Destroy a cluster but keep storage and Hyper V going

Question

Hi,

I have a two node and a four node cluster (2012 R2). We are migrating to a new directory. Can I destroy the cluster without affecting the storage and Hyper V? I would add them to the new domain and they would be standalone until I can work with the directory team.

TY!

Answer 1

Hey,

You can remove disk from CSV and will not destroy data. You can join your node to another domain, create a new cluster and add storage to CSV. This process requires downtime of your VMs and I highly recommend to backup your data. Should help: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/failover-clustering/cluster-domain-migration

https://serverfault.com/questions/834368/will-the-remove-action-in-failover-cluster-manager-2012-r2-result-in-lost-data-o

It would be much easier to move your VMs to another cluster, move nodes to another domain and create cluster in a new domain. You can then move your VMs back. It could be done without downtime Live Migrating your VMs to a different cluster. In addition, you should have shared storage for the cluster. StarWind VSAN can be used to replicated storage pool for a Failover Cluster. https://www.starwindsoftware.com/starwind-virtual-san

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.

Answer 2

I evicted one node then I removed one csv. I was hoping I could mount that csv on the evicted node. It would act as a standalone Hyper v server temporarily until we integrate into the new cluster. I wasnt able to see the csv data on the evicted standalone HV server. it seems I have to move VMs somewhere, recreate volumes and move them back