Clustering is a key technique to achieve maximum fault tolerance. A cluster is a collection of computer systems responsible for running a shared set of applications and services. The systems in the cluster are interconnected through hardware and software in such a way that in case any component in the cluster stops functioning, the workload will "failover" to, or be assumed by, another system in the cluster without a disruption of service.
Failover clustering clearly has an advantage in increasing network availability in the case of a hardware breakdown, but it also allows non-disruptive system maintenance for environments that have no time window when key applications such as email or web commerce can be taken offline without hurting business. For geographically dispersed environments, multi-site clustering provides insurance against natural disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes.
The Enterprise and Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2008 included significant improvements in failover clustering such as easier deployment, management, and migration; enhanced support for multi-site clusters; improved security architecture and quorum models; stronger authentication and encryption; and more efficient tools for backup and recovery. Windows Server 2008 R2 offers even more advanced support for clustering through the addition of features that make clusters more secure, more available, and easier to manage. Major clustering improvements in Windows Server 2008 R2 include Live Migration support through Cluster Shared Volumes, enhanced support for IPsec security, and expanded cluster storage.
Progent offers a full range of Windows Server 2008 Server consulting services and Windows Server 2008 R2 expertise and can assist businesses of any size to maintain and troubleshoot failover clusters powered by Windows Server 2008. If you are considering an upgrade to a modern version of Windows Server, Progent can provide Windows Server 2019 migration expertise and Windows Server 2016 failover clustering consulting to maximize the availability and performance of your system.
New and Improved Features of Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering
The failover clustering capabilities incorporated into Microsoft Windows 2008 Server represents more than a decade of Microsoft's experience in developing clustering technology. The Enterprise and Datacenter Editions of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 offer a number of new clustering services and capabilities including:
More Convenient Management Interfaces
Windows Server 2008 includes Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0, a new easy-to-use interface for controlling network resources. The new Failover Cluster Administration Console is task oriented rather than cluster resource oriented. To make a file share highly available, for example, the administrator no longer has to create a group, a disk resource, an IP address resource, Network Name, configure IsAlive/LookAlive, configure preferred services, and set dependencies. Instead, the wizard simply asks for the Network Name. You do not necessarily need to assign an IP address because Windows Server 2008 failover clustering now supports DHCP.
Windows Server 2008 also supports remote management via the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT). You can manage multiple clusters throughout the organization from a single MMC. Windows Server 2008 Failover Clusters are also fully scriptable with Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).
Built-in Cluster Validate Tool
Windows Server 2008 clustering includes a cluster Validate Tool, an expanded and integrated version of the ClusPrep tool released for Windows Server 2003 server clustering. As a part of the cluster configuration process, Validate runs a set of tests to determine whether the selected servers, cluster networks, and storage meet the requirements for failover clustering. Validate performs an inventory that includes BIOS information, operating systems, adapters, drivers and software updates; verifies cluster topology for redundancy; checks IP configuration details; and makes sure that storage can correctly handle simulated cluster actions. The Validate Tool helps prevents configuration errors, which is one of the most common problems encountered in failover clusters.
Support for Windows Server 2008 Server Core
Windows Server 2008 offers a Server Core installation option that supports failover clustering and provides a bare-bones environment for running distinct server roles. By limiting the services that need to be maintained and updated, this minimalist installation reduces support and management expense and enhances security by shrinking the server's attack surface. Server Core supports a variety of important roles including DHCP server, file services, print services, DNS server, Active Directory Domain Services, streaming media services, and Windows Server 2008 virtualization.
Better Storage and Backup Support
Improvements in storage and backup offer increased stability and availability for failover clusters. Support for both Master Boot Record (MBR) and GUID Partition Table (GPT) disks allows the creation of disks greater than 2 terabytes. Built-in logic initiates self healing automatically as long as the system can find either the disk signature in the Master Boot Record or the SCSI inquiry page 0x83 data (VPD).
Support for Storage Area Networking (SAN) solutions is improved for storage hardware that supports SCSI-3 SPC3-compliant SCSI commands for persistent reservation/release. All multi-path solutions are Microsoft Multipath I/O (MPIO). The Device Specific Module (DSM) provided by the storage vendor is responsible for sending PR registration information down each path to the storage system. Closer integration with Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) makes the backup process easier. Failover clustering in Windows Server 2008 has its own VSS.
Greater Expandability
With Windows Server 2008, x64-based failover clusters support up to 16 nodes in a single cluster, as opposed to the maximum of 8 nodes in Windows Server 2003. Windows Server 2008 failover clusters also now support GPT disks, which use the GUID partition table (GPT) disk partitioning system. A GPT disk allows up to 128 primary partitions and a much larger volume size. In comparison, MBR disks can support up to four primary partitions and a volume size limit of up to 2 terabytes. For greater reliability, GPT disks offer replication and cyclical redundancy check (CRC) protection of the partition table. The increased number of nodes plus support for GPT disks dramatically extends the scalability of larger volumes in cluster environments.
