Domain-based DFS with Failover Cluster replication target

Table of Contents Goal ....................................................................................................................................................3

Requirements .....................................................................................................................................3

Creating a LUN to the Failover Cluster .................................................................................................4

Create the Initiator Group for the LUN ................................................................................................7

Create the LUN ...................................................................................................................................7

Creating Domain-based DFS .............................................................................................................. 10

Creating the Failover File Cluster ....................................................................................................... 12

DFS-R ................................................................................................................................................ 31

End ................................................................................................................................................... 38

Goal This article has the goal that help the readers to make such a Distributed File System, where the replication occurs between a DFS and a Failover File Cluster share. In this article I will use NetApp DataOntApp 8.x 7-mode for the storage and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise for DFS and FailOver Cluster. This is how it looks like.

DATA Namespace DFS-R with the HOME Folder with Target

Requirements First, create the three Windows Server and the NetApp. I name them to DC, FS, Cluster2 and Netapp. DC holds the AD, DNS, DFS, DHCP roles. The FS and Cluster2 will be the two nodes of the cluster where Cluster, File service and DFS features are installed. The nodes have two NICs.

NetApp CIFS share can not be used with DFS-R! Only Windows 2008 mode can be used when FailOver Cluster is the replication target.

Netapp IP address: 192.168.206.150

DC IP address: 192.168.206.181

Cluster IP networks: 192.168.206.0/24 and 192.168.48.0/24.

FS IP addresses: 192.168.206.100 and 192.168.48.133

Cluster2 IP addresses: 192.168.206.155 and 192.168.48.134

Cluster from client 192.168.206.200 and 192.168.48.100 for the heartbeat.

There are three LUN: a quorum (witness) disk and a shared disk for cluster, and a disk for DFS share. You can use one aggregate for the disks, I used three different just to exercise.

Creating a LUN to the Failover Cluster Login to NetApp Controller and Choose the Aggregates.

Click Create.

I give the aggr_cluster name to the aggregate.

I have just choosen what I got, because of the limitation.

Click on the Select Disks and give 8 disks.

Here you will see how does it look like.

What will be created is shown for us. It takes a lot of time in the virtualized environment to zeroing the disks. You can click on the Finish, it will do it int he background. We can see when it is finished. It have taken for me about an hour.

Create the Initiator Group for the LUN

Choose the LUNs and Initiator Groups. Click on Create to the Wizard. Name it to Win and choose Windows for the Operating System and iSCSI. We will add the nodes of cluster to it.

Create the LUN

Choose the LUNs. Click ont he Create to execute the wizard.

I gave the name lun_cluster to the disk of cluster. It is 4GB and Windows type.

Choose the Create a new felxible volume in, which will automatically create the LUN on the above created aggregate.

Check the Win Initiator Group Name.

It is shown for us, what will be created.

It is done.

Creating Domain-based DFS

The DC is responsible for the namespace. Click Next.

The Namespace is Data. Click Next.

Choose the Domain-based namespace and Enable Windows Server 2008 mode. Click Next.

Let’s create it. Click Create.

Creating the Failover File Cluster First I have to add the two nodes to the Win Initiator Group. On the NetApp choose the LUNs, then Initiator Groups tab. Click Create button. Click ont he Initiators tab.

Run the iSCSI Initiator from Start->Administrative Tools to determine the Initiator Name. Do this on the two nodes.

You can see the two nodes initatior names from the cluster. Click Save and Close.

Now connect to the NetApp to get the LUN.

Click on the Targets tab and Quick Connect to the NetApp.

Click Done.

Choose the Volumes and Devices, then click on the a Auto Configure button.

In the Disk Management, bring online the disk.

Initialize the disk.

Just click OK.

OK.

Bring Online the LUN at the second node. Format it and create a new simple volume.

Now we can create the Failover Cluster.

Click Validate Configuration.

Click Next.

Add the two nodes and Click Next.

Choose the Run all test then Click Next.

Click Next tor un the tests.

Everything is fine, click Finish.

Click on the Create Cluster.

Click Next.

Add the two nodes and click Next.

First we have to give the Cluster Name and the network which will be used for the heartbeat and management. Give an unused IP. Click Next.

Click Next.

Cluster is done.

Click on the Configure a Server or Application.

Click Next.

Choose the File Server and Click Next.

We have to give the name what the clients can reach and its IP address. Click Next.

This will be the shared disk.

Click Next.

File Server Cluster is done.

Now we have to add and configuring the Quorum disk for the cluster.

Add a secund LUN to the cluster as you saw earlier. This will be the quorum or witness disk.

Right click on the Cluster Manager, More Actions and choose Configure Cluster Qurom Settings…

Click Next.

Choose the Node and Disk Majorty and click Next.

Choose the disk which you created. This will hold the configuration of the cluster.

Click Next.

The Quorum disk is done.

Here you can see the Quorum disk and the shared disk.

DFS-R Create a LUN with Initiator Group and mount as earlier. Right click on the Data namespace and choose New Folder …

I gave the HOME name and add the DC home shared folder.

Right click on the Home link and choose Add Folder Target …

Give the cluster name from earlier and the Home share from it.

Click Yes to create the replication group.

Click Next.

Click Next.

I choose the primary member the DC.

Choose the Full mesh topology and click Next.

It is a test system so I will use all the bandwidth. Click Next.

Let’s create it.

Everything is successfully made.

Just some information about the delay of replication.

End E-mail: woodspeed@gmail.com