Event ID 1177 — Quorum and Connectivity Needed for Quorum

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

A failover cluster can run only when a majority of cluster elements (a quorum) are running and in communication. These elements usually include the nodes and, with some quorum configurations, a witness disk (which contains a copy of the cluster configuration) or witness file share. When enough of these elements are running and in communication, the cluster has achieved quorum and can run.

Event Details

Resolve

Confirm connectivity necessary for achieving quorum

The Cluster service is shutting down because quorum was lost. This can occur when network connectivity is lost between some or all nodes in the cluster, or the witness disk fails over. It can also occur if you make a change in the cluster configuration such as increasing the number of nodes, when the number of nodes currently online is too few to achieve quorum in the new configuration.

Review the event log and choose actions that apply to your situation:

• Run the Validate a Configuration Wizard, selecting only the network tests. For more information, see "Using the Validate a Configuration Wizard to review the network configuration," later in this topic.
• If there have been recent changes to the cluster configuration such as an increase in the number of nodes configured as part of the cluster, review whether the current quorum configuration is optimal for the number of nodes. For more details, see "Finding information about the quorum configuration."
• Check the system event log for hardware or software errors related to the network adapters on this node.
• Check the network adapter, cables, and network configuration for the networks that connect the nodes.
• Check hubs, switches, or bridges in the networks that connect the nodes.

To perform the following procedures, you must be a member of the local Administrators group on each clustered server, and the account you use must be a domain account, or you must have been delegated the equivalent authority.

Using the Validate a Configuration Wizard to review the network configuration

To use the Validate a Configuration Wizard to review the network configuration:

1. To open the failover cluster snap-in, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Failover Cluster Management. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.
2. In the Failover Cluster Management snap-in, in the console tree, make sure Failover Cluster Management is selected. Then under Management, click Validate a Configuration.
3. Follow the instructions in the wizard to specify the cluster you want to test.
4. On the Testing Options page, select Run only tests I select.
5. On the Test Selection page, clear all check boxes except those for the Network tests.
6. Follow the instructions in the wizard to run the tests.
7. On the Summary page, click View Report.

Finding information about the quorum configuration

To find information about the quorum configuration:

1. To open the failover cluster snap-in, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Failover Cluster Management. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.

2. In the Failover Cluster Management snap-in, if the cluster you want to manage is not displayed, in the console tree, right-click Failover Cluster Management, click Manage a Cluster, and then select or specify the cluster that you want.

3. In the console tree, ensure that the cluster is selected.

4. In the center pane, near the top, view the Quorum Configuration.

5. For information that can help you interpret whether the quorum configuration is appropriate for the number of nodes (an even number or an odd number), click Help, click Help Topics, click the Contents tab, expand the contents for the failover cluster Help, expand Modifying Settings for a Failover Cluster, and then click Understanding Quorum Configurations in a Failover Cluster.

   In that topic, "Quorum configuration choices" describes how the choices relate to the number of nodes. To change the quorum configuration in your cluster, in the same section of Help, also see the topic called Select Quorum Options for a Cluster.

Verify

Restart the Cluster service and confirm that the cluster nodes are up.

To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the local Administrators group on each clustered server, and the account you use must be a domain account, or you must have been delegated the equivalent authority.

Verifying that the Cluster service is started on all the nodes in a failover cluster

To verify that the Cluster service is started on all the nodes in a failover cluster:

1. To open the failover cluster snap-in, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Failover Cluster Management. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.
2. In the Failover Cluster Management snap-in, if the cluster you want to manage is not displayed, in the console tree, right-click Failover Cluster Management, click Manage a Cluster, and then select or specify the cluster that you want.
3. If the console tree is collapsed, expand the tree under the cluster you want to manage, and then click Nodes.
4. View the status for each node. If a node is Up, the Cluster service is started on that node.

Another way to check whether the Cluster service is started is to run a command on a node in the cluster.

Using a command to check whether the Cluster service is started on a node

To use a command to check whether the Cluster service is started on a node:

1. On the node that you are checking, click Start, point to All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.

2. Type:

   CLUSTER NODE /STATUS

   If the node status is Up, the Cluster service is started on that node.

Related Management Information

Quorum and Connectivity Needed for Quorum

Failover Clustering