Clustering enhancements in Windows Server 2008 R2 improve migration time
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 11:12 AM
An enhancement to Windows Server 2008 R2 is clustered shared volumes. Rick Vanover provides an overview of this important change.
Windows Server 2008's R2 is a hot topic, especially with regards to the Hyper-V feature.
The Hyper-V feature and its associated management components introduce a migration feature that allows a virtual machine (VM) to be moved from one Hyper-V host to another with minimal downtime. Migration technology is one of the issues that administrators have with Hyper-V when comparing it to other virtualization platforms.
One of the ways Windows Server 2008 R2 addresses this is a fundamental enhancement to the Microsoft cluster service (MSCS). Windows Server 2008 R2 introduces a clustered shared volume that MSCS can use to provide storage for VMs. This effectively makes each .VHD file a clustered service (formerly known as a clustered resource) that is owned by a server.
Figure A shows the architecture of the clustered shared volume enhancement to MSCS in Windows Server 2008 R2.
Figure A
Click the image to enlarge.
These enhancements will improve the migration time as well as the storage provisioning process. The Hyper-V role in the current product when used with MSCS requires a dedicated logical unit number (LUN) when used in a storage area network (SAN). This storage management will quickly make administrators downtrodden with details and leave a large number of relatively small LUNs on the SAN.
The enhanced MSCS functionality allows you to revert back to a better practice of managing a smaller number of larger LUNs, which should please the SAN administrator.
Additional Windows Server 2008 R2 resources
- Key features in the upcoming Windows Server 2008 R2
- Automate data classification with new features in Windows Server 2008 R2
- Active Directory Recycle Bin can save a Windows Server admin's day
Rick Vanover is a systems administrator for Safelite AutoGlass in Columbus, Ohio. He has more than 12 years of IT experience, and he focuses on virtualization, Windows-based server administration, and system hardware.
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