October 12, 2009 at 9:33 pm
I've acquired and been charged with 'fixing' a 2-node cluster (active/passive) sql server 2005 environment with the database instances residing in a SAN. I've met with a few techs that have worked at this organization longer than I have and found out the following:
- No documentation from initial install
- sa password unknown (running mixed mode)
- passive server is actually running as active (continual problems when actual active runs with applications)
I have also ran the MS Best Analyzer for SQL Server 2005 and compared the environment against a SQL Server 2005 Clustering Best Practices and identified the following:
- Installations not identical between the two servers (SQL Services, Accounts).
- The current SQL Server 2005 authentication mode is ‘mixed mode’.
- Currently, several SQL Server services run under one service account
- Several database instances within our Enterprise SQL Server 2005 installation are tied to a previous
contractor (shows as owner of several database instances). More investigation is needed to determine
how to proceed with this issue.
With all the issues listed above, my initial idea to 'fix' this environment is to reinstall cluster environment, uninstall this sql server application, create necessary service accounts and reinstall sql server 2005 (same apps on both servers) with windows authentication. MY CONCERN is this...the data!!! My thought is that since the data resides in the SAN, once we zone the cluster environment back into the SAN that once we reinstall the sql server 2005 application, we should 'see' (be able to access) the data. Is that correct??
If anyone has any experience, recommendations, suggestions with this PLEASE, I APPRECIATE YOUR ADVICE!!
October 19, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Peggy
It's really not clear who wants what fixed. That said, I like your idea to 'fix' the environment. That way you'll be able to document and control the new environment.
PROCEED CAUTIOUSLY! There may be applications that create tempdbs on non-SAN spindles/partitions for performance.
Document all applications and users.
Move data to test environment (or better yet, restore from last backup to test environment) and verify multiple users can run applications as expected.
I'll assume Windows server 2003 and RAID 5 based SAN. Verify current production partitions are stripe aligned.
Proceed with your plan to re-install.
Jim
October 20, 2009 at 7:45 am
I would agree with the previous post. Try a backup and restore in test environment to make sure you understand how to get the application up and running again. I would also consider the following:
1. Before you start make sure you take a backup of your data and store it in a location besides the SAN you are going to be working on.
2. It sounds like your application and database are running on the same server. If it is an option, move the application to its own server.
October 20, 2009 at 9:39 am
Thank so much for your reply. I'm actually doing a couple of things (per some discussion with upper-mgmt). I have done backups of each of my database instances and restored them to test. I'm now proceeding with scripting the production master and tempdb databases to run in test; new on this so I'll be searching on how to do this...
Also, I am reviewing a 'sql server 2005 clustering best practices' to assure there are no issues there. Once I've completed this, I've been ok'd to contact MS to assure there are no issues with our cluster configuration. If this is not the issue, I will continue with the reinstall...
October 20, 2009 at 9:46 am
Good Luck, hope everything works out well
October 20, 2009 at 10:03 am
Thank you. And if you have any other advice to recommend, I am open for suggestions. Thanks!!
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