Step 4: Configure a Clustered File Server for the HPC Pack Head Node
Applies To: Microsoft HPC Pack 2012, Microsoft HPC Pack 2012 R2
In this step, you run the High Availability Wizard or use equivalent procedures in your version of Windows Server to configure a clustered file server for the head node in the HPC cluster to use. See the documentation for Failover Cluster Manager in your version of Windows Server for information about running the High Availability Wizard.
Important considerations for running the High Availability Wizard
If you have the option to choose a type of clustered file server, choose File server for general use, not Scale-out File Server.
When setting a NetBIOS name for the clustered file server, choose a single name that will be suitable for naming the clustered head node, such as HeadNodeClust. This name will later be used by cluster users, administrators, and compute nodes for communication with the head node.
Important
Do not configure more than one name for the clustered instance. Only a single virtual head node name is supported.
You can choose the storage volume or volumes that the clustered file server should use. If you want, you can add shared storage later to the clustered file server.
After completing the High Availability Wizard to configure a clustered file server, do the following steps. Some user interface details may differ slightly, depending on your version of Windows Server.
On each of the servers in the failover cluster, in Control Panel, open Windows Firewall, click Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall, click the Change settings button (if necessary), select the exception for Remote Volume Management, and then click OK.
In Failover Cluster Manager, select the clustered file server that you just created. In the Actions pane, click Add File Share. You will need the file share (shared folder) to install HPC Pack, but you can stop sharing it after you complete the installation of the head node. Follow the instructions in the wizard to specify a path and name for the shared folder, and accept the defaults for permissions and other settings.
Confirm that the clustered file server comes online. If it does not, review the state of the networks and storage and correct any issues. Then try again to bring it online.
To perform a basic test of failover, right-click the clustered file server, click Move, click Selected Node, and click the available choice of node. You can observe the status changes in the center pane of Failover Cluster Manager as the clustered file server instance is moved.