After you finish the cluster planning and set up the server hardware, you can create the cluster. You create the cluster using Cluster Administrator, which can be started from the Administrative Tools menu or by typing cluadmin at the command prompt. Before you do this, however, you should ensure that all the nodes in the system have the same default language and country or region selected. Start the Regional And Language Options utility in Control Panel, and then select the options for Standards And Formats and Location.
Caution
If you are using a shared storage device, only one node in the cluster should have access to the cluster disk while you are creating the cluster. Otherwise, the cluster disk can become corrupted. To prevent this, either shut down all but the primary node or use another technique such as logical unit number (LUN) masking to keep the other nodes from accessing the cluster disk.
When you start Cluster Administrator for the first time, the Open Connection To Cluster dialog box should be displayed, as shown in Figure 18-13.
In this dialog box, you can select the following options:
Open Connection To Cluster To connect to an existing cluster by name or IP address
Create New Cluster To set up a new server cluster using the New Server Cluster Wizard
Add Nodes To Cluster To add nodes to an existing cluster using the Add Cluster Node Wizard
The sections that follow detail how to create a new cluster and add nodes to it.
Troubleshooting: Check the cluster configuration logs
The New Cluster Service Wizard and the Add Nodes Wizard generate a cluster configuration log that by default is located at %SystemRoot%System32LogFilesClusterClCfgSrv.log. You can use any standard text editor, including Notepad, to view the contents of the log. These logs include the complete configuration of the cluster and as such should be safeguarded to protect the security of the cluster. For help troubleshooting cluster installation, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 295648. For help troubleshooting clusters after installation, you can check the cluster diagnostic log. This log is saved at %SystemRoot%ClusterCluster.log.
To create a new cluster in Cluster Administrator, follow these steps:
Select Create New Cluster in the Open Connection To Cluster dialog box, then click OK. Or click File, New, Cluster. Either action starts the New Server Cluster Wizard.
As shown in Figure 18-14, use the Domain and Cluster Name options to set the fully qualified domain name for the cluster. This is the domain name by which the cluster will be known. Because users will connect to the cluster using virtual servers, this is the name that administrators will use to work with the cluster.
Click Next to display the Select Computer page, as shown in Figure 18-15. Enter the name or IP address of the computer that will be the first computer in the new cluster.
Click Next to display the Analyzing Configuration page, as shown in Figure 18-16. The wizard automatically begins analyzing the configuration and highlights any problems found, as follows:
First, the wizard checks for any existing cluster using the fully qualified domain name you've specified.
Second, the wizard tries to establish a connection to the computer you designated as the first node, either by computer name or IP address.
Third, the wizard determines whether the designated computer can be a member of a cluster.
Fourth, the wizard determines common resources on the node that can be managed by the cluster.
Finally, the wizard checks the feasibility of the cluster.
If the taskbar turns red, the wizard has encountered a fatal error in the configuration and you will not be able to continue. In this case, you can choose one of the following steps:
Select View Log to open the configuration log for viewing in Notepad. As mentioned previously, Microsoft Knowledge Base article 295648 can help you make sense of this log.
Select a configuration item in the analysis list, and then click Details to view detailed information regarding the analysis entry. Detailed entries include links to the Microsoft Web site where you can get more information.
Select Reanalyze to have the wizard analyze the configuration again. This is useful if you made a change to the network or make another correction that should allow the configuration to pass the analysis test.
Once the configuration passes analysis, you can click Next to display the IP Address page. Enter the IP address that will be used by cluster management tools to connect to the cluster, and then click Next.
Use the Cluster Service Account page to specify the logon information for the account under which the Cluster service will run. The account will be granted local administrative privileges on all nodes of the cluster and can be a new account or an existing account.
Click Next, then use the Proposed Cluster Configuration page to review the cluster configuration. If you see something that should be corrected, you can click Back to make the necessary changes.
Optionally, click Quorum to display the Proposed Cluster Configuration page. This lets you select a quorum type other than the default. Choose Local Quorum, Physical Disk, or Majority Node Set as appropriate.
Click Next to start configuring the cluster. When the configuration is finalized, you'll see a status page very similar to the Analyzing Configuration page. This page shows the progress of each step of the configuration as follows:
First, the wizard reanalyzes the cluster configuration.
Second, the wizard configures the Cluster service, installing the service and configuring it to use the account you specified.
Third, the wizard configures the resource types for the cluster.
Finally, the wizard configures the common resources of the cluster.
Again, if the taskbar turns red, the wizard has encountered a fatal error in the configuration and you will not be able to continue. In this case, you can choose one of the following steps:
Select View Log to open the configuration logs for viewing in Notepad
Select a configuration item in the analysis list, and then click Details to view detailed information regarding the analysis entry
Select Retry to have the wizard try to configure the cluster again after you make a correction that should allow the configuration to complete
Click Next, and then click Finish to complete the process. You can then define cluster resource groups, configure resources, and add nodes to the cluster.
Once you've created a cluster and added an initial node, at any time you can add other nodes to the cluster, up to a maximum of eight. Additional nodes automatically inherit the quorum and resource configuration from the initial host.
To add a node to a server cluster, start Cluster Administrator, which can be started from the Administrative Tools menu or by typing cluadmin at the command prompt. In the Open Connection To Cluster dialog box, select Add Nodes To Cluster, type the cluster name or IP address of the cluster you want to work with, and then click OK. This starts the Add Nodes Wizard. When the wizard starts, enter the domain name or IP address of the host to add to the cluster, and then click Next.
The wizard begins analyzing the configuration with the new node and notes any problems found. The rest of configuration works much the same as a new node configuration. If there are problems with using the node, you can use View Logs or Details to get troubleshooting information.