Windows 2022 Hyper-V Cluster Req

Question

Hi,

Is it a must to have the same hardware and processor versions to create a Windows 2022 Hyper-V Cluster?

Secondly, can we create a cluster without a SAN Storage with Windows 2022 Standard Edition?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Is it a must to have the same hardware and processor versions to create a Windows 2022 Hyper-V Cluster?

No, but it is highly recommended that they be as close as possible to flawlessly live-migrate virtual machines and other workloads between the cluster nodes and avoid any potential hardware incompatibility issues.

Secondly, can we create a cluster without a SAN Storage with Windows 2022 Standard Edition?

You need some shared storage to build a cluster. If you don't have a dedicated hardware SAN for that purpose, you can use a Virtual SAN https://www.starwindsoftware.com/vsan or Storage Spaces Direct https://aka.ms/s2d to build a cluster. Those options are even better compared to SAN storage since by implementing a virtual SAN, you are eliminating a single point of failure, which a SAN usually is.

Answer 2

Thanks for mentioning StarWind,

Hey,

As mentioned, it is recommended to have the same hardware to minimize issues you might face. It should be at least similar (e.g. the same CPU family, the same amount of RAM). https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/failover-clustering/clustering-requirements

As for shared storage, you can use StarWind VSAN as a shared storage even with Windows Server Standard. Either free or paid version of VSAN can be used. The following guide will walk you through the configuration process: 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

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 3

Hi Admin,

Hope you're doing well.

While it's not an absolute must for all hardware and processors to be identical when creating a Hyper-V cluster in Windows Server 2022, it's highly recommended to maintain consistency across the cluster nodes, especially concerning processor architectures and feature sets. Having identical hardware and processors ensures consistent performance and compatibility across the cluster.

If the hardware and processor versions are not the same, it may still be possible to create a Hyper-V cluster, but you might encounter limitations or compatibility issues. For example, live migration features might be restricted or certain advanced processor features might not be available uniformly across the cluster.

Before setting up your Hyper-V cluster, it's best to consult the official Microsoft documentation and perform thorough compatibility checks to ensure optimal performance and compatibility across all cluster nodes.

Secondly, yes, it's possible to create a failover cluster without using SAN (Storage Area Network) storage, even with Windows Server 2022 Standard Edition. Windows Server supports several storage options for creating failover clusters, including direct-attached storage (DAS), storage spaces direct (S2D), and SMB-based storage.

Here are the relevant documents for your reference:

Create a failover cluster | Microsoft Learn

Failover Clustering | Microsoft Learn

Best Regards,

Ian Xue

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