INF: Frequently Asked Questions - Failover

• Microsoft SQL Server version 7.0

SUMMARY

This article is meant to address frequently asked questions regarding SQL Server 7.0 failover support.

MORE INFORMATION

1. Q. How do I upgrade SQL Server 6.5 to SQL Server 7.0 when the version 6.5 server is part of a cluster?
   
   A. If your SQL Server 6.5 server is part of a cluster, you must perform the following steps to upgrade the server to SQL Server 7.0:
   
   
   1. Remove clustering of SQL Server 6.5 on both nodes.
   
   
   
   2. Cluster a group for use with Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MS DTC) as described in the "Configuring MS DTC for Use with SQL Server 7.0 in a Clustered Configuration" section of the SQL Server 7.0 Books Online. This group should contain a Disk, IP Address, and Network Name resource. If such a group does not exist, the installation of SQL Server 7.0 will not be successful.
   
   
   
   3. Install SQL Server 7.0 on the primary node in the clustered configuration first. Ensure that this installation completes before beginning the installation of SQL Server 7.0 on a secondary node.
   
   
   
   4. Install clustering for SQL Server on one or both nodes.
   
   
   
   For more information, see the "Supported Cluster Configurations" topic in the SQL Server 7.0 Books Online.



2. Q. How do I start up SQL Server in a clustered environment to include startup parameters such as -m, -f, and so on?
   
   A. To start SQL Server in a clustered environment and use the various startup parameters, perform the following steps:
   
   
   1. Use the Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) Cluster Administrator to take the virtual server offline.
   
   
   
   2. This step involves editing the registry.
      
      WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
      
      For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).
      
      Run REGEDT32 and navigate to the following key:
      

      
               HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSSQLServer$<SVS> 

   
   
   
   3. Change or add a startup parameter to the Parameters\SQLArg<n> key.
   
   
   
   4. Place the virtual server back online. This causes the registry keys to be read, and SQL Server will be started using the new parameters.
   
   
   



3. Q. What hardware is required to run SQL Server 7.0 in a clustering environment?
   
   A. Check the Windows NT Server Web site for a list of clustering-compatible servers. The site is http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/info/hwcompatibility.htm. Also, refer to the Microsoft Cluster Server Administrator's Guide for a list of supported hardware configurations and hardware configuration information.



4. Q. Can SQL Server 6.5 be installed on one node and SQL Server 7.0 be installed on the other node of a cluster?
   
   A. No. SQL Server 6.5 cannot participate in a cluster that already has SQL Server 7.0 clustered on a node. Similarly, SQL Server 7.0 cannot participate in a cluster that already has SQL Server 6.5 clustered on a node. If two SQL Servers participate in a cluster, they must be of the same version (that is, either both version 6.5 or both version 7.0).



5. Q. Where do I place the SQL Server 7.0 files to provide failover support?
   
   A. All database disks used by SQL Server and all resources that support SQL Server should be installed on shared disks. However, note that, as part of the normal cluster setup, some files will be copied to the local disk on both nodes of the cluster.



6. Q. How do I shut down SQL Server from the command line without the Cluster Service interpreting this shutdown as a failure?
   
   A. The proper way to shut down SQL Server from the command line is to use the Cluster.exe application that comes with Microsoft Windows NT Server Enterprise Edition. This application is installed as part of the normal Windows NT Cluster Setup, which can also be run on a Windows NT Workstation or member server computer to install just the Cluster Administrator and the other administrative applications. The basic syntax for this command is:
   

   
      cluster [cluster name] RESOURCE [resource name] /option 

   
   In the command syntax above, the /option switch controls this functionality. The specific options to be used are /online and /offline. These two options are equivalent to the commands net start mssqlserver (the method to start SQL Server from the command line) and net stop mssqlserver (the method to shut down SQL Server from the command line) for a non-virtualized server, respectively. This procedure can be performed on the Generic Service, the SQL Server Agent 7.0, and the SQL Server 7.0 resources.
   
   The following are some examples of how to use this command syntax:
   
   

   To take the SQL Server 7.0 resource offline if the Cluster Name is "SQLCluster" and the resource is named "VirtualSQL" (where 'VirtualSQL' is the name of the SQL Server 7.0 resource, not the virtual network name resource):
   

   
         cluster "SQLCluster" resource "VirtualSQL" /offline 

   
   To bring the SQL Server 7.0 resource back online:
   

   
         cluster "SQLCluster" resource "VirtualSQL" /online 

Additional query words: prodsql faq DEC sqlfaq msdtc

Keywords          : SSrvAdmin 
Version           : winnt:7.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        : kbinfo 

Last Reviewed: March 13, 1999