To evict a node from a Windows 2008 failover cluster

This topic explains how to use the Failover Cluster Management tool or Cluster.exe to evict a node from a Windows Server 2008 failover cluster. After a node is exited from the cluster, the node cannot host the clustered mailbox server.

If, for any reason, you attempt to evict a node from a failover cluster, you can use the last procedure in this topic to force the node to be evicted from the cluster.

Before you begin, you must move any existing clustered mailbox servers to another node, and then uninstall Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 from the node that you want to exit.

To perform the following steps, you must delegate the local Administrators group membership of the node that you are using to the account you use.

Steps

To evict a node from a Windows Server 2008 failover cluster using the Failover Clustering management tool

Open the Failover Cluster Management tool.

Expand the cluster, and then expand nodes.

Right-click the node you want to delete, select more actions, and then select Exit.

Select the Confirm Exit Action box, and then click Yes to exit the node.

To evict a node from a Windows Server 2008 failover cluster using Cluster.exe

Open the Command Prompt window on the node you want to exit.

Stop the Cluster service by running the following command:

net stop clussvc

After stopping the Cluster service, exit the node by running the following command:

Cluster node/evict

Attention:

When you use Cluster.exe to exit the last node in the cluster, you do not have to stop the Cluster service before running the command in step 3.

To force the exit of a node from a Windows Server 2008 failover cluster using Cluster.exe

Open the Command Prompt window on the node on which you are making the stronger exit.

Stop the Cluster service by running the following command:

net stop clussvc

After stopping the Cluster service, forcibly exits the node by running the following command:

Cluster Node/force

Attention:

When you use Cluster.exe to exit the last node in the cluster, you do not have to stop the Cluster service before running the command in step 3.