Installation of SQL Server 2005 on cluster returns error

  • I am receiving this error message when I try to install SQL Server 2005 Std on a clustered server.

    The drive specified cannot be used for program location. Program files must be installed on a valid disk available on all cluster nodes. The valid values are:

    There are no drives listed. It is blank. I can't get around this error.

    Does anyone know what I need to do to fix this?

  • Do all your nodes have the same local drive settings?

    For example, you have local drives C and D on one node, and they should be present on all the other nodes too.

  • Hi Patricia,

    AFAIK the program files must be installed on the local drive i.e usually C or D drives.

    Thank You,

    Best Regards,

    SQLBuddy

  • Yes they are. The D: drive is the clustered drive.

  • for the disk you want to install SQL on, be sure you can move the disk resource to all the nodes in your cluster using cluster administrator.

  • Right now all I am trying to do is install on the C drive and it still doesn't work. I usually point the data files to the D: drive and that is where the database will reside.

  • you have to install SQL to a disk that on SAN storage that can be moved or "failed over" to any of the nodes. that way, if there is a hardware failure on nodeA, it moves those disks to the other node.

  • I remember seeing this...

    Do you have any offline storage resources in your cluster groups? I had this exact problem when I had an offline disk that I had no intention to use. Bringing the storage resource online solved it for me.



    --Mark Tassin
    MCITP - SQL Server DBA
    Proud member of the Anti-RBAR alliance.
    For help with Performance click this link[/url]
    For tips on how to post your problems[/url]

  • I will have to look at that. Right now the Windows SA's are looking at the server. I had this problem before and I don't remember what I did to resolve it. What is weird is there are no drive letters listed. They are blank. I am not sure what log to look at. Most of the logs have way to much information that you have to have a Dr's degree to understand them.

  • Patricia Johnson (8/12/2009)


    I will have to look at that. Right now the Windows SA's are looking at the server. I had this problem before and I don't remember what I did to resolve it. What is weird is there are no drive letters listed.

    That's what makes me point to an offline disk resource somewhere in the cluster. I had that problem before, and that's what literally caused it.



    --Mark Tassin
    MCITP - SQL Server DBA
    Proud member of the Anti-RBAR alliance.
    For help with Performance click this link[/url]
    For tips on how to post your problems[/url]

  • I looked and the resources are online.

  • Can someone to confirm whether you have to install "EVERYTHING" on the D: drive? I thought with clustering, it installs on the second server for you behind the scenes. You just point the resource "which is the database" on the D: drive. That is what fails over back and forth between the 2 servers.

  • Hi Patricia,

    Usually the binaries are installed on the local drives of each node, but the datafiles (.mdf and .ldf) have to be placed on the SAN. If the datafiles are installed on the local drives like D, during the failover the failed over instance cannot function on the new node.

    Thank You,

    Best Regards,

    SQLBuddy

  • Thank you that is what I thought and that is what I am doing. I still can't get this to install. I searched the internet and there is some info that I may not have the rights as an administrator. But the Windows SA's have confirmed that I do. So I don't understand.

  • Patricia Johnson (8/12/2009)


    I looked and the resources are online.

    I just want to confirm that all the resources are online?

    In my case when I went to do the install, the resources I intended to use were online, but there was a different cluster resource group with several offline storage resources. Until I brought them online as well, I could not install, and was given the same error message.



    --Mark Tassin
    MCITP - SQL Server DBA
    Proud member of the Anti-RBAR alliance.
    For help with Performance click this link[/url]
    For tips on how to post your problems[/url]

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