Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP3, Exchange Server 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007
Topic Last Modified: 2008-06-12

This topic explains how to create a new Microsoft Windows Server 2003 cluster for a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 clustered mailbox server (CMS) in a cluster continuous replication (CCR) environment by using the New Server Cluster Wizard or by using Cluster.exe.

When creating a Windows Server 2003 failover cluster for use by a CMS in a CCR environment, you must provide all initial cluster configuration information. This topic contains two procedures that are performed prior to deploying Exchange 2007 in a CCR environment:

Before You Begin

These procedures can be performed locally on the physical node or remotely. However, we recommend that you perform these procedures on the node that will be the first node in the cluster.

To perform this procedure, the account you use must be delegated membership in the local Administrators group. For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange Server 2007, see Permission Considerations.

Note:
We recommend using the account that will be used during the Exchange installation, if it has sufficient authority, to eliminate the potential of forgetting to change accounts after the installation is complete.

Procedure

To use the New Server Cluster wizard to create a new failover cluster

  1. Open a Command Prompt window, and run the following command:

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    Cluster /create /wizard

  2. The New Server Cluster wizard appears. Verify that you have the necessary information to continue with the configuration, and then click Next.

  3. In the Domain field, select the name of the domain in which the cluster will be created. In the Cluster name field, enter a unique name for the cluster that is 15 characters or less in length, and the click Next. It is a best practice to follow the Domain Name System (DNS) namespace rules when entering the cluster name. For more information about DNS namespace rules, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 254680, DNS Namespace Planning.

    Note:
    If the Domain Access Denied page appears, it typically means that you are logged on locally with an account that is not a domain account with local administrative permissions. In this event, the wizard will prompt you to specify an account. This account is not the Cluster service account. If you have the appropriate credentials, the Domain Access Denied page will not appear.

  4. On the Select Computer page, verify or type the name of the computer that you plan to use. Click Advanced, and select Advanced (minimum) configuration, and then click OK. Click Next.

    Note:
    The computer name is not case-sensitive.

  5. On the Analyzing Configuration page, the wizard analyzes the domain and the node for possible issues that can cause installation problems. Review any warnings or error messages that appear. Click Details to obtain more information about each warning or error message.

    Note:
    The bulleted list at the top of the page evolves into a tree of status information as the analysis is completed. The tree can be expanded to view specific status. Items with check icons can be ignored. Items with yellow triangle icons are warnings. Items with red icons are blocking errors and must be corrected.

  6. After all checks complete successfully, click Next. Resolve any errors before continuing with the installation.

  7. On the IP Address page, type the unique, valid cluster IP address, and then click Next. The wizard automatically associates the cluster IP address with the public network by using the subnet mask to select the correct network. The cluster IP address should be used for administrative purposes only and not for client connections.

  8. On the Cluster Service Account page, type the user name and password for the Cluster service account. In the Domain field, select the domain name, and then click Next. The wizard verifies the user account and password.

  9. On the Proposed Cluster Configuration page, click Quorum. Select Majority Node Set from the drop-down box. Click OK, and then click Next.

  10. On the Creating the Cluster page, review any warnings or error messages that appear while the cluster is being created. For more information about warnings or errors, click to expand each warning or error message. To continue, click Next.

  11. Click Finish to complete the cluster formation.

    Note:
    If any physical disk resources are present, they should be manually removed before adding the second node to the cluster.

To use the Server Cluster Wizard to add a second node to the failover cluster

  1. Open a Command Prompt window, and then run the following command:

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    Cluster <ClusterName> /add /wizard

  2. After the Add Nodes wizard appears, click Next.

  3. In the Domain list, click the domain where the server cluster is located, verify the cluster name in the Cluster name box, and then click Next.

  4. On the Select Computer page, type the name of the computer that you want to add to the cluster. Click Advanced, select Advanced (minimum) configuration, and then click OK. Click Next.

  5. After the wizard has analyzed the cluster configuration successfully, click Next.

  6. In the Password field on the Cluster Service Account page, type the password for the Cluster service account. Make sure that the correct domain for this account appears in the Domain list, and then click Next.

  7. On the Proposed Cluster Configuration page, view the configuration details to verify that the server cluster IP address, networking, service account and quorum information are correct, and then click Next.

  8. After the second node is successfully added to the cluster, click Next, and then click Finish to be returned to the command prompt.

    After the second node has been added to the cluster, the Majority Node Set quorum should be configured to use the file share witness. For detailed steps to configure the file share witness, see How to Configure the File Share Witness.

To use Cluster.exe to create a new failover cluster

  1. Open a Command Prompt window, and run the following command:

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    Cluster /cluster:<ClusterName> /create /node:"<ActiveNodeName>" /ipaddress:<ClusterIPAddress> /user:<ClusterServiceAccount> /password:<ClusterServiceAccountPassword> /unattend /min
    Note:
    After the cluster has been formed, if any physical disk resources are present in the cluster, remove them manually before proceeding with the next step.

  2. Change the quorum configured by the cluster formation process from a local quorum to a Majority Node Set quorum by running the following command:

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    Cluster <ClusterName> res "Majority Node Set" /create /group:"Cluster Group" /type:"Majority Node Set"

  3. After the Majority Node Set resource has been created, bring it online by running the following command:

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    Cluster <ClusterName> res "Majority Node Set" /online

  4. After the Majority Node Set resource is online, configure the cluster to use it by running the following command:

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    Cluster <ClusterName> /quorum:"Majority Node Set"

  5. After the cluster has been converted to use the Majority Node Set quorum, take the existing local quorum offline and then delete it by running the following commands:

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    Cluster <ClusterName> res "Local Quorum" /offline
Cluster <ClusterName> res "Local Quorum" /delete

  6. Add the second node to the cluster by running the following command:

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    Cluster <ClusterName> /add:<PassiveNodeName> /password:<ClusterServiceAccountPassword> /unattend /min

    After the second node has been added to the cluster, the Majority Node Set quorum should be configured to use the file share witness. For detailed steps to configure the file share witness, see How to Configure the File Share Witness.