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leeym
Starting Member
6 Posts |
 Posted - 2012-01-26 : 17:47:12
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| I have (2) Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise servers on a domain which will be used for clustering SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard. Is there a way to setup clustering without a SAN? There is also a standalone 2008 domain controller, and a Hyper-V 2008 Data Center server with multiple Hyper-V guests.How can this be done? Thanks |
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sanjnep
Posting Yak Master
191 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-26 : 17:52:46
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| http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/sqldisasterrecovery/thread/e03b74e0-2734-4c4e-b36d-e35bcbccc3a9Sanjeev Shrestha12/17/1971 |
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leeym
Starting Member
6 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-26 : 18:09:11
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| thanks for this link, but I dont see a solution |
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robvolk
Most Valuable Yak
15732 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-26 : 21:54:26
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| As the link mentions, the key component of a failover cluster is a shared storage environment, without which you cannot proceed. Are you clustering SQL Server on virtual machines, or physical servers? Virtual machines can be clustered using iSCSI networking targets, you can find more details here:http://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/jonathan/category/Building-a-Test-Environment.aspxAlthough that series describes setting up a test environment, it can be easily modified to set up production environment. Be sure to read all of the articles on configuration.If you are clustering physical machines that will not have a shared disk array, you can use 3rd party disk replication software to maintain synchronization between independent disks in independent nodes of a cluster. One such product is SIOS Datakeeper:http://us.sios.com/products/steeleye-datakeeper-windows/I've used this in production on 2 different clusters and will soon use it on a third. It works very well and has cluster-aware components that work seamlessly with Windows Clustering Service. You can also look at DoubleTake:http://www.visionsolutions.com/Products/DT-Avail.aspxI've not used it myself but have heard other people recommend it. If you use Twitter you may want to ask for a recommendation using the #sqlhelp tag, you'll probably get a response from someone who's used it.I don't know if you can use the virtual iSCSI targeting that Jonathan mentions on physical machines, Twitter might be able to help.What's the reason for not using a SAN? Unless you need significant storage or very high performance, you can get a mid-level SAN from Dell or HP for under $10K. You will spend at least half that much in software licensing with Datakeeper or DoubleTake. |
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leeym
Starting Member
6 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-27 : 10:12:56
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| Hi robvolk,Thanks for your help. Here are the answers to your questions:1. We are not clustering any virtual machines. The plan is to cluster those two as standalone servers. Do you suggest otherwise to make this happen?2. The reason for not using a SAN is due to the cost. Thoughts? |
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robvolk
Most Valuable Yak
15732 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-27 : 11:12:59
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| 1. I have no opinion either way. I haven't clustered VMs myself, just physical servers. If there's the slightest concern about performance I'd recommend physical over virtual.2. Do you have any budget at all for a SAN? What kind of storage space do you need? (>2 TB?)While I'm not trying to discourage using Datakeeper or Doubletake, they're not part of a standard cluster configuration and need special attention. There are also potential performance tradeoffs that may require additional network costs to counteract. My point is that an introductory level SAN could very well cost the same (or cheaper) and be a lot easier to support in a cluster environment. |
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leeym
Starting Member
6 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-27 : 11:19:11
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| Assume that we have no budget for a SAN. On another forum somebody suggested a DAS. I replied by asking if we could just share out a partition from a 3rd server. I havent heard back yet. Thoughts? |
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robvolk
Most Valuable Yak
15732 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-27 : 12:14:49
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| If the DAS has enough ports to allow all the nodes to connect, then you probably could use it. You'd have to connect it up to each node and run Validate Configuration from the Failover Cluster Manager. I don't think you can use a disk from a 3rd server that wasn't part of the cluster, and even if you could, it's a bad idea. Except for network fabric, and possibly quorum settings, clusters should have no external dependencies.You might want to contact Jonathan and get his input. Don't be surprised if he recommends a SAN anyway, but he may have alternatives that fit with your current hardware. |
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leeym
Starting Member
6 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-27 : 13:52:29
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| who is jonathan? |
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robvolk
Most Valuable Yak
15732 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-27 : 13:56:33
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| Jonathan Kehayias, the author of the link I posted earlier. You can reach him here: http://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/jonathan/contact.aspxOr on Twitter: @SQLPoolBoyIf you use Twitter, I recommend posting your question with the #sqlhelp tag, rather than messaging Jonathan directly. More people are likely to chime in if you post a general question. |
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leeym
Starting Member
6 Posts |
Posted - 2012-01-27 : 14:45:49
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| I filled out the form on his web site. We'll see what happens |
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SQL Team w/o SAN