A New Quorum Model
Windows Server 2008 introduces a new failover clustering quorum model that incorporates a combination of Microsoft's earlier shared disk and majority node set models. In Windows Server 2008 failover clustering there are now four ways to establish a quorum:
An Improved Security Model
Windows Server 2008 failover clustering incorporates a new security model that enhances its security and dependability. Changes include:
New Networking Capabilities and More Flexible Dependencies
Windows Server 2008 failover clustering includes a new networking model. Major improvements include:
Cluster IP address resources can now get their addressing from DHCP servers as well as from static entries. The cluster heartbeat mechanism has moved from a UDP broadcast health checking mechanism to a UDP unicast communication that it uses a Ping-like Request-Reply process. This allows better security and more reliable packet sequence numbering. Windows Server 2008 supports IPv6 IP Address resources and IPv4 IP Address resources either alone or in combination in a cluster. Clustering also supports 6-4 and Intra-site Automatic Tunneling Addressing Protocol (ISATAP).
Enhancements to Failover Clustering In Windows Server 2008 R2
Major enhancements to Failover Clustering available with Windows Server 2008 R2 include:
How Progent Can Help You Benefit from Microsoft's Failover Clustering
Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can help you evaluate the business benefits of Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 failover clustering, set up pilot programs to validate performance and compatibility for your key workloads, develop and execute a cost-effective deployment plan, train your IT staff to manage your clustering environment, and provide ongoing consulting and technical support services remotely or at your site. Progent can also provide comprehensive Help Desk services.
Progent's service professionals can also help you migrate from Windows Server 2003 cluster nodes. This migration requires experience because these two types of nodes cannot share the same cluster, which eliminates a rolling migration.
If you currently have a clustering environment based on Windows Server 2008 R2 and are considering a move to Windows Server 2019 or Windows Server 2016, Progent can help you plan and carry out a Windows Server 2019 failover clustering upgrade or create a Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery solution.
Progent's CISM, CISA, GIAC, CISSP, and CRISC certified security engineers can assess the protection offered by your cluster environment and can recommend and implement affordable improvements. Progent's security experts can also help you design, document, and test business continuity and disaster recovery plans.
High Availability Solutions Offered by Progent
Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-certified engineers can assist you to build an efficient, high-availability system that resolves critical problems encompassing a broad range of infrastructure technologies and operations including:
Business Continuity Planning
Progent's disaster recovery consultants can show you how to create a disaster recovery strategy so you can resume IT functionality in the event of an IT system disaster. Progent can assist you to create a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy that incorporates periodic disaster recovery evaluations and testing. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-authorized engineers can also help you create an affordable, zero-downtime network architecture that takes into account reliability issues covering a wide array of infrastructure technologies and procedures. To learn more, go to Workplace Recovery Expertise.
CRISC-Certified IT Risk Mitigation
The Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) certification program was initiated by ISACA to validate an IT professional's skills to plan, implement, and maintain information system control mechanisms to mitigate risk. Progent can provide the services of a CRISC-certified engineer to help your company to develop and carry out a workplace continuity plan based on leading practices promoted by CRISC and geared to align with your company's risk appetite, business objectives, and IT budget. To learn more, see CRISC-Certified network risk management experts.
Microsoft Server 2019 High Availability Failover Clustering
Microsoft Windows Server 2019 incorporated significant improvements in capacity, performance, management, cybersecurity, application compatibility, Linux co-existence, container technology, and hybrid combinations of local and cloud-hosted assets. Top enhancements of Windows Server 2019 include Windows Admin Center for centralizing the management of hybrid local/cloud deployments, System Insights for utilizing advance predictive intelligence to manage local environments, Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Exploit Guard for host-intrusion prevention, container networking with Kubernetes, Cluster Sets technology for building and managing massive non-stop scale-out clusters, and Storage Migration Service for streamlining the upgrade process from outdated versions of Windows Server. For details, visit Windows Server 2019 High Availability Failover Clustering Expertise.
Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery consultants can assist your organization to design a disaster recovery solution built around Microsoft's cloud-tested Failover Clustering tools including Cluster Operating System Rolling Upgrade for non-intrusive migration to Windows Server 2016, Storage Replica for crash-consistent Recovery Point Objective (RPO), Storage Spaces Direct for enterprise-class storage clusters using industry-standard hardware, Virtual Machine Load Balancing for enhancing the performance and resilience of Failover Clusters while minimizing capital investment and management overhead, and Cloud Witness for easy, economical creation of a stretch cluster quorum arbitration point. To learn more, see Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Support.
VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Disaster Recovery Solutions
VMware's Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is an extension to VMware vCenter that allows you to define, automate and test a consistent runbook for recovering applications and services rapidly following a breakdown. Site Recovery Manager supports centrally managed and automated recovery, application mobility, plus non-intrusive site migration, failback and re-protect. Site Recovery Manager also enables non-intrusive testing for site recovery, upgrades and fixes and can produce audit reports to verify full service restoration, validate Service Level Agreements and demonstrate compliance. Progent offers the support of a VCDX certified VMware SRM consultant to help your organization to design, configure, test and manage a disaster recovery system based on VMware Site Recovery Manager.
NetApp MetroCluster High Availability and Disaster Recovery Software
NetApp MetroCluster is a high-availability and disaster recovery software suite that combines array-based storage clustering along with replication to deliver rapid, zero RPO disaster recovery between datacenters located as far as 300km away from one another. Progent can provide online or on-premises access to a certified NetApp MetroCluster consultant who can assist you to plan, deploy, administer, update, test and troubleshoot a disaster recovery system based on NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can assist you to select an architecture for your MetroCluster deployment that meets your functional needs and IT budget. Progent can ensure you follow best practices for configuring your MetroCluster solution by delivering help with tasks like assigning disk pools and shelf IDs, determining aggregate and plexes layout, provisioning volumes, setting up Data ONTAP configuration replication service, installing Cisco and Brocade switches, designing a tiebreaker mechanism, setting up a configuration replication network between your storage clusters, and verifying your DR solution to prove compliance with industry standards and government mandates.
High Availability Load Balancing
Progent provides high availability load balancing support that addresses network load balancing, load balanced applications, network backbone routing, and content dispatching products such as F5 Networks 3DNS. Non-stop load balancing technologies for which Progent can provide consulting services include Windows 2003 and 2008 Server Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Metaframe and Presentation Server, Cisco CSS, Cisco Content Engine and ACNS, and F5 Networks 3-DNS. For details, see Fault Tolerant Load Balancing.
Zero Downtime Data Centers
Progent's Data Center consultants can show you how to identify zero-downtime data centers that match the specific requirements of your business. High availability co-location sites are particularly appealing to small and mid-size companies because of their low cost and convenience compared to taking a do-it-yourself approach. Attempting to design an in-house data center with even a basic degree of fault tolerance is financially prohibitive for the majority of small organizations. Progent can help you reap all the benefits of non-stop colocation facilities by providing a complete range of engineering and support services. To learn more, go to High-Availability Internet Data Centers Expertise.
Non-stop Branch Office Connectivity
Progent's branch office connectivity consultants can help businesses create fault tolerant inter-site connectivity through redundant system architectures featuring automatic failover. Progent's Cisco-premier CCIE network engineers can design and deploy high-availability Inter-office connections supported by zero-downtime EIGRP routers or fault tolerant OSPF configurations of Cisco routers. Progent can show you how multi-path connectivity and transparent fail-over can provide economical 24x7 interoffice connectivity. For more information, see Fault Tolerant Interoffice Networking.
High Availability Internet Access
Progent's Cisco-certified IT experts can help you build an affordable, high availability Internet configuration architecture that can deliver non-stop Internet access through a broad array of fault tolerant Internet network solutions including high availability BGP, transparent fail-over, and redundant Internet Service Providers. Progent can provide CCIE engineers to show you how to utilize the most advanced techniques for 24x7 Internet connectivity to build a cost-effective, fully redundant Internet interface with automatic failover and other features to create non-stop Internet availability. To learn more, go to 24x7 Internet Access Architecture.
Backup and Restore Technology Consulting and Support Services
Progent offers economical remote access to IT engineers with expertise in a wide range of products and technologies that provide solutions for backing up Microsoft Windows, Mac, and Linux/UNIX physical and virtual servers and desktops plus laptops and handhelds. Progent offers help for leading data protection products including Acronis Backup and Recovery, Backup Exec, BackupAssist Software, CrashPlan PRO, Double-Take Software, Mozy, Retrospect, Apple Time Machine, VMware Data Recovery (VDR), and FLARs. Progent's consultants can help you to install, upgrade, or troubleshoot data backup solutions for a range of topologies such as on-premises, edge to datacenter, cloud-based, or a mix. To read more, see Backup and Recovery Solutions Consulting and Support Services.
System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) Backup and Restore Consulting
Progent's expert System Center Data Protection Manager consultants can help you to create a practical disaster recovery plan, design a cost-effective fault-tolerante IT architecture, install a System Center Data Protection Manager-based backup and restore system, comprehensively test your system, educate your IT staff or regular service providers how to maintain Microsoft SCDPM, or provide complete information technology outsourcing services including remote housing of virtual or physical SCDPM machines in Progent's secure data center facility. For more information, see System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) Consulting.
