Validating WSFC Quorum vote Configuration

  • Hi,

    I am hoping you can help me out

    Specification:

    Server: Windows 2019

    SQL: 2019

    HA: One Availability Group accross two data centers

    Problem:

    After adding a node to the cluster and then to AG I am getting the warning "Validating WSFC Quorum vote Configuration"... Action Required when performing a failover

    It was a two node cluster\Availability Group with a FSW.  The two nodes spanned accress to data centers.  We decided to add a third node making it two nodes in one DC and one in the other DC.

    I then ran the Configure Cluster Quorum Wizard - Use default quorum configuration and it dropped the FSW and set each node with a vote.

    Now I am getting the above message every time I perform a failover.  The failover happens just fine, but i get the warning

    What I have tried

    -Adding back the FSW (3 nodes and the FSW) same problem

    -Added the FSW and two nodes voting (the two in the same DC) and same problem.

    Any help is appreciated.

    Jeff

  • If you search for that error, you can see that one of the things said in the documentation is that it can safely be ignored. All it means is that MS a different quorum setup is recommended. You are going to have to adjust the "Node Weight" of the server in the secondary data center to make that go away.

    Do all nodes in the cluster have access to the file share witness?  If they are on different subnets, I suspect that the node in the secondary DC may not have access to it.  Also, if the AG fails over to the secondary data center, and the file share witness is in the primary data center, will there still be a quorum?  If connectivity was lost between DC's, will there be a quorum?

    Have you considered using Azure blob storage as a witness?

    Michael L John
    If you assassinate a DBA, would you pull a trigger?
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    http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/61537/

  • Michael L John wrote:

    Have you considered using Azure blob storage as a witness?

    Also known as a cloud witness - as long as you have connectivity from both DC's to Azure then this is a better option than a FS witness.  If I recall correctly, the recommendation for a FS witness is that it be located in yet another DC - which is really all the cloud witness does for you.

    If possible - add another node in the secondary DC so you have a 4 node cluster.  That would give you the same setup if you needed to fail over for DR.  You would also set the node weight on both servers to 0 - with a cloud witness.  That way you could lose both nodes in the secondary DC (network failure?) and either one of the nodes in the primary DC or the cloud witness and still be up and functional.

    Just remember that you need to reset the node weight prior to any failover.

    Jeffrey Williams
    “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”

    ― Charles R. Swindoll

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  • Thank you very much for the feedback on this topic.  See my answers below:

    Do all nodes in the cluster have access to the file share witness?  If they are on different subnets, I suspect that the node in the secondary DC may not have access to it.

    I will look into this - I suspect they do.

    Also, if the AG fails over to the secondary data center, and the file share witness is in the primary data center, will there still be a quorum?

    Good question I will check

    If connectivity was lost between DC's, will there be a quorum?

    Another good question and something to consider when correctly setting up the quorum

    At this point we do not have access to Azure, so that is not an option.  I will look into changing the weight for the Secondary and see if that works.  I know the message is only a warning, but hope to get rid of it.

    Jeff

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