This book delivers all the practical guidance NT administrators need to deploy powerful, scalable, reliable clustering with Microsoft "Wolfpack." Starting with the fundamentals of clustering and Microsoft's implementation, NT expert David Libertone walks you through everything you need to get clustering deployed in your enterprise. Learn how to plan a cluster implementation for maximum performance and reliability; install your NT cluster; perform day-to-day cluster administration tasks; optimize the performance of your cluster, and troubleshoot problems. The book's detailed coverage of the Win32 clustering API prepares you for NT 5.0's powerful clustering enhancements. An accompanying CD-ROM contains invaluable sample applications, examples and code.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Creating fault-tolerant systems is a big goal of today's Information Systems departments, and Microsoft's new Clustering Server is one way to create systems that are online all the time. Windows NT Cluster Server Guidebook is all you need to begin designing and administering a system that takes advantage of this new technology.
The beginning of this book explains clustering concepts and how Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) works. The author then looks carefully at the system requirements and details of designing and installing Cluster Server. (Currently, MSCS runs on top of Microsoft NT 4 Enterprise Edition for two hardware systems treated as a single unit, or "cluster.") The author provides numerous screen shots for all basic setup tasks, including how to set up fault-tolerant disk and network resources.
Once your cluster is up and running, the author shows you how to monitor its performance. He includes dozens of "expert-mode" troubleshooting tips for common real-world problems. The author also devotes special chapters to using clustering with Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 (for databases) and Microsoft Exchange (for reliable mail delivery). --Richard Dragan
From the Inside Flap
FOREWORD
It has been fascinating to watch the evolution of the Windows operating system over the last 10 years or so. I can remember looking at versions of Windows 1.0 and 2.0 running on AT boxes, and clearly the thought was, "This product will never fly." The surge of interest around Windows 3.0 and then 3.1 showed that the product had matured and taken off, but at that point Windows was meant strictly for one-desktop applications, such as word processing and spreadsheet manipulation.
The release of Windows for Workgroups made it possible for small businesses to create peer-to-peer networks easily. This was Windows' first real inroad into the business environment. Then Windows NT version 3.1 was released. As the first secure and robust version of the Windows operating system, you could see that Microsoft had set its sights on the corporate world. However, the 3.1 release of NT was sparse and did not satisfy the needs of real business users. Microsoft kept adding functionality and has over time created a system that is now clearly embraced by large corporate data centers. With the ability to handle multiple processors, gigabytes of memory and terabytes of disk space, high-end NT boxes begin to look something like mainframes. NT proliferates across the business landscape.
With the advent of NT Clustering, Microsoft moves the evolution of its premier operating system to a new level by taking aim at the hardware and software reliability problem. For enterprise-level servers needing 24x7 functionality, clustering is a critical capability because it allows hardware to fail without disabling the server. One part of a cluster may fail, but the cluster as a whole remains active. This is not a new idea-VAX clusters have been around for decades. However, by making the concept available as a standard feature of the NT operating system (as well as adding clustering support to important parts of the Back Office suite), Microsoft moves the concept into the mainstream. Anyone with a couple of NT machines and a SCSI hard disk can create a cluster and significantly improve reliability.
Well, almost. "Anyone with a couple of NT machines" also needs to have some understanding of what clustering is about, how it works and which steps are necessary to set it up. That is where this book comes in. This book is a straightforward and practical guide for "anyone" who wants to quickly create and utilize clusters of NT servers. The book introduces the clustering concept, talks about some of the prerequisites, and then shows you the steps you must take to create your first cluster (from both a hardware and software perspective). It also takes the important step of showing you how to install and configure the first two cluster-enabled applications: SQL server and Exchange server. The book then wraps up with two of its most important contributions: performance tips and a troubleshooting guide. Both of these topics are especially critical in a clustered setting, both when things are working properly and when they are not.
