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.
Non-stop Solutions Provided by Progent's Consultants
Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-certified consultants can help your company to implement an affordable, high-availability environment that addresses key challenges covering a broad range of infrastructure technologies and processes including:
Business Continuity Planning
Progent's business continuity engineers can show you how to create a disaster recovery strategy in order to resume IT functionality in the event of an information system disaster. Progent can assist you to define a complete disaster recovery strategy that incorporates scheduled disaster recovery assessments and testing. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-authorized professionals can also show you how to build an affordable, high-availability system architecture that addresses availability issues covering a wide array of infrastructure technologies and processes. For more information, see Business Continuity Consulting Services.
CRISC-Certified Network Risk Mitigation
The Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) program was initiated by ISACA to verify an IT professional's skills to plan, implement, and maintain information system controls to reduce risk. Progent can provide the services of a CRISC-certified engineer to assist your company to create and execute a business continuity plan that follows leading practices identified by CRISC and crafted to match your company's risk appetite, business objectives, and budgetary guidelines. For more information, see CRISC-Certified network risk mitigation experts.
Microsoft Server 2019 High Availability Failover Clustering
Windows Server 2019 introduced significant enhancements in scale, throughput, management, security and compliance, app compatibility, Linux support, Kubernetes networking, and hybrid integration of on-premises and cloud assets. Headline new features of Microsoft Windows Server 2019 include Windows Admin Center for centralizing the management and monitoring of hybrid local/cloud-hosted resources, System Insights for taking advantage of modern predictive analytics to control on-premises networks, Windows Defender ATP (Advanced Threat Protection) Exploit Guard for host-intrusion prevention, container orchestration with Kubernetes, Cluster Sets technology for building and administering massive high-availability scale-out clusters, and Microsoft's Storage Migration Service for streamlining the upgrade process from legacy versions of Windows Server. For details, see Microsoft Server 2019 Fault-tolerant Failover Clustering Help.
Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery/business continuity experts can assist you to design a DR system based on Microsoft's cloud-tested Failover Clustering tools such as Cluster OS Rolling Upgrade for non-disruptive migration to Windows Server 2016, Storage Replica for crash-consistent Recovery Point Objective (RPO), Storage Spaces Direct for enterprise-class storage clusters using commodity hardware, VM Load Balancing for enhancing the performance and fault-tolerance of Failover Clusters while minimizing capital investment and operational expenses, and Cloud Witness for fast, economical creation of a failover cluster quorum witness. To learn more, see Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery Expertise.
VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Disaster Recovery Solutions
VMware's Site Recovery Manager is an extension to VMware vCenter that allows you to orchestrate, automate and verify a repeatable runbook for recovering applications and services quickly after an outage. SRM provides centrally managed and automated disaster recovery, application mobility, plus non-intrusive site relocation, failback and re-protect. Site Recovery Manager also allows non-intrusive testing for disaster recovery, upgrades and fixes and can generate reports to verify full service restoration, validate Service Level Agreements and demonstrate compliance. Progent offers the skills of a VCDX certified VMware SRM consultant to help you to design, configure, test and administer a DR system powered by VMware SRM.
NetApp MetroCluster High Availability and Disaster Recovery Technology
NetApp MetroCluster is a disaster recovery software suite that combines failover storage clustering with replication to provide rapid, zero RPO disaster recovery (DR) between sites located up to 185 miles (300km) away from one another. Progent can provide access to a NetApp MetroCluster consultant who can help your business to plan, deploy, manage, update, test and troubleshoot a disaster recovery solution built around NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can assist you to select an architecture for your MetroCluster environment that aligns with your technical requirements and IT budget. Progent can make sure you follow best practices for configuring your MetroCluster environment by providing guidance with tasks like assigning shelf IDs, determining aggregate and plexes layout, setting up NetApp FlexVol volumes, setting up NetApp Snapshot, installing switches, implementing a tiebreaker, setting up a configuration replication network between your storage clusters, and testing your MetroCluster DR solution to show adherence with information assurance standards and regulatory requirements.
