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Can Windows Server 2019 domain controllers be clustered?

Vita 76 Reputation points
2021-03-11T06:27:54.247+00:00

One of my domain controllers has network share that itself is an iSCSI mount. I'd like to improve its availability by turning it into a clustered shared volume by grouping all similar servers, i.e; domain controllers, into a cluster.

There's always a gotcha somewhere using technologies like these in Windows Server though; it just barely stopped being frowned upon to virtualize domain controllers the past major, and, I've been unable so far to find specific mention in the docs that I can or cannot do this.

Just to elaborate a little more: I don't need to cluster the current services each domain controller runs except for this one share. The [Kerberos-enabled-]Windows Admin Center had problem even finding the servers despite being able to SSO to them otherwise, that's already not a great start. ...also, they run on vSphere, not Hyper-V. There's an baremental "disaster DC" but it can always be left out if it's too mismatched.

Can DCs be safely clustered?

Windows Server Clustering
Windows Server Clustering
Windows Server: A family of Microsoft server operating systems that support enterprise-level management, data storage, applications, and communications.Clustering: The grouping of multiple servers in a way that allows them to appear to be a single unit to client computers on a network. Clustering is a means of increasing network capacity, providing live backup in case one of the servers fails, and improving data security.
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  1. Xiaowei He 9,906 Reputation points
    2021-03-12T06:09:46.75+00:00

    Hi,

    It's not supported to install windows failover cluster feature on DC. Please check the following article for detailed information. We see few cases that people would like to install failover cluster feature on DC:

    77093-image.png

    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/high-availability/use-cluster-nodes-as-domain-controllers

    Thanks for your time!
    Best Regards,
    Anne

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  2. Alex Bykovskyi 2,166 Reputation points
    2021-03-12T18:43:51.107+00:00

    Hey,

    It is recommended to have domain controllers running outside of a cluster, even when virtualized. I would recommend you deploying multiple domain controllers as VMs on top of your hypervisors and configure proper backups. Might help:
    https://www.starwindsoftware.com/resource-library/useful-tips-for-setting-up-microsoft-active-directory-domain-controllers/

    Cheers,

    Alex Bykovskyi

    StarWind Software

    Note: Posts are provided “AS IS” without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose.

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