MS SQL Server 2008 - fail over cluster installation on Windows Server 2003 EE
Please read prerequisites for MS SQL Server 2008 failover cluster installation by clicking here before you proceed further.
This article shows the steps to setup MS SQL Server 2008 failover cluster on Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition. For installation instructions on Windows Server 2008 R2 click here.
MS SQL 2008 instance must be installed on one (1) node of the cluster and after the installation completes successfully, other nodes have to be added to the SQL 2008 clustered installation.
Following videos illustrate steps for installing MS SQL Server 2008 failover cluster on Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition. For step by step instruction read through the information below.
Access active node of the Windows cluster, run Cluster Administrator 'CLUADMIN' to create cluster group for MS SQL Server 2008 setup (LabSQL2K8CL1):
Use the software from the DSL or from the CD-ROM
Double-click the file: setup.exe
2. SQL Server Installation left
Click “Installation”
Click on “New SQL Server failover cluster installation”
3. Setup Support Rules
Setup will verify prerequisites for installing “Setup Support Files”.
Click Ok
4. Setup Support Files - Install
Click Install
Setup Support Files installation will proceed. It may take a few seconds.
5. Setup Support Rules – SQL Server
Setup will validate readiness for SQL Server installation
Note: “Microsoft .NET Application Security” Rule might generate warning due to the fact that there is no access to the Internet.
6. Product Key
Enter product key. Click Next
7. License Agreement
Check “I accept the license terms.”.
Click Next
8. Feature Selection
Select following components/features to install:
Database Engine Services
SQL Server Replication (will be selected automatically)
Full-Text Search (will be selected automatically)
N.B.: Both options are mandatory i.e. they cannot be removed for a cluster installation.
Client Tools Connectivity
Integration Services
Client Tools Backwards Compatibility (optional)
SQL Server Books Online
Management Tools – Basic
Management Tools – Complete
Note: Marked in Blue “Shared feature directory (x86)” will appear in 64-bit versions only.
Leave “Shared Feature Directory” and “Shared feature directory (x86) unchanged.
Click Next
9. Instance configuration
Provide instance configuration and review currently installed features, if any.
Specify Virtual SQL Server name
If named instance:
Select “Named Instance” and specify instance name
DO NOT change “Instance ID”
Keeping the instance Name and Instance ID the same will make it easier to support
Leave “Instance root directory” unchanged
Click Next
10. Disk Space Summary
Setup will show the amount of space required to install selected features.
Click Next
11. Cluster Resource Group
The list of the cluster resource groups present on the cluster will be displayed. You need to specify which groups can be used for SQL 2008 installation. If group was already created in the cluster, select the cluster group you want to install SQL 2008 into. Click Next
12. Cluster Disk
The list of cluster shared disks present on the cluster will be displayed. Select disks that can be used for SQL 2008 installation.
Select the disks that you want to be included in the SQL Server resource cluster group. Setup will configure SQL Server resource dependency on the disks automatically.
Click Next
13. Cluster Network Configuration
List of networks, available to be configured for the Virtual SQL Server IP resource will be displayed.
Check the network to use and specify IP address of the Virtual SQL instance.
Click Next
Access other node to be added and run setup. Double-click the file: setup.exe
From SQL Server Installation left click “Add mode to a SQL Server failover cluster” and follow the prompt.
For step by step instructions, watch the following video:
This article shows the steps to setup MS SQL Server 2008 failover cluster on Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition. For installation instructions on Windows Server 2008 R2 click here.
MS SQL 2008 instance must be installed on one (1) node of the cluster and after the installation completes successfully, other nodes have to be added to the SQL 2008 clustered installation.
With SQL 2005, the installation program was able to install the SQL instance to all the nodes of the cluster but with the SQL 2008 installation program, it is not possible anymore i.e. it has to be installed to a node (first node) and then other nodes needs to be added to the SQL 2008 clustered instance.
Access active node of the Windows cluster, run Cluster Administrator 'CLUADMIN' to create cluster group for MS SQL Server 2008 setup (LabSQL2K8CL1):
Initiate MS SQL Server 2008 installation on the first node (WIN2K3001):
Add second node (WIN2K3002) to the SQL Server Cluster LabSQL2K8CL1
Step by step instructions:
1. Run Setup
Use the software from the DSL or from the CD-ROM
Double-click the file: setup.exe
2. SQL Server Installation left
Click “Installation”
Click on “New SQL Server failover cluster installation”
3. Setup Support Rules
Setup will verify prerequisites for installing “Setup Support Files”.
