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support.dell.com Configuring the System Software 6-13
Verifying Cluster Readiness
Before you install Cluster Service in the PowerEdge cluster nodes and the PowerVault
storage systems, check the system and verify that the cluster meets the following
conditions:
• All cluster nodes are able to log in to the domain.
• The shared drives are partitioned, formatted, and named on each node.
• All IP addresses and network names for each NIC and each cluster node can
communicate with each other.
For example, open a command prompt and use the ping command to verify clus-
ter node communications.
Installing and Configuring the Windows 2000 Cluster
Service
When you install Windows 2000 Datacenter Server and install the Cluster Service,
the Cluster Service configuration files are copied to the system. Before you configure
a PowerEdge server as a cluster node, Cluster Service must be configured using the
Cluster Configuration wizard.
See Microsoft's online help for configuring the Cluster Service located at
http://www.microsoft.com.
The following subsections explain some of the necessary procedures for installing
and configuring Windows 2000 Datacenter Cluster Service.
Cluster Quorum Resource
A quorum resource is typically a hard-disk drive in the shared storage system that
serves the following purposes in a Cluster configuration:
• Provides Windows 2000 with a list of active nodes that can communicate with
each other so the operating system can form a working cluster
• Acts as an arbiter between the cluster nodes to ensure that the specific data
necessary for system recovery is maintained consistently across the nodes
• Logs the recovery data sent by the cluster node
Only one cluster node can control the quorum resource at a time, and this cluster
node remains running when it cannot communicate with the remaining nodes in the
cluster. If the cluster node containing the quorum resource is unable to communicate
with another cluster node, the Cluster Service automatically shuts down the node
that does not control the quorum resource.
If one of the cluster nodes fails, any changes to the cluster configuration database are
logged to the quorum disk. This logging process occurs to ensure that the node that
gains control of the quorum disk can access an up-to-date version of the cluster con-
figuration database.