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Windows Server 2008 Clusters and Premier Support

July 7, 2009 Mohamed Fawzi Leave a comment Go to comments

In Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the way that clusters are qualified for supportability is changing significantly with the introduction of the cluster validation wizard.

The cluster validation wizard is a feature that is integrated into failover clustering in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. With the cluster validation wizard, you can run a set of focused tests on a collection of servers that you intend to use as nodes in a cluster. This cluster validation process tests the underlying hardware and software directly, and individually, to obtain an accurate assessment of how well failover clustering can be supported on a given configuration.

 What defines a supported failover cluster configuration in Windows Server 2008?

For a failover cluster in Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 to be considered an officially supported solution by Microsoft Customer Support Services (CSS), the solution must meet the following criteria.

 

  • The fully configured solution (servers, network, and storage) must pass all tests in the validation wizard, which is part of the failover cluster snap-in.
  • All hardware and software components must meet the qualifications for the appropriate logo. For Windows Server 2008, this is the “Certified for Windows Server 2008” logo. For Windows Server 2008 R2, this is the “Certified for Windows Server 2008 R2” logo. For more information about the Logo Programs, see the Microsoft Web site at:

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111561

  As per kb943984, a Cluster Validation Report is required by customer support as a condition of support provision. This is a new condition on Windows Server 2008, where historically the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) was the basis for supportability for Windows Server 2003 clusters.

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