How to Cluster Windows Server 2003

Ideally, you will want to see results similar to the figure above, with a green bar and no yellow icons next to the test steps. In some cases, you may see yellow warning icons next to one or more of the test steps, but still see a green bar at the bottom. While the green bar does indicate that you can proceed, it does not mean the cluster will be completed successfully or will be configured like you want it to be completed. If you see any yellow warning icons, you can drill down into them and see exactly what the warning is. Read each warning very carefully. If the warning is something unimportant to you, it can be ignored. But in most cases, the yellow warnings need to be addressed. This may mean you will have to abort the cluster service installation at this time to fix the problem. Then you can try to install it again.

If you get any red warning icons next to any of the test steps, then you will also get a red bar at the bottom, which means that you have a major problem that needs to be corrected before you can proceed. Drill down to see the message and act accordingly. Most likely, you will have to abort the installation, fix the issue, and then try installation again.

Assuming that the installation is green and you are ready to proceed, click Next.

The next step is to enter the IP address of our virtual cluster. This is the IP address for the cluster, not the virtual SQL Server. The IP address must be on the same subnet as all of the nodes in the cluster. Click Next.

Next you enter the name of the domain account you want to use as the cluster service account. You will also enter the account's password and the name of the domain where the account was created. This account should have already been created in your domain and added to all of the cluster nodes in the Local Administrators Group. Click Next.

The next Cluster Wizard step is the Proposed Cluster Configuration. But before you click Next, be sure to click on the Quorum button and check which drive the Cluster Wizard has selected for the Quorum. In this case Drive Q has been chosen, which is correct. Most of the time, the Cluster Wizard will select the correct drive for the Quorum, but not always. This is why it is important to check to see if the correct drive was chosen. Because I named my Quorum drive "Q," it is very easy for me to determine that the correct drive was chosen by the Cluster Administrator. That is why I earlier suggested that you name the Quorum drive "Q."

Assuming everything is OK, click OK to accept the Quorum drive, and then click Next. At this time, the Cluster Wizard will reanalyze the cluster, again looking for any potential problems. If none is found, click Next, and then click Finish to complete the installation of SQL Server 2003 clustering on the first node.