SQL Server 2008 R2 Clustering inside VMware

failoverclustersql-server-2008-r2vmware-esxivmware-vspherewindows-server-2008-r2

I am working on a new Windows 2008 R2 / SQL Server R2 HA cluster and we are planning on running this inside of VMware ESX 5. I have read and heard differing views on using SQL clustering inside of ESX, some seems to say its fine others do not. We will be running dedicated Hosts, SAN and networking for this as we are very SQL heavy for our core apps, I would like to hear peoples view on if this is a good or bad idea.

Best Answer

We're currently doing this in production with few issues.

VMware has a KB article on virtual MSCS configurations:

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1004617

Check the appropriate clustering guide PDF for your vSphere version. In particular, pay attention to the support matrices if you're clustering across hosts. Note the following things:

  • Only FC shared storage is supported by VMware for usage inside of MSCS (Microsoft may support iSCSI when connected via the guest iSCSI initiator; I'm not positive of this from an MS support perspective)
  • Shared virtual disks are not supported when clustering across physical hosts; you must use an RDM (physical mode is recommended)
  • You cannot vMotion a node in an MSCS cluster (so disable DRS for these VMs in your cluster configuration)

Also take note of the other setup limitations in the guide. Configuration is fairly straightforward if you follow their directions.

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