Cluster Node OS Upgrade

Question

Hi,

We have two nodes windows cluster with Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter installed on its both nodes. I have two questions:

1. Can we upgrade the operating system on its primary node with Windows Server 2016 Datacenter Edition without breaking the cluster ?
2. Can we failover the cluster from secondary node with Windows Server 2012 R2 datacenter to its primary node with Windows Server 2016 datacenter ?

Please answer with steps to upgrade operating system on cluster nodes without breaking the cluster.

regards,

Gaurav Srivastava

Answer 1

Hey,

You can make a cluster rolling update from Windows Server 2012R2 to Windows Server 2016. You need to update your nodes one by one. Backup cluster database and roles on the cluster, move all the roles to one of the nodes, evict "empty" node from the cluster, update it, configure and add back to the cluster. Repeat steps on the other node. Should help: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/failover-clustering/cluster-operating-system-rolling-upgrade

In addition, you can use Starwinds VSAN on your nodes to make replicated shared storage for the cluster to avoid downtime. https://www.starwindsoftware.com/starwind-virtual-san

Cheers,    
Alex Bykovskyi    
StarWind Software    
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