How to: Create a New #SQL 2012 SP1 Server Failover Cluster (Setup) multiple instances on windows 2012 Quick Guide

SQL Server Failover Cluster Installation

The installation of a SQL cluster is easy There is a Menu Item Create new Failover Cluster. #ws2012 #SQLsp1 #sql2012 #cluster #fail #howto

Well I don’t use this option Winking smile Why not to easy eh yes but more important is something fails like wrong IP etc the SQL install is lost , you need to deinstall the whole SQL mesh, I like the advanced version and trust me it will be easy.

OR you can loop at the technet site to see how and when:

SQL Server Failover Cluster Installation

SQL Server 2012

To install a SQL Server failover cluster, you must create and configure a failover cluster instance by running SQL Server Setup.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh231721.aspx

So how Do we start this installation. Well you can see my blog post :

http://robertsmit.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/how-to-create-a-new-sql-2012-server-failover-cluster-setup-multiple-instances-on-windows-server-2012/

This blog post covers all the screen shots but this post is more a part 2

What we need :

  1. One ini file that setup the advanced cluster preparation.
  2. one ini file that does advanced cluster completion ( if there is a failure it is always here )
  3. 2 available cluster disk (Data & Log )
  4. SQL Service Accounts
  5. IP number For the SQL Server
  6. Netbios name for the SQL Server
  7. Instance Name

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Now that We have the tools lets start.

 

 

Just a brief guidance on how to get the INI files.

You can create the ini files based on all the options on teched or create on during the setup wizard.

In this sample I do the add Node to a SQL Server failover Cluster

Start the Wizard 

Choose :

  1. add Node to a SQL Server failover Cluster
  2. advanced cluster preparation
  3. advanced cluster completion

You need all 3 ini files and yes if you did choose the create new SQL failover cluster you need only 2.

But now I have More Control and I can deploy the SQL without adding them to the cluster. Like a pre-stage setup.

But for now I take the add Node to a SQL Server failover Cluster

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After accepting the license and checked for updates You will get the installation screen.

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As you can see I have Multiple SQL instances but currently only on one node, This is a 6 node Cluster and 3 nodes have only the advanced cluster preparation to hold futures SQL instances but I do not want them in my cluster config. Only step 2 will be needed Winking smile

 

Only one Instance at the time can be added and this is bad It would save you a lot of time. But Scheduled can be your life saver. ( ini file usage )

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No more Use password for all the services,

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clip_image016  In the Screen ready to install there is a small line

C:\program files \etc

this is the place your ini file is saved for installation. You can cancel the installation now and use the INI file.

SO grab the ini file and lets see if this is working on you cluster.

 

advanced cluster preparation

 

Go to the Command Prompt Or Powershell much easyer. or create a cmd file.

Mount the ISO to the server or VM or place it on the disk it is your choice.

So in this location is the SETUP.EXE

I  placed my ini files on a folder sqlsetup and this will removed in my task ( SCCM, VMM etc)

d:\setup.exe /qs /CONFIGURATIONFILE="C:\SQLSetup\sqlconfig-1.ini" /AGTSVCPASSWORD="Password01" /ASSVCPASSWORD="Password01" /SQLSVCPASSWORD="Password01" /ISSVCPASSWORD="Password01" /RSSVCPASSWORD="Password01" /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS /INDICATEPROGRESS

And yes my passwords are in clear text I change the passwords with the accounts when the SQL instance goes to production. Now I can use the same accounts in my scripts and passwords without showing them my real accounts.

I do like the

INDICATEPROGRESS and /QS You can see the progress and or errors.

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advanced cluster completion

 

The second step is the cluster completion.

Use the INI file that is created by the setup with option advanced cluster completion !

Do not use the same ini file. the options are not the same.

So during the setup wizard we created the advanced cluster completion ini file

used it in the same CMD line.
d:\setup.exe /qs /CONFIGURATIONFILE="C:\SQLSetup\sqlconfig-2.ini" /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS /INDICATEPROGRESS

If all goes right You should see something like this.

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And you can logon to the SQL manager.