Click Ok
4. Setup Support Files - Install
Click Install
Setup Support Files installation will proceed. It may take a few seconds.
5. Setup Support Rules – SQL Server
Setup will validate readiness for SQL Server installation
Note: “Microsoft .NET Application Security” Rule might generate warning due to the fact that there is no access to the Internet.
6. Product Key
Enter product key. Click Next
7. License Agreement
Check “I accept the license terms.”.
Click Next
8. Feature Selection
Select following components/features to install:
Database Engine Services
SQL Server Replication (will be selected automatically)
Full-Text Search (will be selected automatically)
N.B.: Both options are mandatory i.e. they cannot be removed for a cluster installation.
Client Tools Connectivity
Integration Services
Client Tools Backwards Compatibility (optional)
SQL Server Books Online
Management Tools – Basic
Management Tools – Complete
Note: Marked in Blue “Shared feature directory (x86)” will appear in 64-bit versions only.
Leave “Shared Feature Directory” and “Shared feature directory (x86) unchanged.
Click Next
9. Instance configuration
Provide instance configuration and review currently installed features, if any.
Specify Virtual SQL Server name
If named instance:
Select “Named Instance” and specify instance name
DO NOT change “Instance ID”
Keeping the instance Name and Instance ID the same will make it easier to support
Leave “Instance root directory” unchanged
Click Next
10. Disk Space Summary
Setup will show the amount of space required to install selected features.
Click Next
11. Cluster Resource Group
The list of the cluster resource groups present on the cluster will be displayed. You need to specify which groups can be used for SQL 2008 installation. If group was already created in the cluster, select the cluster group you want to install SQL 2008 into. Click Next
12. Cluster Disk
The list of cluster shared disks present on the cluster will be displayed. Select disks that can be used for SQL 2008 installation.
Select the disks that you want to be included in the SQL Server resource cluster group. Setup will configure SQL Server resource dependency on the disks automatically.
Click Next
13. Cluster Network Configuration
List of networks, available to be configured for the Virtual SQL Server IP resource will be displayed.
Check the network to use and specify IP address of the Virtual SQL instance.
Click Next
14. SQL Service Domain Groups
Specify AD group for SQL Services. You can specify seperate group for Database Engine and SQL Server Agent or use the same AD group.
Eg: AD Group: Lab_SQL2K8ServiceGroup
Click Next
15. Server Configuration
Unless specified otherwise use the same account for all SQL services.
Click "Use the same account for all SQL Services" button
Specify AD service account to be used as the SQL service account.
Eg: Lab_SQL2K8Account
Click Ok
For the Full-Text search service in SQL Server 2008:
For Windows 2008, the service will be using ‘Local Service’ and will be enabled & started.
For Windows 2003: Enter the AD service account used for the SQL Services.
Select the “Collation” tab.
Change Collation setting if required, else Click Next
At this point Setup will validate the service account, its password and AD group membership.
16. Database Engine Configuration
On the “Account Provisioning” tab specify:
Authentication mode
Select Mixed Mode
Specify password for “sa” account
In Specify SQL Server Administrators, click Add
Specify groups/users you want to be added to “sysadmin” server role
Eg:
AD Group: Lab_SQL2K8ServiceAccount
AD Group: Lab_SQL2K8CL1Admin
Go to “Data Directories” tab and specify:
Data root directory (it should be the root of the SQL system drive)
Directories for the database files, database log files and backups. Following logic to applied:
Go to “FILESTREAM” tab:
You can choose to configure FILESTREAM during installation or do it post installation
Click Next
17. Error and Usage Reporting
Click Next
18. Cluster Installation Rules
Setup will verify the readiness for the failover cluster installation.
Click Next
19. Ready to install
The list of all the features and configuration to be installed will be displayed.
Click Install
Installation in progress
You will see water rise for a while, have patience – it will take a quite sometime to complete.
Click Next
Click Close
Congratulations! This completes SQL 2008 installation on first node of the failover cluster.
We still have to install instance on other nodes.
In order to add a new node to an existing SQL Server 2008 clustered instance, the installation must be executed from the node that will be added to the SQL clustered instance i.e. node cannot be added remotely from another node.
From SQL Server Installation left click “Add mode to a SQL Server failover cluster” and follow the prompt.
For step by step instructions, watch the following video: