Is it possible to create a 3 node Windows Server 2008 R2 failover cluster without a SAN?
Our goal is to create a clustered MSMQ without any single points of failure. Ideally, the stored messages would be persisted on all nodes of the cluster so that if any single node was taken offline the cluster could continue operation and maintain quorum.
Alternatively, is there another, better way of creating a highly available MSMQ?
(additional most likely irrelevant information)
This cluster is going to act as a NServiceBus "distributor" and hold all "pending" messages in our system. It will be the hub that all message traffic goes through.
Edit: to clarify, I'm specifically interested in storing the MSMQ queues replicated on the nodes themselves. I would use either FileShare or a Node Majority quorum to handle cluster quorum.
Best Answer
Shared disk of some sort is required for the disks that the MSMQ data will be stored on.
SANs aren't really considered a single point of failure. They have redundant controllers, redundant paths from the server to the SAN, redundant paths from the controllers to the spindles. If spindle failure is an issue you can clone the LUN to a second set of disks for maximum redundancy. If you have a second array you can even replicate from one array to another.
Most storage arrays are designed for 99.999% uptime if not more. Some are designed for 99.9999% uptime and some can provide even more uptime than that.