Barracuda Backup Local, Offsite and Cloud Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is an affordable, subscription-based backup and disaster recovery service for small and medium-size businesses. A Barracuda Backup deployment can include a custom-designed physical appliance manufactured by Barracuda or a virtual appliance with comparable features but which utilizes your existing storage infrastructure. Barracuda Backup safeguards critical business data produced locally, at one or multiple remote locations, or in the cloud. For disaster recovery, you can replicate data to the Barracuda Cloud, to Amazon Web Services (AWS), or to any site with a physical or virtual Barracuda appliance. Progent is a certified Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consultants offer a wide array of consulting support services to assist your business to plan, configure, operate and troubleshoot a BDR system based on Barracuda technology. For details, visit Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consulting.
ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup Solutions for Data Protection and Disaster Recovery
Hornetsecurity's Altaro VM Backup offers small and mid-size businesses a reliable and budget-friendly solution for backing up and restoring Hyper-V and VMware-powered virtual machines. Altaro VM Backup can be deployed in on-premises, offsite, distributed, and cloud-hosted environments and also enables cost-effective backup to Azure Block Blob storage. Altaro VM Backup includes advanced features like Immutable Cloud Storage for an extra layer of recoverability from ransomware. Progent is an Altaro partner and offers a wide array of remote or on-premises consulting services to help you to plan, install, manage and troubleshoot a modern backup and disaster recovery system based on Altaro VM Backup. With ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup, Progent delivers a fully managed backup/recovery service powered by on Altaro VM Backup software. For more information, visit Altaro VM Backup certified consultants.
ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup Services for Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 offers simple archiving but does not have integrated support for key data protection services like Exchange backups or long-term point-in-time data recovery for OneDrive for Business or SharePoint. Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup provides a full-featured BDR solution for programmable backup and rapid restoration of all your organization's M365 mail, Teams Chats, SharePoint documents, OneDrive for Business data, and content on Windows endpoints. Progent is an authorized Hornetsecurity/Altaro partner and offers ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS) 365 Total Backup to provide end-to-end management services for Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup product. ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup provides a low-cost backup-as-a-service solution that guards M365 apps against data loss resulting from human or system error, malicious corruption, and cyber assaults like ransomware. For more information, see ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup services for Microsoft 365.
Fully Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO
ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO from Progent provide small and medium-sized businesses a low cost end-to-end service for reliable backup/disaster recovery (BDR). For a fixed monthly price, ProSight DPS ECHO automates your backup processes and enable rapid restoration of critical data, applications and virtual machines that have become unavailable or corrupted due to component failures, software glitches, natural disasters, human error, or malicious attacks such as ransomware. ProSight DPS ECHO can help you protect, retrieve and restore files, folders, applications, system images, plus Hyper-V and VMware images. Important data can be protected on the cloud, to an on-promises device, or mirrored to both. Progent's backup and recovery consultants can provide advanced support to set up ProSight DPS ECHO to to comply with regulatory requirements such as HIPAA, FINRA, and PCI and, whenever needed, can help you to recover your critical data. Find out more about ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO managed backup and recovery.
ProSight DPS 360 Backup Solutions
Progent's data protection experts can assist you to design, implement and troubleshoot a backup/restore plan based on MSP360 technology. MSP360 enables file/folder or image backup/recovery for virtual machines and physical computers, works with all popular public clouds, and allows you to create a data protection solution with a low Recovery Time Objective and a granular Recovery Point Objective. With ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup, Progent offers end-to-end monitoring and management of your backup environment to protect against data loss resulting from human miscues, computer glitches, malicious insiders, and external assaults such as ransomware. To find out more, see ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup solutions.
Consulting for Double-Take Software for Data Backup/Restore
Double-Take Software publishes a selection of tools intended to provide small companies a range of affordable alternatives for replicating and restoring business-critical applications such as Exchange Server, SQL Server, RIM Blackberry, and Microsoft SharePoint. Progent's business continuity planning experts have extensive backgrounds incorporating Double-Take Software products into small company IT networks to create a high level of fault tolerance and business continuity capability at an affordable price. For more information, see Consulting for Double-Take Software for Data Backup.
Why Choose Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning Solutions?
Because Progent is a Microsoft Certified Partner and offers professional application consulting for a broad range of small business software programs, Progent is able to assist customers to arrive at efficient information technology solutions that substantially enhance the productivity of your information system. As a Registered Partner with Cisco, Progent can provide the support of certified consultants and specialists with expertise in designing, deploying and maintaining networking environments built on Cisco products. The breadth of Progent's technical experience and Progent's familiarity with the requirements of small businesses make Progent the ideal partner for creating and running an affordable, fault-tolerant information system.
How to Contact Progent's Experts for Support for Fault Tolerant Networks
If you wish to ask Progent about engineering support for non-stop architecture, call