Microsoft clusters deployment on Virtuozzo Servers

[carl owen]

With Clustering Technologies, Windows Server Operating system already includes two Clustering Technologies. One of them is Microsoft Clustering Service and the other one is Microsoft Network Load Balancing. Additional information about the Technologies is given below:

Microsoft Clustering Service (MSCS) – Mission Critical Applications (Applications like Virtuozzo Containers 4.0 Software) you run always require high availability and this Technology will allow you to provide High availability to these Applications through the Failover of Resources. This Technology actually involves the use of two or more Servers to run the same Application to make sure that the Application is available even if one of the Server fails. If one of the Server fails, it is necessary that the Application runs but it is even more necessary that there is no loss of data and any services related to the application are not Interrupted. This is when the Clustering software comes into play. Clustering software ensures that there is no loss of data and the Application keeps on running even if one of the server fails.

Microsoft Network Load Balancing (NLB) – When it comes to TCP- and UDP- based services and Applications (e.g. for web servers and Terminal Services) Scalability and availability are the primary concerns. This kind of Clustering Technology allows you to provide Scalability and High Availability for TCP- and UDP-based services and applications by dividing the incoming IP’s traffic across all the servers in the Cluster.

You will be able to use both Clustering Technologies in your working environments with the use of Virtuozzo Containers 4.0. You can check the steps for the same below:

Deploying MSCS Software in Virtuzzo based systems

As Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) is already included in the Windows server operating system, you can use this Technology in the Virtuozzo Containers 4.0 to provide Greater availability and Reliability for your Applications and services you are running. You can use this Technology in one of the Following ways :

1) In order to host the Virtuozzo Containers Software with all it’s Mission critical services and containers, you will have to create a Cluster of two or more Virtuozzo hardware nodes that will be able to host Virtuozzo Containers Software. The reason that you will need two or more Virtuozzo Hardware nodes is the fact that if one of the Hardware node fails, the other will take over and the Application will be handled by the Second one.

2) To Increase the availability of your Mission Critical Applications, here is what you can do. Make Containers participate as a Standalone server like running Windows Operating system on them in the MSCS Cluster. In other words, make Containers participate as full i.e. Independent members in the MSCS cluster.