I learned today that SQL 2008 will actually not install by default in many multi-site cluster solutions. Why? Well, during the SQL 2008 installation, it runs through a Configuration Checker where one of the tests the environment to ensure that the cluster is configured properly. In a geographically dispersed cluster (specifically in an SRDF/CE cluster) this check will fail with the error:
The cluster on this computer does not have a shared disk available. To continue, at least one shared disk must be available.
Doing a little bit of research on this might lead you to the MSKB article 955780 where it states the following:
When you install failover clustering in SQL Server 2008, the node on which failover clustering is installed must own the resource group and the shared disks in that group. If the disk resource is not owned by the local node, if the disk resource is a cluster quorum disk, or if the disk resource has dependencies, the failover clustering installation will fail.
What? If the disk has dependencies it will fail??? Why on earth would you have this limitation, Microsoft? This is certainly a valid cluster configuration so why would SQL care about the granular details of the cluster configuration? Other than affecting just about all multi-site clustered solutions, this would also affect any installations that would also want to use mount points.
Microsoft’s solution for mount points is to just not setup your cluster properly and let SQL handle setting up the disk dependencies for you. This will be the same solution if you want to setup SQL 2008 in a multi-site cluster, but it is mind boggling that they would force you to do something like this.
I’ve submitted feedback to Microsoft regarding this issue. Feel free to rate/comment about this issue here:
http://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=366673
It’s not surprising that someone has already submitted this feedback regarding mount points also…where they gave the lame workaround to remove dependencies:
http://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=331910
John,
Have you seen any similar issues with Virtual Machine resources and geographically dispersed clusters using SRDF/CE?
John,
Any updates that you are aware of to get around this yet? I read the feedbacks and I’m running into the exact same problem install SQL 2008 on windows 2008 geo cluster. Can’t add a second SQL cluster node right now.