If you missed the previous articles in this series please read:
- Installing a Two Node Exchange Server 2007 Single Copy Cluster (SCC) in a Virtual Server Test Environment – Part 1: Preparing the virtual environment
- Installing a Two Node Exchange Server 2007 Single Copy Cluster (SCC) in a Virtual Server Test Environment – Part 3: Installing Exchange Server 2007 and verifying Cluster Functionality
We’ve reached part two in this three part article series covering how you prepare for, install and configure an Exchange Server 2007 Single Copy Cluster (or in short SCC) in a virtual server 2005 R2 test environment.
Introduction
In the previous article in this article series covering how you prepare for, install and configure an Exchange Server 2007 Single Copy Cluster (or in short SCC) in a virtual server 2005 R2 test environment, we went through how to create the Windows 2003 cluster. In this part two we’ll create and configure the Windows Server 2003 Cluster.
I bet many of you are eager to get going, so let’s start right away.
Creating the Windows Server 2003 Cluster
Okay now that we have the two virtual Windows 2003 Servers prepared, we can create the actual Windows 2003 cluster. In order to do so, turn off E2K7SCCNode2 then logon to E2K7SCCNode1 with a Domain admin account. Now click Start > Administrative Tools > Cluster Administrator, then select Create new cluster in the drop-down box and click OK (alternatively you can open a command prompt and type Cluster.exe /create /wizard).
Figure 15: Creating a new cluster
Click Next.
Figure 16: Windows 2003 Cluster wizard
If it’s not already the case, specify the domain in which the two Windows 2003 Servers are members, then type the name of the cluster (the name clients will be connecting to), then click Next.
Figure 17: Specifying the domain and cluster name
If it’s not already the case, type the name of the Windows 2003 Server, which will be the first node in the cluster, then click Next.
Figure 18: Specifying the name of the first cluster node
The cluster wizard will now determine the cluster configuration, and after a while you should hopefully get a checkmark in each checked configuration step. We can now click Next.
Figure 19: Analyzing cluster configuration
Now enter an IP address that cluster management tools will use to connect to the cluster, then click Next.
Figure 20: Specifying the IP address used by the cluster management tools
You should now enter the cluster service account and password, then click Next.
Figure 21: Entering the username and password of the cluster service account
Note
Since we’re installing the Windows 2003 cluster in a test environment, we’ll use the administrator account. But please bear in mind that you should always create a dedicated cluster service account when speaking about production environments.
You now see a screen with the proposed cluster configuration, click the Quorum button and make sure that the cluster configuration quorum is set to Disk Q. Then click Next.
Figure 22: Proposed cluster configuration
The cluster will now be created, again you need to wait for each step to complete, then click Next > Finish.
Figure 23: Creating the cluster
We have now created the cluster itself but since it only consists of one node, we’ll need to add the other Windows server as well. In order to do so turn on E2K7SCCNode2 and login with a domain admin account. Now click Start > Administrative Tools > Cluster Administrator. Select Add nodes to cluster in the drop-down menu then specify the cluster name in the Cluster or server name box and click OK.
Figure 24: Adding a node to the cluster
Click Next in the Add Nodes Wizard.
Figure 25: Add notes cluster wizard
Type E2K7SCCNode2 (or whatever you named the second Windows server), then click Add and Next.
Figure 26: Specifying the second cluster node
When the configuration has been analyzed click Next.
Figure 27: Analyzing cluster configuration
Enter the password for the cluster service account (in this case the administrator account), then click Next.
Figure 28: Entering the username and password of the cluster service account
Verify that you want to add the node to the cluster with the configuration shown in Figure 29 below, then click Next.
Figure 29: Proposed cluster configuration
After a short period the node would have been added to the cluster, if not you might want to expand the respective task as well as view the log. If each task has completed successfully, click Next > Finish.
Figure 30: Configuring the cluster with the second node
There’s one last this you want to do before we move on and that is to right-click and select Properties for the Private network in the left pane in Figure 31 below.
Figure 31: Cluster administrator will cluster resources listed and online
Since the sole purpose of the Private network is to be used for communications between the internal cluster nodes, you should select Internal cluster communications only (private network), then click OK. Do the same for the Public network but set it to Client access only (public network).
Figure 32: Changing the cluster role for the private network
Alright we now have a fully operational 2 node Active/Passive Windows cluster up and running.
Installing the necessary Windows Components
Before we move on and try to install the Exchange Server 2007 Beta 2 bits, we need to make sure the required Windows components have been installed. All types of Exchange Server 2007 installations (no matter what server role we’re talking about) needs the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 component installed.
Note
If you have installed Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition with Service Pack 1 on the nodes, you need to download the Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0 Redistributable Package (x86), since it’s only a standard Windows component when speaking about Windows Server 2003 R2.
Figure 33: Installing the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Windows Component
Since we’re installing the Mailbox Server role in the cluster, we also need to install the below IIS 6.0 components:
- Enable network COM+ access
- Internet Information Services
- World Wide Web Service
Note
Remember to install these components on both cluster nodes.
Alright we have reached the end of part two. In the next, last part of this series, we’ll go over the most exciting part, and that is to install Exchange Server 2007 and last but not least verify cluster functionality.
See you then…
If you missed the previous articles in this series please read:
- Installing a Two Node Exchange Server 2007 Single Copy Cluster (SCC) in a Virtual Server Test Environment – Part 1: Preparing the virtual environment
- Installing a Two Node Exchange Server 2007 Single Copy Cluster (SCC) in a Virtual Server Test Environment – Part 3: Installing Exchange Server 2007 and verifying Cluster Functionality
