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Checklist: Setting Up a Clustered Instance of a Service or Application (Failover Cluster)

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008

  Task Reference

Review hardware and infrastructure requirements for a failover cluster.

Failover Cluster Requirements (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=129108)

Review the documentation for the role, service, or application you want to use in the cluster, and install that role, service, or application on every server that will be in the cluster or as instructed in the application documentation.

Important
If the documentation for your application contains instructions for installing the application in the context of a failover cluster, and those instructions differ from this checklist, use that documentation, not this checklist.

Documentation for your server role, service, or application

If you are not sure whether your service or application is designed to run in a cluster (note that common services such as DHCP and Distributed Transaction Coordinator are designed to run in a cluster), review the documentation for your application, information about running generic services and applications in a failover cluster, or both.

Using Generic Services and Applications in a Failover Cluster (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=129392)

Install the failover clustering feature on every server that will be in the cluster.

Install the Failover Clustering Feature on a Set of Servers

Connect the networks and storage that the cluster will use.

Prepare Hardware Before Validating a Failover Cluster

Run the Validate a Configuration wizard to confirm that the hardware and hardware settings of the servers, network, and storage are compatible with failover clustering. If necessary, adjust hardware or hardware settings and rerun the wizard.

Validate the Nodes, Networks, and Storage for a Failover Cluster

Create the failover cluster.

Create a New Failover Cluster

If the clustered servers are connected to a network that is not to be used for network communication in the cluster (for example, a network intended only for iSCSI or only for backup), then configure that network so that it does not allow cluster communication.

Modify Network Settings for a Failover Cluster

Run the High Availability Wizard and specify the appropriate type of service or application, a name for the clustered file server, and IP address information that is not automatically supplied by your DHCP settings. Also specify the storage volume or volumes.

Configure a Service or Application for High Availability

Check the length of time that the Cluster service allows for starting the application when it is brought online, and decide whether the default (3 minutes) is appropriate.

Configure the Pending Timeout for a Clustered Service or Application

Test failover of the clustered service or application. Make adjustments to ensure that all components of the application fail over correctly.

Verify the Configuration and Failover of a Clustered Service or Application

Additional references