Failover clustering lab

Question

hi

i have done the lab below from the az-801 course and just require some clarification

is the final intent of the lab to essentially build a highly resilient general purpose file server solution which can be utilised?

how does this differ to SOFS? Sofs required clustered shared volume. How is that setup is it additional steps to the ones taken in the lab or is there an alternative approach for that?

I don’t quite follow how the CSV volumes function do they use iscsi? Is iscsi just being used an option

additionally is it the case with both roles be it sofs or general purpose that they are being used for stateful applications?

is there anyway to talk to someone from Microsoft on the phone/teams about it?

https://github.com/MicrosoftLearning/AZ-801-Configuring-Windows-Server-Hybrid-Advanced-Services/blob/master/Instructions/Labs/LAB_AK_03_Implementing_failover_clustering.md

Answer 1

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General Purpose File Server Failover Clustering vs. SOFS

General Purpose File Server (GPFS) Failover Clustering

A General Purpose File Server (GPFS) failover cluster provides highly available file services for general file sharing. It allows multiple nodes to have access to a single set of data, providing failover capabilities in case one node fails. Here are the key points:

• Purpose: Designed for general file sharing and support for a broad range of applications.
• Storage: Uses traditional shared storage solutions like iSCSI, Fibre Channel, or SAS (Serial Attached SCSI).
• File System: Uses NTFS or ReFS (Resilient File System) on shared storage.
• Configuration: Relatively simple to set up compared to SOFS, using the Failover Cluster Manager to configure shared storage and file shares.
• Access: Clients access the file shares over standard SMB (Server Message Block) protocol.

Scale-Out File Server (SOFS)

A Scale-Out File Server (SOFS) is specifically designed for clustered file shares in environments requiring high scalability and performance, such as Hyper-V virtual machine storage or SQL Server databases. Here are the key points:

• Purpose: Optimized for applications that need high performance and scale, such as virtual machine storage and databases.
• Storage: Requires Clustered Shared Volumes (CSV), which are highly optimized for concurrent access.
• File System: Uses NTFS or ReFS, but storage must be configured as CSV.
• Configuration: More complex setup involving CSV and often used with SMB 3.0 features like SMB Direct and SMB Multichannel.
• Access: Clients access the file shares over SMB protocol, and SOFS provides a single namespace and consistent performance across all nodes.

Clustered Shared Volumes (CSV)

CSV is a feature in Windows Server that allows multiple nodes in a cluster to simultaneously access the same NTFS or ReFS file system. It provides a consistent, distributed namespace for applications running on the cluster.

How CSV Works

• Concurrent Access: Allows multiple nodes to concurrently access the same volume.
• Fault Tolerance: Provides resiliency and failover capabilities.
• Optimized for SOFS: Provides efficient data access paths and load distribution for Scale-Out File Servers.
• Communication: Uses SMB for communication between cluster nodes and the shared storage.

Storage Options for CSV

• iSCSI: Network-based storage protocol using TCP/IP to transmit SCSI commands.
• Fibre Channel: High-speed network technology used for connecting storage devices.
• SAS: Direct-attached storage interface.

iSCSI is just one option for setting up shared storage for CSV. You can also use Fibre Channel or SAS, depending on your infrastructure and performance requirements.

Stateful Applications and Clustering

Both roles, GPFS and SOFS, can be used for stateful applications, but their use cases and optimization differ:

• GPFS: Suitable for a wide range of stateful applications that require file sharing and basic failover capabilities.
• SOFS: Optimized for high-performance stateful applications that demand high availability, scalability, and performance, such as virtual machines and databases.

Setting Up SOFS

To set up an SOFS, you need to:

1. Prepare the Cluster: Install the Failover Clustering feature on all nodes.
2. Configure Shared Storage: Set up shared storage that supports CSV (e.g., iSCSI, Fibre Channel).
3. Create a Cluster: Use Failover Cluster Manager to create a new cluster.
4. Configure CSV: Add the shared storage as a Clustered Shared Volume.
5. Install File Server Role: Install the Scale-Out File Server role on the cluster.
6. Create File Shares: Use Failover Cluster Manager to create highly available file shares.

Summary

• GPFS is for general file sharing and is easier to set up.
• SOFS is optimized for performance and scalability with CSV.
• CSV volumes support multiple storage options like iSCSI, Fibre Channel, and SAS.
• Both roles support stateful applications but are optimized for different use cases.

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hth

Marcin

Answer 2

Hey,

Both Scale-Out File Server (SOFS) and General Purpose File Server (GPFS) require shared storage (ISCSI, FC etc.). SOFS is built on top of CSV, while GPFS don't need CSV layer. SOFS is typically used for application storage like IIS, Hyper-V or SQL Server. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/failover-clustering/sofs-overview

CSV is used to allow simultaneous access to shared storage from multiple nodes, without corruption. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/failover-clustering/failover-cluster-csvs

As for building SOFS or GPFS, the following guide should help: https://www.starwindsoftware.com/resource-library/starwind-virtual-san-for-hyper-v-2-node-hyperconverged-scenario-with-windows-server-2016/

Cheers,

Alex Bykovskyi

StarWind Software

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