Network Load Balancing
Progent provides fault tolerant load balancing support that addresses network load balancing, load balanced programs, network backbone routing, and content delivery technology such as Cisco Content Engine. High availability load balancing products for which Progent offers consulting services include Windows 2003 and 2008 Server Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Access Suite and Presentation Server, Cisco Content Services Switch, Cisco Distributed Director and Cisco CDN Software, and F5 Networks BIG-IP. To read more, see High Availability Load Balancing.
Fault Tolerant Colocation
Progent's Data Center professionals can show you how to identify zero-downtime data centers that meet the particular needs of your company. Fault tolerant co-location sites are particularly appealing to small and mid-size organizations because of their low cost and convenience in comparison to pursuing a do-it-yourself strategy. Attempting to design an on-site data center that offers even a minimum level of fault tolerance is financially prohibitive for most small companies. Progent is ready to show you how to reap all the benefits of high-availability colocation centers by providing a full array of engineering and support services. For more information, go to Non-stop Data Centers Consulting.
Fault Tolerant Inter-office Connectivity
Progent's inter-site connection professionals can help businesses create fault tolerant multi-site connectivity solutions by means of fully redundant networks with automatic failover. Progent's Cisco-premier CCIE network engineers can design and implement ultra-reliable Inter-office connections supported by zero-downtime EIGRP network routers or zero-downtime OSPF configurations of Cisco routers. Progent can demonstrate how redundant connectivity and transparent fail-over can provide economical 24x7 interoffice networking. To read more, visit Failsafe Interoffice Connectivity.
24x7 Internet Connections
Progent's Cisco-certified IT engineers can help you build an economical, fault tolerant Internet connection architecture that can achieve non-stop Internet connectivity through a broad array of high availability Internet access solutions including high availability BGP, transparent fail-over, and redundant Internet Service Providers. Progent offers CCIE consultants to help you apply the latest techniques for high availability Internet connectivity to build an affordable, fully redundant Internet network with automatic failover and other features to create fault tolerant Internet connections. To read more, visit Fault Tolerant Internet Access Architecture.
Backup and Recovery Technology Consulting
Progent can provide affordable online support from engineers with expertise in a broad array of utilities and technologies that deliver solutions for protecting Windows, Mac, and Linux physical and virtual servers and workstations plus notebooks and smartphones. Progent can provide expertise for leading backup platforms including Acronis, Backup Exec, BackupAssist Software, CrashPlan, Double-Take Backup, MozyPro, Retrospect, Apple Time Machine, VMware Data Recovery (VDR), and Oracle Solaris FLARs. Progent can help your company to install, upgrade, or maintain backup systems for a range of environments such as on-premises, remote, cloud-based, or a mix. To learn more, go to Backup and Recovery Technology Consulting and Support Services.
Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) Backup and Recovery Consulting and Support Services
Progent's certified System Center Data Protection Manager consultants can assist your company to develop an effective disaster recovery strategy, design an affordable high-availability IT architecture, configure a SCDPM-powered recovery system, comprehensively test your system, train your administrative personnel or local consultants how to maintain SCDPM, or provide complete IT outsourcing services including remote hosting of SCDPM servers in Progent's data center facility. To learn more, visit System Center Data Protection Manager Consulting and Support Services.
Barracuda Backup Multi-site and Cloud Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is an affordable, subscription-based backup/restore service for small and medium-size organizations. A Barracuda Backup solution can incorporate a purpose-built physical storage device manufactured by Barracuda or a software-based appliance with similar features but which uses your own storage infrastructure. Barracuda Backup protects critical company data generated on-premises, at one or more remote sites, or in the cloud. For disaster protection, you can replicate data to the Barracuda Cloud, to Amazon AWS, or to any location with a physical or virtual Barracuda Backup appliance. Progent is a Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consultants offer a broad range of consulting support services to assist your business to plan, integrate, manage and troubleshoot a backup and disaster recovery system based on Barracuda Backup. For additional information, see Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consulting and management.
