MS SQL Server 2012 failover cluster installation on Windows Server 2008 R2
This article describes steps for installing MS SQL Server 2012 two node failover cluster on Windows Server 2008 R2.
Please read prerequisites for MS SQL Server 2012 failover cluster installation here before you proceed further.
The SQL 2012 instance must be installed on one node of the cluster and after the installation completes successfully, other nodes may be added to the SQL 2012 cluster.
Installation Steps:
1. Initiate Setup
Double click Setup.exe
Double click Setup.exe
SQL Server Installation left will appear.
Click on “Installation” on the left & click on “New SQL Server failover cluster installation”
The installation order of the “Setup support” and the “Product Key/License agreement” will be different depending if it is the first SQL installation on the physical node or if it is a subsequent SQL installation.
If it is the first SQL installation, the Product Key and License agreement will be asked first.
If it is a subsequent SQL installation, the Setup support will be asked first.
2. Setup Support Rules
Setup will verify prerequisites for installing “Setup Support Files”.
Click “Show details” and evaluate results
Click Ok
5. Product Update
Trying to connect to the internet to get the latest product updates.
Click ‘Skip Scan’
Click Next
6. Install Setup Files
After Support Files are installed, setup will run another Setup Support Rule Validation
Click Next
Note: “Microsoft Cluster Service (MSCS) cluster verification warnings” should not generate a warning i.e. it should be green.
Note: “Microsoft Cluster Service (MSCS) cluster verification warnings” should not generate a warning i.e. it should be green.
7. Product Key
If required, enter product key.
Click Next
8. License Agreement
Check “I accept the license terms.”
Click Next
9. Setup Role
Select ‘SQL Server Feature Installation’
Click Next
10. Feature Selection
Note: “Shared feature directory (x86)” will appear in 64-bit versions only. Leave “Shared Feature Directory” and “Shared feature directory (x86) unchanged.
Choose following components:
- Database Engine Services
- SQL Server Replication (will be selected automatically)
- Full-Text Search (will be selected automatically)
- Client Tools Connectivity
- Integration Services
- Client Tools Backward Compatibility
- Documentation Components
- Management Tools – Complete
Click Next
11. Installation Rules
Click Next
12. Instance Configuration
Enter instance configuration details like "SQL Server Network Name"
This screen will also show currently installed features, if any.
This screen will also show currently installed features, if any.
If Default Instance: Enter the Sql Server Network Name (Virtual Name)
If Named Instance: Select Named Instance
- Enter the Sql Server Network Name (Virtual Name)
- Enter the Named Sql Instance Name
Click Next
13. Disk Space Summary
Setup will show the amount of space required to install selected features.
Click Next
14. 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 installation.
If group was already created in the cluster, select the cluster group you want to install SQL into.
Click Next
15. Cluster Disk
The list of cluster shared disks present on the cluster will be displayed. You must select which disks can be used for SQL 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
16. 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 enter the IP address of the Virtual SQL instance.
Click Next
17. Server Configuration
Enter the AD Service account for both
- SQL Server Agent
- SQL Server Database Engine
Unless specified otherwise use the same account for all SQL services.
Select the “Collation” tab.
Unless specified otherwise, the collation has to be as on the screen below.
18. 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…
It should include following groups/users (those will be added to “sysadmin” server role during the installation)
_SQLAdmin
_SQLService
Service account specified in previous steps
At this point Setup will validate the service account, its password and AD group membership.
Click Next
On “Data Directories” tab specify:
- Data root directory (it should be the root of the SQL system drive)
- Specify directories for the database files, database log files and backups.
For default instance: folder “MSSQL” to be created under the root of each drive that will be used by this SQL instance “Data”, “Log” and/or “Backup” folders to be created under “/MSSQL” folder on each drive – depending on the purpose of the drive, i.e. “Log” folder to be created on log drive, “Backup” folder to be created on backup drive.
Unless specified otherwise, tempdb data and log files will be placed into default location, i.e. on the SQL System drive in the same folder with system databases.
For named instance folder “MSSQL$<InstanceName>” to be created under the root of each drive that will be used by this SQL instance
“Data”, “Log” and “Backup” folders to be created under “/MSSQL$<InstanceName>” folder on each drive – depending on the purpose of the drive, i.e. “Log” folder to be created on log drive, “Backup” folder to be created on backup drive.
Unless specified otherwise, “tempdb” data and log files will be placed into default location, i.e. on the SQL System drive in the same folder with system databases.
On “FILESTREAM” tab:
- FILESTREAM won’t be configured during installation
- In case it is required, FILESTREAM option can be enabled and configured later
Click Next
19. Error and Usage Reporting
Do not select anything.
Click Next
20. Cluster Installation Rules
Setup will verify the readiness for the failover cluster installation.
Click Next
21. Ready to install
The list of all the features and configuration to be installed will be displayed.
Click Install
22. Installation in progress
23. Installation completed
You may get a prompt asking to restart computer. Click OK and click Close
At this point, the SQL instance has been installed on the first node of the cluster, you may now add second node to SQL 2012 cluster. Click here to watch installation video and setup instructions.