With this book, a person who wants to set up a cluster-either for experimental or production reasons-can get started quickly. The book walks you step-by-step through the entire process. That makes this book a valuable addition to the library of anyone who is new to the world of NT clustering. - Marshall Brain
It has been fascinating to watch the evolution of the Windows operating system over the last 10 years or so. I can remember looking at versions of Windows 1.0 and 2.0 running on AT boxes, and clearly the thought was, "This product will never fly." The surge of interest around Windows 3.0 and then 3.1 showed that the product had matured and taken off, but at that point Windows was meant strictly for one-desktop applications, such as word processing and spreadsheet manipulation.
The release of Windows for Workgroups made it possible for small businesses to create peer-to-peer networks easily. This was Windows' first real inroad into the business environment. Then Windows NT version 3.1 was released. As the first secure and robust version of the Windows operating system, you could see that Microsoft had set its sights on the corporate world. However, the 3.1 release of NT was sparse and did not satisfy the needs of real business users. Microsoft kept adding functionality and has over time created a system that is now clearly embraced by large corporate data centers. With the ability to handle multiple processors, gigabytes of memory and terabytes of disk space, high-end NT boxes begin to look something like mainframes. NT proliferates across the business landscape.
With the advent of NT Clustering, Microsoft moves the evolution of its premier operating system to a new level by taking aim at the hardware and software reliability problem. For enterprise-level servers needing 24x7 functionality, clustering is a critical capability because it allows hardware to fail without disabling the server. One part of a cluster may fail, but the cluster as a whole remains active. This is not a new idea-VAX clusters have been around for decades. However, by making the concept available as a standard feature of the NT operating system (as well as adding clustering support to important parts of the Back Office suite), Microsoft moves the concept into the mainstream. Anyone with a couple of NT machines and a SCSI hard disk can create a cluster and significantly improve reliability.
Well, almost. "Anyone with a couple of NT machines" also needs to have some understanding of what clustering is about, how it works and which steps are necessary to set it up. That is where this book comes in. This book is a straightforward and practical guide for "anyone" who wants to quickly create and utilize clusters of NT servers. The book introduces the clustering concept, talks about some of the prerequisites, and then shows you the steps you must take to create your first cluster (from both a hardware and software perspective). It also takes the important step of showing you how to install and configure the first two cluster-enabled applications: SQL server and Exchange server. The book then wraps up with two of its most important contributions: performance tips and a troubleshooting guide. Both of these topics are especially critical in a clustered setting, both when things are working properly and when they are not.
With this book, a person who wants to set up a cluster-either for experimental or production reasons-can get started quickly. The book walks you step-by-step through the entire process. That makes this book a valuable addition to the library of anyone who is new to the world of NT clustering. - Marshall Brain
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended,
By A Customer
This review is from: Windows NT Cluster Server Guidebook (Paperback)
I needed to get a cluster up and running and this book was just what I needed. It shows you how to build and manage a cluster. I thought that part would be difficult but everything falls into place when you follow this book. The chapter on clustering SQL Server was the most important part of the book for me. This book had all the steps clearly laid out, so I was able to get it up and running. It's a great book and I'd recommend it to anyone needing to do clustering.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
What is a Cluster?,
By A Customer
This review is from: Windows NT Cluster Server Guidebook (Paperback)
Oops. Having read through 120+ pages ... Clustering as explained in this book was still a mystery -- making learning MSCS difficult. The Microsoft Cluster Server Administrator's Guide (included on the Enterprise CD) does a much better job through and through. By page 3 in the Administrator's Guide -- you get it. On the bright side, the author does explain how to execute administrative tasks well and there is a section for Clustering SQL and Exchange.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-read for cluster administrators,
By curry@baycolony.com (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Windows NT Cluster Server Guidebook (Paperback)
In a previous life, I was a VAX Cluster Manager, and so was skeptical about the benefits a book like this could provide to someone with my knowledge of the topic. To my pleasant surprise, this book saved me hours of time in creating my first Windows NT cluster.Overall, an A+. Kudos to Dave Libertone and Prentice-Hall!
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