Re: Cluster on Windows Server 2003

["Salvador III Manaois" <badzmanaois () gmail com>]

Hi Martin,

First off, I suggest you look into Windows Server 2008 and Hyper-V
(with SCVMM)  instead of Windows Server 2003 and Windows Virtual
Server 2005 for your virtualization needs.

> *  Is this secure and stable ?

Depends on how you harden the box (both the host and guest(s)). For a
more secure stable MS-cluster solution, go for Windows Server 2008
Clustering + Hyper-V + SCVMM (System Center Virtual Machine Manager).
I would recommend configuring your host/parent partition to run
Windows Server Core 2008 for a much smaller OS footprint (lower attack
surface), install the Hyper-V role (Hyper-V is a much improved,
"thinner" hypervisor), and setup SCVMM on another box to serve as a
single point of management for  your entire virtualization
infrastructure:

An Introduction to Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc895595.aspx

Hyper-V Security
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc974516.aspx

MS Virtualization Team Blog
http://blogs.technet.com/virtualization/

> *  Will we have easy implementation and managment ?

It depends on your requirements. Factors like number of cluster nodes,
dispersed nodes (geo-cluster) requirements, storage requirements,
administration/management considerations etc could increase the level
of complexity of your implementation. Here's a whitepaper scenario
from Technet that details how you can use Windows Virtual Server 2003
to create and configure a two-node Windows Server 2003 cluster:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/virtualserver/deploy/cvs2005.mspx

Again, as mentioned above, Windows Server 2008 offers a much robust
platform and easier deployment methods as compared to Windows Server
2003. Use SCVMM to manage your virtualization infrastructure from a
single management point:

Introducing Windows 2008 Failover Clustering
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc672627.aspx

Hyper-V Step-by-Step Guide and Failover Clustering
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732181.aspx

System Center Virtualization Manager
http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/virtualmachinemanager/en/us/default.aspx

> * Which  software use MS to make clusters  ?

Microsoft uses MSCS or Microsoft Cluster Service for Windows Server
2003; for Windows Server 2008, it is uses Failover Clustering (role).

Best Regards,

Salvador Manaois III
MCSE MCSA CEH MCITP | Enterprise/Server Admin
Bytes & Badz : http://badzmanaois.blogspot.com