual machine. 2 In the vSphere Client, right-click the host and select New Virtual Machine. 3 Proceed through the wizard to create the virtual machine. 4 Page Action Creation type Select Create a new virtual machine.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Create Additional Nodes for Clusters Across Physical Hosts To create additional nodes in a cluster of virtual machines across physical hosts, you create a template of the first virtual machine and use it to deploy additional virtual machines onto another ESXi host. Caution If you clone a virtual machine with an RDM setup, the cloning process converts the RDMs to virtual disks.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Add Hard Disks to the First Node for Clusters Across Physical Hosts In an MSCS cluster, storage disks are shared between nodes. You set up a quorum disk and an optional shared storage disk. Prerequisites Before you add hard disks to the first node, complete the following tasks: n For each virtual machine, configure the guest operating system’s private and public IP addresses.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service 9 Select the appropriate type of controller, depending on your operating system. Operating System Type of Controller Windows Server 2003 SP1 and SP2 LSI Logic Parallel Windows Server 2008 SP2 and above LSI Logic SAS Windows Server 2008 SP2 and above VMware Paravirtual For supported guest operating systems see Table 6‑2. 10 Click OK.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service 8 In the New Virtual Machine - Edit Settings dialog box, expand SCSI controller and select the Change Type drop-down menu. 9 Select the appropriate type of controller, depending on your operating system.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service 6 Click OK. The wizard creates a new hard disk. 7 In the New Virtual Machine - Edit Settings dialog box, expand SCSI controller and select the Change Type drop-down menu. 8 Select the appropriate type of controller, depending on your operating system. Operating System Type of Controller Windows Server 2003 SP1 and SP2 LSI Logic Parallel Windows Server 2008 SP2 and above LSI Logic SAS For supported guest operating systems see Table 6‑2.
Cluster Physical and Virtual Machines 4 You can create an MSCS cluster in which each physical machine has a corresponding virtual machine. This type of configuration is known as a standby host cluster. A standby host cluster has specific hardware and software requirements. n Use ESXi hosts that have the following: n Two physical network adapters dedicated to the MSCS cluster and to the public and private networks. n One physical network adapter dedicated to the VMkernel.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Procedure u Set up the physical machine using the settings listed in the table. Component Requirement Windows Cluster Administrator application Advanced minimum configuration if Windows 2003 is used. Network adapters At least two. Storage Access to the same storage on a SAN as the ESXi host on which the corresponding virtual machine will run. Operating system Installed on each physical machine.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service 4 Click Finish to complete creating the virtual machine. 5 In the vSphere Client, select the newly created virtual machine, right-click and select Edit Settings. 6 Click the New device drop-down menu, select Network, and click Add. 7 In the New Virtual Machine - Edit Settings dialog box, expand Network adapter. Select the adapter type and network label.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service 9 Select the appropriate type of controller, depending on your operating system. Operating System Type of Controller Windows Server 2003 LSI Logic Parallel Windows Server 2008 LSI Logic SAS Windows Server 2008 VMware Paravirtual 10 Click OK. 11 In the New Virtual Machine - Edit Settings dialog box, expand SCSI controller and select the SCSI Bus Sharing drop-down menu. Set SCSI Bus Sharing to Virtual and click OK.
Use MSCS in an vSphere HA and vSphere DRS Environment 5 When you use MSCS in a vSphere High Availability (vSphere HA) or vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) environment, you must configure your hosts and virtual machines to use certain settings. All hosts that run MSCS virtual machines must be managed by a vCenter Server system. vSphere includes vMotion support for MSCS cluster virtual machines.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Create VM-VM Affinity Rules for MSCS Virtual Machines For MSCS virtual machines in a cluster, you must create VM-VM affinity or anti-affinity rules. VM-VM affinity rules specify which virtual machines should be kept together on the same host (for example, a cluster of MSCS virtual machines on one physical host).
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service 5 In the Option column, type ForceAffinePoweron. 6 In the Value column, type 1. 7 Click OK. Set DRS Automation Level for MSCS Virtual Machines You must set the automation level of all virtual machines in an MSCS cluster to Partially Automated.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service For a cluster of virtual machines on one physical host, all MSCS virtual machines must be in the same virtual machine DRS group, linked to the same host DRS group with the affinity rule "Must run on hosts in group." For a cluster of virtual machines across physical hosts, all MSCS virtual machines must be in the same virtual machine DRS group and all hosts must be in the same host DRS group.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service For a cluster of virtual machines on one physical host, create one host DRS group that contains both the ESXi hosts. For example, HostGroup_1 contains ESXi_HOST_1, ESXi_HOST_2. For a cluster of virtual machines across physical hosts, create one host DRS group that contains all the ESXi hosts. For example, HostGroup_1 contains ESXi_HOST_1 running MSCS_VM_1, ESXi_HOST_2 running MSCS_VM_2 …...
vSphere MSCS Setup Checklist 6 When you set up MSCS on ESXi, see the checklists to configure your environment according to the requirements. You can also use the checklists to verify that your setup meets the requirements if you need technical support. Requirements for Clustered Disks Each type of clustered disk has its own requirements, depending on whether it is in a single-host cluster or multihost cluster. Table 6‑1.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Table 6‑1. Requirements for Clustered Disks (Continued) Component Single-Host Clustering Multihost Clustering Clustered disks, physical compatibility mode (Shared VVol storage) Not Supported. SCSI bus sharing mode must be set to physical. All types All clustered nodes must use the same target ID (on the virtual SCSI adapter) for the same clustered disk. A separate virtual adapter must be used for clustered disks.
Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service Table 6‑2. Other Clustering Requirements and Recommendations (Continued) Component Requirement ESXi configuration Do not overcommit memory. Set the Memory Reservation (minimum memory) option to the same as the amount of memory assigned to the virtual machine. If you must overcommit memory, the swap file must be local, not on the SAN. ESXi 5.
