INF: Order of Installation for SQL Server 7.0 Clustering Setup

ID: Q219264

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

When you set up a new installation of Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 for clustering, you must install applications in a prescribed order. This article describes the procedure for installing multiple Microsoft products, including Internet Information Server (IIS), Cluster Server, SQL Server 7.0 Enterprise Edition, Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MS DTC) 2.0, and the Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack for use in a cluster environment.

WARNING: Failure to install the applications in the order listed in this article may cause the software to fail on installation. It might also require that you reformat the disk and start the installation process over again.

SQL Server Clustering Models

Active/Active: High-Availability Solution with Static Load Balancing - Dual Virtual SQL Server Configuration

This model provides high availability and acceptable performance when only one node is online, and it provides high performance when both nodes are online. The model also allows maximum utilization of your hardware resources.

In this model, each of the two nodes makes its own set of resources available to the network in the form of virtual servers, which can be detected and accessed by clients. The capacity for each node is chosen so that the resources on each node run at optimum performance, but so that either node can temporarily take the burden of running the resources from the other when failover occurs. Depending on the resource and server capacity specifications, all client services can remain available during failover, but performance can suffer.

Each node of the two-node cluster can support an active Microsoft SQL Server service. If a node fails, the remaining node takes ownership of the shared SCSI disks and restarts the implementation of SQL Server that has failed over. Four SQL Server licenses are required to run Symmetric Virtual Server (SVS) in an Active/Active environment.

Active/Passive: "Hot Spare" Solution with Maximum Availability - Single Virtual SQL Server Configuration

This model provides the maximum availability and performance for your resources, but it requires an investment in hardware that is not in use most of the time.

One node, called a primary node, supports all clients, while its companion node is idle. The companion node is a dedicated "hot spare," ready to be used whenever a failover occurs. If the primary node fails, the hot spare node immediately picks up all operations and continues to service clients at a rate of performance that is close or equal to that of the primary node. (Exact performance depends on the capacity of the hot spare node.)

SQL Server can be configured to run a single Active/Passive virtual SQL Server on a Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) cluster. This configuration gives applications resiliency to failure but requires only a single SQL Server. One node is used as the primary node for SVS and the other node is the hot-standby backup. The backup node can run the customer application or be idle, simply acting as insurance in case of a failure. Two SQL Server licenses are required to run SVS, even when only one SQL Server is used.

NOTE: As of the time that this document was written, Microsoft Message Queue Server (MSMQ) 1.0 Site Controllers cannot be installed using SQL Server 7.0 on a cluster. Microsoft is working on this problem and will publish the resolution to this issue as soon as it is available.

This does not affect the installation of MSMQ 1.0 Routing Servers, Independent Clients, or Dependent Clients.

There is a known problem installing an MSMQ Primary Site Controller (PSC) on a cluster. For more information, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q188685 - HOWTO: Install an MSMQ PSC on Microsoft Cluster Server


MORE INFORMATION

Steps for Correct Installation

  1. Install Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Edition. (This product includes Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3.)

    IMPORTANT: Do not install IIS during the installation of Windows NT. IIS is selected for installation by default, so you must cancel this selection to prevent installation.


  2. Install Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or later.


  3. Install Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS).

    IMPORTANT: Additional options are displayed in the Enterprise Edition Installer. Do not select MSMQ or IIS.


  4. Manually create MS DTC Resources.

    MS DTC will require an IP address resource and a Network Name resource in a group with a disk resource. Please refer to your Cluster Administrator Guide for additional information on creating cluster resources.


  5. To avoid possible conflicts with files in use during installation, you should only have the following services running:


    Possible conflicting services include:

    If any of these services are started, they must be stopped before installing SQL Server.


  6. Install Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack.

    IMPORTANT: Do not select Microsoft Message Queue Server (MSMQ) as an optional installation choice.



  7. Install Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 5.


  8. Again, make sure that none of the programs listed in Step 5 above are running on the computer. Any of these services can cause SQL Server setup to fail.


  9. Install Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Enterprise Edition.


  10. Install Microsoft SQL Cluster Service.


  11. Install any additional server products before installing any user applications.


  12. Reapply Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 5.


Additional query words: Installation Order 


Keywords          : kbinterop kbsetup SSrvInst kbSQLServ700 
Version           : winnt:2.0,4.0,7.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: June 18, 1999