Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed Part #12 of 12: Chapter 11 - Other MN&C Features (you might not know about)
This snippet from Chapter 11 of my new book Windows Server 2008: What's New / What's Changed is brought to you by SAPIEN Press. Get your copy at http://www.sapienpress.com/Windows_Server_08.asp.
Windows Server Failover Clustering
One of the biggest problems with clustering throughout its history was the complicated processes involved with setting it up. Requiring more network connections, fibre runs, and IP addresses than virtually anything else in your environment - not to mention the often painful matching of driver and firmware settings with Microsoft's official lists - the steps necessary to build a Windows cluster often required outside help and support.
More after the fold...
With the release of Server 2008 we get one step further into easing that pain. One of the major changes in support is the defocusing of the requirement for all components to reside on Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) or the Windows Server Catalog of Tested Products. The problem before was not necessarily the hardware products and their presence on either of these two lists, but that each individual driver or firmware revision's presence needed to be there as well. Managing the "correct" list of drivers, firmware, and hardware all at once grew unwieldy as vendors brought about new and decommissioned old hardware.
With Server 2008, Microsoft strongly suggests that all hardware be from the same vendor, but this remains only a suggestion. It's always a good idea to use hardware on the HCL for clusters, but that hardware's requirement is less critical with WSFC clusters in Server 2008. What enables this difference is a much stronger cluster validation tool built into the Feature. That tool analyzes the inventory, network and storage settings, and system configuration in comparison with best practices to ensure clustering success before you ever start the build.
(Want to read all the posts in this series? Click here.)
Email This!
Digg it!
Sphere it!
Del.icio.us
Reddit!
Newsvine