The window cluster feature is installed by default. You only need to start Cluster Administrator configuration cluster, or use Cluster.exe to write configuration scripts. In addition, you can install Third-party quorum resources beforehand, and then select them during the server cluster configuration, without using other resource-related steps. All server cluster configurations can be deployed in the same way.
Benefits • Easier Management-you no longer need to provide media discs when installing a server cluster.
• No reboot required-you no longer need to reboot after installing or uninstalling the Cluster service.
Pre-configuration analysis and validation of software and hardware configurations, and look for possible problems. Provide a comprehensive and Easy-to-read report for any possible configuration issues before creating a server cluster.
Benefits • Compatibility-ensures that any known incompatibilities are detected before being configured. For example, service for Macintosh (SFM), Network Load Balancing (NLB), dynamic disks, and addresses that are granted by DHCP are not supported by the Cluster service.
The default value creates the best way to create a server cluster using either a default value or a heuristic value. In most cases, these default values are the most appropriate configuration for a newly created server cluster.
Benefits • Easier Management-When creating a server cluster, only a small number of configuration issues are queried, and the program determines the configuration based on the data collected. Our goal is to let you create and run the server cluster by default, and if you want, you can use the Server Cluster Administration tool to customize the server cluster thereafter.
Adding multiple nodes allows multiple nodes to be added to a server cluster in one operation.
Benefits • Easier Management-This allows you to create a multi-node server cluster more easily and quickly.
Extensible schemas extensible schemas allow applications and system components to join the server cluster configuration. For example, applications can be installed before the server is clustered, and these applications can participate (or even hinder) the node that is joined to the server cluster.
Benefits • Third-party support-this feature allows applications to set server cluster resources and/or change their configuration during server cluster setup, rather than through a separate task after a server cluster installation.
Remote administration completely allows the server cluster to be created and configured remotely. From a remote administration site, you can create a new server cluster and add nodes to an existing server cluster. In addition, changes to the drive letter and failover of physical disk resources are updated based on the Terminal server's client sessions.
Benefits • Easier management-better remote management through Terminal Services.
The creation and configuration of a command-line tool server cluster can be scripted through the Cluster.exe command-line tool.
Benefits • Easier Management-Automate the cluster creation process more easily.
Easier uninstall to uninstall the Cluster service from the node, you now need to perform only one step to retract the node. In previous versions, it was necessary to retract and then uninstall.
Benefits • Easier Management – Uninstalling the Cluster service becomes more efficient because you can cancel the cluster support configuration of the node by simply recovering the node through Cluster Administrator or Cluster.exe. Cluster.exe also offers a new switch. This switch can force an uninstall operation when you have difficulty entering the cluster server, and the command is: cluster node%nodename%/force
Quorum log size The quorum log size has been increased to 4096 KB (in the past, in kilobytes).
Benefits • Allow a large number of shared –4,096 KB quorum logs to allow a large number of file or printer shares (for example, 200 printer shares). In previous releases, so many shares would have run out of quorum log space, resulting in an inconsistency in resource failover.
Local Quorum if a node is not attached to the shared disk, the node automatically configures a local quorum resource. It is also possible to create a local quorum resource when the Cluster service is running.
Benefits • Create a test cluster – this makes it very easy for users to create a test cluster on a local PC to test a clustered application or become familiar with the Cluster service. Users do not need specialized cluster hardware approved in the Microsoft cluster HCL to run a test cluster.
Note: Only a single node cluster (Lonewolf) supports local quorum. In addition, hardware that is not yet certified on the HCL is not supported in a production environment.
• Achieve recovery – if you lose all shared disks, one way to make the temporary cluster work is to start the cluster using the cluster.exe/fixquorum switch, and then create the local quorum resource and set it to your quorum resource. If you are printing a cluster, you can point the spool folder to the local disk. If it is a file share, you can point the file share resource to a local disk in which the backed-up data has been recovered. It is clear that this does not provide any failover and therefore can only be regarded as an interim measure.
Quorum selection you no longer have to choose which disk to use as the quorum resource. The quorum resource is automatically configured on the smallest disk with a capacity greater than MB and formatted as NTFS.
Benefits • Easier Management – end users no longer have to worry about which disk will be used as the quorum resource.
Note: You can choose to transfer the quorum resource to another disk after the setup process or after you have configured the cluster.