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Adjustments to the INI files

 

Yes some adjustments are needed to the ini files if you want them to use like I did.

First in every ini file there is the uimode quote them out and I used the /QS put it on Thrue

 

;UIMODE="Normal"

; Setup will display progress only, without any user interaction.

QUIETSIMPLE="True"

If you do not want to edit the ini files skip the lines in the command line.

 

And only one setup at the time. But you can run on multiple nodes step 1 if you want more instances ( can not use the same ini files adjustment is needed )

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Multiple Instances and the Changes

 

For multiple instances you need to adjust the ini files

Advanced cluster preparation.ini

For a new instance change the line below in a new value / and or service accounts

;SQL Server 2012 Configuration File advanced cluster preparation
ACTION="PrepareFailoverCluster"

[OPTIONS]
;UIMODE="Normal"
QUIETSIMPLE="True"
INSTANCENAME="SQL0002"
INSTANCEID="SQL0002"
AGTSVCACCOUNT="MVP\Sql2012"
ASSVCACCOUNT="MVP\Sql2012"
SQLSVCACCOUNT="MVP\Sql2012"
RSSVCACCOUNT="NT Service\ReportServer$SQL0002"
FTSVCACCOUNT="NT Service\MSSQLFDLauncher$SQL0002"

Adjustments for advanced cluster completion.ini

For a new instance change the line below in a new value / and or service accounts use the same as in the advanced cluster preparation.

 

;SQL Server 2012 Configuration File advanced cluster completion
[OPTIONS]
ACTION="CompleteFailoverCluster"
;UIMODE="Normal"
QUIETSIMPLE="True"
INSTANCENAME="SQL0002"
FAILOVERCLUSTERDISKS="Cluster Disk 4" "Cluster Disk 5"
FAILOVERCLUSTERGROUP="SQL Server (SQL0002)"
FAILOVERCLUSTERIPADDRESSES="IPv4;10.255.255.28;Cluster Network 1;255.255.255.0"
FAILOVERCLUSTERNETWORKNAME="SQL02"
ASCOLLATION="Latin1_General_CI_AS"
ASDATADIR="h:\OLAP\Data"
ASLOGDIR="h:\OLAP\Log"
ASBACKUPDIR="h:\OLAP\Backup"
ASTEMPDIR="h:\OLAP\Temp"
ASCONFIGDIR="h:\OLAP\Config"
ASSYSADMINACCOUNTS="MVP\administrator"
SQLCOLLATION="SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS"
SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS="MVP\administrator" "MVP\Sql2012" "MVP\sqlserver"
INSTALLSQLDATADIR="h:"
SQLBACKUPDIR="i:\MSSQL11.SQL0002\MSSQL\Backup"
SQLUSERDBLOGDIR="i:\MSSQL11.SQL0002\MSSQL\Data"
SQLTEMPDBLOGDIR="i:\MSSQL11.SQL0002\MSSQL\Data"

Add Node to a SQL Server failover Cluster

For a new instance change the line below in a new value / and or service accounts use the same as in the advanced cluster preparation.

 

;SQL Server 2012 Configuration File
[OPTIONS]
ACTION="AddNode"
;UIMODE="Normal"
QUIETSIMPLE="True"
INSTANCENAME="SQL0002"
FAILOVERCLUSTERGROUP="SQL Server (SQL0002)"
FAILOVERCLUSTERIPADDRESSES="IPv4;10.255.255.28;Cluster Network 1;255.255.255.0"
FAILOVERCLUSTERNETWORKNAME="SQL02"
AGTSVCACCOUNT="MVP\Sql2012"
ASSVCACCOUNT="MVP\Sql2012"
SQLSVCACCOUNT="MVP\Sql2012"
FTSVCACCOUNT="NT Service\MSSQLFDLauncher$SQL0002"

If you have multiple SQL cluster an easy and quick way is change the FAILOVERCLUSTERIPADDRESSES and FAILOVERCLUSTERNETWORKNAME and you have a new cluster that has the same installed base. Or reuse it on your DTAP.

Happy Clustering

Posted January 16, 2013 by Robert Smit in SQL 2012 SP1

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