Windows Server 2008 + Clustering + OpenFiler iSCSI = FAIL!
Curses!
OpenFiler was originally introduced to me by Greg Shields (ps, that article is a good read) as part of his training series on VMWare ESX Server, where he demonstrates the VMotion Technology using an OpenFiler IP SAN. This is what originally gravitated me towards using OpenFiler in my own lab.
Well, I got all of my resources online and ready to go. I added the Failover feature to each node of the cluster. I started by creating a new cluster using just a single node. And then when I tried to add the 2nd node, the cluster validation wizard was showing failed checks related to the shared storage. I should have taken a screen shot of the exact text. But the point is, while searching for what might be the cause of the problem, where should I find the answer? Why Greg Shields of course. This time in the form of an entry on his Blog entitled “No, OpenFiler Does Not Work with Windows Server 2008 Clustering“.
Apparently there are a few solutions out there that will work, however they are either not free, or are only provided by Microsoft OEM providers in the form of a specialized version of Windows Server called, “Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003″.
The cause of the problem is that Windows Server 2008 clustering requires support of persistent reservations. I’d have to say that I’m a fan of persistent reservations, they can prevent some nasty data corruptions that can occur in a shared storage environment, but dang… I wish I could disable the requirement for my testing. :(
Well, I downloaded the trial of Starwind and installed it on my Windows Deployment virtual server. Setup took about 2 minutes and I was able to establish the cluster with a functioning quorum drive.
So I guess I’m going to blow away the Openfiler box and install Windows 2008 Server on it, and use it for the iSCSI Target. I suppose with the extra horse power I could also use it as a secondary domain controller and DHCP server as well.