ProSight Altaro VM Backup Software for Data Protection and Disaster Recovery
Hornetsecurity's Altaro VM Backup software provides small and mid-size businesses a reliable and budget-friendly platform for backing up and restoring Hyper-V and VMware-based virtual machines. Altaro VM Backup can be deployed in on-premises, remote, multi-site, and cloud architectures and also supports low-cost backup to Azure Block Blob storage. Altaro VM Backup supports high-end features such as Immutable Cloud Storage for an extra layer of protection from ransomware. Progent is a certified Hornetsecurity Altaro partner and can provide a broad array of online or on-premises consulting services to assist you to design, deploy, optimize and debug a modern backup and disaster recovery system powered by Altaro VM Backup software. With ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup, Progent delivers a fully managed backup/recovery service powered by on Altaro VM Backup. To read more, visit Altaro VM Backup certified consultants.
ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup Solutions for Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 provides rudimentary archiving but does not include native support for vital data protection services such as Exchange backups or long-term point-in-time recovery for OneDrive or SharePoint Online. Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup delivers a full-featured BDR solution for programmable backup and quick recovery of all your company's M365 mail, Teams Chats, SharePoint sites, OneDrive data, and content on Windows desktops and laptops. Progent is an authorized Hornetsecurity/Altaro partner and has designed ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup to deliver end-to-end managed services for Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup product. ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup provides an affordable backup-as-a-service alternative that protects M365 components against data loss or corruption resulting from human or software mistakes, malevolent sabotage, and cyber attacks such as ransomware. For more information, visit ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup services for Microsoft 365.
Fully Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO
ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO provide small and medium-sized businesses an affordable and fully managed solution for secure backup/disaster recovery (BDR). For a fixed monthly price, ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO automates and monitors your backup activities and allow fast recovery of vital files, applications and virtual machines that have become lost or damaged as a result of component breakdowns, software bugs, natural disasters, human mistakes, or malware attacks like ransomware. ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO can help you back up, recover and restore files, folders, applications, system images, plus Hyper-V and VMware virtual machine images. Critical data can be backed up on the cloud, to an on-promises device, or to both. Progent's BDR consultants can deliver world-class support to set up ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO to be compliant with government and industry regulatory requirements like HIPAA, FIRPA, and PCI and, when needed, can assist you to restore your critical information. Learn more about ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO managed cloud backup and recovery.
ProSight MSP360 Backup Services
Progent can assist you to create, deploy and troubleshoot a backup solution based on MSP360 technology. MSP360 enables file/folder or image-based backup/recovery for virtual machines and physical computers, works with all leading public clouds, and permits you to create a backup solution with a minimum Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and a defined Recovery Point Objective. With ProSight MSP360 Backup, Progent offers comprehensive monitoring and remote management of your backup system to prevent data loss caused by user miscues, system errors, malicious users, and malware attacks like ransomware. For more information, go to ProSight MSP360 Backup services.
Consulting Services Double-Take Software for Data Backup
Double-Take Software publishes a selection of tools intended to deliver small companies a variety of affordable alternatives for backing up and recovering vital workloads including Microsoft Exchange Server, SQL, Blackberry, and SharePoint. Progent's business continuity planning experts have in-depth backgrounds incorporating Double-Take technology into small business information networks to create an advanced state of availability and disaster recovery capability at an affordable cost. To learn more, see Consulting Services Double-Take Solutions for Data Backup.
Why Pick Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning?
Since Progent is a Microsoft Certified AI Cloud Partner and provides high-level application support for a wide variety of small business applications, Progent can assist customers to arrive at complete IT solutions that optimize the productivity of your IT network. As a Registered Partner for Cisco, Progent can provide the services of premier engineers and specialists with experience in designing, configuring and troubleshooting networking environments built on Cisco products. The broad scope of Progent's IT know-how and Progent's familiarity with the requirements of small companies make Progent the perfect resource for building and maintaining a cost-effective, fault-tolerant network.
How to Contact Progent's Engineers for Help with High Availability Networks
If you wish to contact Progent about professional expertise for fault tolerant LAN design, call