Installing SQL Server 2008 R2 on a Failover Cluster using Server 2008 R2

Scenario

You’ve configured a Failover Cluster using Server 2008 R2, and now you want to install SQL Server 2008 R2.

Solution

Changes

A few changes were made to the simple Failover Cluster that was previously configured:

  • Several LUNs were added to the FreeNAS VM so separate disks could be used for each function:
  • 3 x Network Interface Cards (NICs) were configured on each node, each on a different subnet:
    • LAN: 10.10.10.0/24
    • SAN: 10.10.20.0/24
    • Heartbeat: 10.10.30.0/24
  • The FreeNAS interface was configured on the SAN subnet (10.10.20.220).

This time round, the Failover Cluster Validation Report didn’t have a single warning; all green ticks 😉

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Configure a Failover Cluster using Server 2008 R2

Scenario

You have already installed and configured an iSCSI SAN for your shared storage, and now you want to configure a Failover Cluster to provide increased availability to services like Exchange, SQL Server and virtualisation.

Two servers called node01 and node02 have already been joined to the domain, each with multiple Network Interface Cards (NICs).

Microsoft’s iSCSI Initiator was used to connect the volumes (LUNs) on the iSCSI SAN. One disk for Data, the other for the Witness disk.

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Connect an iSCSI SAN to Server 2008 R2 using the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator

Scenario

You’ve installed FreeNAS 8.2 and configured it as a free iSCSI SAN. Now you need to connect to the iSCSI SAN using an iSCSI Initiator.

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Configure iSCSI SAN using FreeNAS 8.2

Scenario

You’ve installed FreeNAS 8.2 in your Home Lab, and now wish to configure iSCSI for shared storage.

Here’s how.

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Free iSCSI SAN for your home lab using FreeNAS 8.2

Scenario

You have a home lab set up so you can experiment with the latest and greatest software and technology. You could be using VMware ESXi, Hyper-V or another hypervisor for your lab, but they don’t come with shared storage built-in. You need shared storage to set up features like Failover Clustering.

Luckily, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get an iSCSI SAN for your home lab. As the name suggests, FreeNAS is FREE!

Read on to learn how to install FreeNAS 8.2. I’ll be using VMware Workstation, but the process is similar for most hypervisors.

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