network load balancing sql 2000

Question

network load balancing sql 2000

java-135307

SSC Journeyman

Points: 77
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December 5, 2008 at 11:44 am

#94277

Hi
I wanted to set-up a failover cluster in our environment. We have windows 2003 server standard edition which does not support failover clustering. I found that there were many suggestions indicating that i could use network load balancing to acheive a pretty similar result..ie. if one server in the cluster fails the other will pick up the slack.
i dont have any concerns over state at the mment...just failover for sql server 2000. Be it from NLB or any other methods.
Could I get the desired result with NLB.?i would anticipate using a shared disk for the data storage.
any suggestions?
Thanks

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 1

There's no way to have two active instances of SQL on two machines using the same database files (as you would have in a load balancing scenario). The way clustering works is to have only one instance active at a time.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

java-135307 SSC Journeyman Points: 77 More actions · Answer 2

Don't you have an option in failover clustering to use an active/active cluster?

wouldnt that qualify as 2 instances of sql server running concurrently? ..or am i missing something..

Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 3

Yes, but it's not the same databases.

Active/active is two instances of SQL each with their own databases, one running on each node (hence each node is active) and set to fail over to the other node

Active/active is essentially two active/passive setups on the same cluster, with different 'active' nodes

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

java-135307 SSC Journeyman Points: 77 More actions · Answer 4

so if i understand correctly ... there wouldnt be any point in using sql with nlb? I'm thinking a reporting environment would work....

Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 5

I'm not even sure you can.

Maybe for a static reporting environment where all databases are static, but that's an odd case. SQL just doesn't scale out.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

java-135307 SSC Journeyman Points: 77 More actions · Answer 6

ok thanks Gail..will look at alternatives. Nice bumping into a fellow South African 🙂

J