SQL Server 2005 Cluster setup questions

  • Env: Windows Server 2003

    SQL Server 2005 Standard - 2 node cluster

    Dell SAN

    I have 2 filegroups (100 gb and 200 GB) for the db and need to setup Active Active Cluster. If Active Active is not really buying anything extra (load balacing, high availablity), Active/Passive should be fine too.

    I have gone through few links on web, will prefer direct answers. Thanks.

    Questions:

    1. In one line. What is the difference between SQL Active/Passive and Active/Active Cluster

    2. Do both type of clusters automatically/transparently take over in case of one node failure.

    3. Is Active/Active Cluster is actually a set of 2 Active/Passive Cluster databases with some kind of SQL replication between 2 databases.

    4. Do I need 4 seperate disks/paths for file groups - 2 100 gb and 2 200 gb disks - one set each for 2 node instances. OR both instances are going to be reading writing to same 1 physical set of SAN disks

  • dinky (9/9/2009)


    Env: Windows Server 2003

    SQL Server 2005 Standard - 2 node cluster

    Dell SAN

    I have 2 filegroups (100 gb and 200 GB) for the db and need to setup Active Active Cluster. If Active Active is not really buying anything extra (load balacing, high availablity), Active/Passive should be fine too.

    I have gone through few links on web, will prefer direct answers. Thanks.

    Questions:

    1. In one line. What is the difference between SQL Active/Passive and Active/Active Cluster

    2. Do both type of clusters automatically/transparently take over in case of one node failure.

    3. Is Active/Active Cluster is actually a set of 2 Active/Passive Cluster databases with some kind of SQL replication between 2 databases.

    4. Do I need 4 seperate disks/paths for file groups - 2 100 gb and 2 200 gb disks - one set each for 2 node instances. OR both instances are going to be reading writing to same 1 physical set of SAN disks

    1. a/a - both nodes are active, a/p the secondary node acts as a hot standby waiting for failure.

    2. yes - if the cluster resources/groups are set to failover -you can set it not to failover, so the cluster can be failed over manually

    3 and not to the best of my knowledge

    4 disk resources are a shared cluster resource for an a/p when you failover both nodes utilise the same resource.

    hopefully others will confirm/deny what i have said 😀

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  • Questions:

    1. In one line. What is the difference between SQL Active/Passive and Active/Active Cluster

    Active/Active cluster provides you the High availability along with the Load Sharing while Active/Passive will only provides the High availability.

    SQL Server needs licenses for both nodes if you are configuring A/A and for only one if you are configuring A/P.

    The reason here is that in A/A cluster your both nodes are up at the same time and lets say you have 3 CPU on one node and 3 CPU on another node, you may need a 6 CPU license of SQL Server (if you are going for per processor based licensing).

    In A/P you only need 3 CPU based license because only one node is operational at one time.

    2. Do both type of clusters automatically/transparently take over in case of one node failure.

    Yes

    3. Is Active/Active Cluster is actually a set of 2 Active/Passive Cluster databases with some kind of SQL replication between 2 databases.

    No, It reads directly from your shared storage (SAN/NAS etc). (Read the resource group ownership and load sharing topics from BOL)

    4. Do I need 4 seperate disks/paths for file groups - 2 100 gb and 2 200 gb disks - one set each for 2 node instances. OR both instances are going to be reading writing to same 1 physical set of SAN disks

    Depends how you want to define the resource group and LUNs in there and how you want your load balancing to work.

    Again, read the topic, resource group ownership and load sharing topics from BOL

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