Reference Guide

Preparing Your Systems for Clustering 25

Preparing Your Systems for

Clustering

WARNING: Only trained service technicians are authorized to remove and

access any of the components inside the system. See your

safety information

for

complete information about safety precautions, working inside the computer, and

protecting against electrostatic discharge.

Cluster Configuration Overview

Ensure that your site can handle the cluster’s power requirements.

Contact your sales representative for information about your region's

power requirements.

Install the systems, the shared storage array(s), and the interconnect

switches (for example, in an equipment rack), and ensure that all the

components are turned on.

NOTE: For more information on step 3 through step 7 and step 10 through

step 13, see the "Preparing your systems for clustering" section of Dell Failover

Clusters with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Installation and

Troubleshooting Guide at support.dell.com/manuals.

Deploy the operating system (including any relevant service packs and

hotfixes), network adapter drivers, and storage adapter drivers (including

Multipath I/O (MPIO) drivers) on each cluster node. Depending on the

deployment method that is used, it may be necessary to provide a network

connection to successfully complete this step.

NOTE: To help in planning and deployment of your cluster, record the relevant

cluster configuration information in the Cluster Data Form (see "Cluster Data

Form" on page 45), and the Zoning configuration information in the Zoning

Configuration form (see "Zoning Configuration Form" on page 43).

Establish the physical network topology and the TCP/IP settings for

network adapters on each cluster node to provide access to the cluster

public and private networks.