Windows Server Cluster

[TehUser]

I've got four systems with Windows Server 2003 installed and nothing to do with them, so I thought I'd try to turn them into a cluster.  Does anyone have experience with this, particularly on Windows?

[Barabajagal]

I've used ROCKS for clustering 40 500 MHz dell computers in high school... It was so fun to turn them all on at once and listen to the hum and watch the simultaneous blinking... I've actually never seen a Windows cluster in my life. All Beowulf clusters are linux/bsd operating system based. Apparently, though, Microsoft's trying to make their own.

And in case you didn't know, clusters are done by the OS, not by other software most the time. You need their cluster server OS, not their regular one.

[TehUser]

Yeah...  Which is probably why I mentioned using Windows Server 2003 (which coincidentally has a Clustering Service--who'd have thought?).  And as much as I appreciate your anecdote there, I was actually looking for experience with Windows clusters so that I could put one together.

[Barabajagal]

I thought the cluster service was so they could be clients, and you needed the cluster server OS to manage them. Maybe not though.

[MyndFyre]

I thought the cluster service was so they could be clients, and you needed the cluster server OS to manage them. Maybe not though.

Yeah, Windows owns roughly half of the server market but there are no viable solutions for clustering them.

[Barabajagal]

I'm not sure you understood my statement...

[TehUser]

Awesome, thanks.  I actually wanted a thread with sarcastic comments about whether or not Windows clusters could be built instead of receiving actual help.

[Warrior]

No.

[MyndFyre]

Awesome, thanks.  I actually wanted a thread with sarcastic comments about whether or not Windows clusters could be built instead of receiving actual help.

Your question didn't say you wanted help.  Your question was whether or not people had experience with it:

Does anyone have experience with this, particularly on Windows?

The real question is: what have *you* tried so far?  What kind of help are you seeking?

[TehUser]

Your question didn't say you wanted help.  Your question was whether or not people had experience with it:

As it turns out, people with minor deductive faculties are able to infer that I'm looking for someone with experience because it's not something I know how to do and could therefore use help.  But that's ok, A+ for effort.

I don't know anything about it, I haven't seen any "How To Cluster Windows Server 2003 Servers for Dummies" things out there.  A lot of the pages make reference to a domain (which I don't have, or have any idea how to administer), so the whole process is over my head.  I don't know where to start.

[FrOzeN]

I've never looked into Clustering before, or really even knew what it was before I googled it after seeing this thread (so basically don't ask me about it). Though, hopefully these resources I just found can of a help to you.

• Guide to Setup Clustering on Windows Server 2003
  
• Support Group for help if problems arise.
  
• Some book on Amazon that may be of value to you.

[TehUser]

I've never looked into Clustering before, or really even knew what it was before I googled it after seeing this thread (so basically don't ask me about it). Though, hopefully these resources I just found can of a help to you.

• Guide to Setup Clustering on Windows Server 2003
  

I had seen that site while I was looking around, the only problem is that I don't have multiple network adapters or multiple storage cards to link the hardware in the way that they suggest.  The vast majority of sites I had seen regarding clusters didn't require such complex interconnectivity, which is why I intended to go with a single network and no physical connection between storage.

• Support Group for help if problems arise.
  
• Some book on Amazon that may be of value to you.

Additionally, I have the book and it's more about the policy and software end of things e.g., fitting it into your budget, managing downtime, and configuring the cluster service.  Furthermore, the cluster configuration they recommend in the one mentioned on the TechNet site involving integrated storage controllers and multiple NICs per cluster node.

[Barabajagal]

So get yourself a nice 4 port router, plug em all in, connect em all to a larger network (or directly to the web) with the WAN port, and set up the software end. Our ROCKS cluster originally used a daisy-chain method with 2 NIC cards per compy, but we decided to use an 80 port hub that wasn't in use later on. It was sort of a waste making all those crossover cables... but they all went to good use.

[Zorm]

I was actually kinda curious because this sounds cool. A quick google search revealed that you're probably SOL in regards to not having the needed network cards as everything I have seen suggests you need atleast two in each box.

I also came across a pdf file for setting up a cluster using vmware http://www.blkmtn.org/system/files/VMware+clustering+1.0.pdf. Sure it doesn't apply to your exact situation but it will atleast give you a brief overview of the steps involved in setting everything up. I imagine you found this document as well though since its one of the first hits.