Frequently asked questions - SQL Server 7.0 - Failover

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1. Q. How do I upgrade SQL Server 6.5 to SQL Server 7.0 when the version 6.5 server is part of a cluster?
   
   A. If your SQL Server 6.5 server is part of a cluster, you must perform the following steps to upgrade the server to SQL Server 7.0:
   1. Remove clustering of SQL Server 6.5 on each primary node.
   2. Cluster a group for use with Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MS DTC) as described in the "Configuring MS DTC for Use with SQL Server 7.0 in a Clustered Configuration" section of SQL Server 7.0 Books Online. This group should contain a Disk, IP Address, and Network Name resource. If such a group does not exist, the installation of SQL Server 7.0 will not be successful.
   3. At this point, SQL Server 6.5 is a stand-alone server. For an active/active configuration, upgrade SQL Server 6.5 to SQL Server 7.0 Enterprise Edition on each node. For an active/passive configuration, you only need to upgrade the primary node. For additional information, see "Migrating from SQL Server 6.5 to 7.0" at the following Microsoft Web site:

      http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/70/deploy/migrat.mspx

   4. Install the latest SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack.
   5. Cluster SQL Server 7.0 Enterprise Edition using the SQL Cluster Failover Wizard on each primary node. For more information, see the following:

      "Supported Cluster Configurations" in SQL Server 7.0 Books Online

      219264 INF: Order of installation for SQL Server 7.0 clustering setup

2. Q. How do I use startup trace flags in a SQL Server clustered environment?
   
   A. To start SQL Server in a clustered environment and use the various startup parameters, perform the following steps:
   
   
   1. Use the Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) Cluster Administrator to take the virtual server offline.
   2. This step involves editing the registry.
      
      Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
      Run REGEDT32 and navigate to the following key:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSSQLServer$<SVS>

      where <SVS> is the name of the Virtual SQL Server.
   3. Change or add a startup parameter to the Parameters\SQLArg<n> key (where n is greater than 2 and is 1 greater than the existing maximum value for n).
   4. Place the virtual server back online. This causes the registry keys to be read, and SQL Server will be started using the new parameters.
3. Q. What hardware is required to run SQL Server 7.0 in a clustering environment?
   
   A. Refer to the Microsoft Cluster Server Administrator's Guide for a list of supported hardware configurations and hardware configuration information.
   
   For additional information, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   309395 The Microsoft support policy for server clusters, the Hardware Compatibility List, and the Windows Server Catalog

4. Q. Can SQL Server 6.5 be installed on one node and SQL Server 7.0 be installed on the other node of a cluster?
   
   A. No. SQL Server 6.5 cannot participate in a cluster that already has SQL Server 7.0 clustered on a node. Similarly, SQL Server 7.0 cannot participate in a cluster that already has SQL Server 6.5 clustered on a node. If two SQL Servers participate in a cluster, they must be of the same version (that is, either both version 6.5 or both version 7.0).
5. Q. Where do I place the SQL Server 7.0 files to provide failover support?
   
   A. All database disks used by SQL Server and all resources that support SQL Server should be installed on shared disks. However, note that, as part of the normal cluster setup, some files will be copied to the local disk on both nodes of the cluster.
6. Q. How do I shut down SQL Server from the command line without the Cluster Service interpreting this shutdown as a failure?
   
   A. The proper way to shut down SQL Server from the command line is to use the Cluster.exe application that comes with Microsoft Windows NT Server Enterprise Edition. This application is installed as part of the normal Windows NT Cluster Setup, which can also be run on a Windows NT Workstation or member server computer to install just the Cluster Administrator and the other administrative applications. The basic syntax for this command is:

      cluster [cluster name] RESOURCE [resource name] /option
   						

   In the command syntax above, the /option switch controls this functionality. The specific options to be used are /online and /offline. These two options are equivalent to the commands net start mssqlserver (the method to start SQL Server from the command line) and net stop mssqlserver (the method to shut down SQL Server from the command line) for a non-virtualized server, respectively. This procedure can be performed on the Generic Service, the SQL Server Agent 7.0, and the SQL Server 7.0 resources.
   
   The following are some examples of how to use this command syntax:

   To take the SQL Server 7.0 resource offline if the Cluster Name is "SQLCluster" and the resource is named "VirtualSQL" (where 'VirtualSQL' is the name of the SQL Server 7.0 resource, not the virtual network name resource):

         cluster "SQLCluster" resource "VirtualSQL" /offline
   						

   To bring the SQL Server 7.0 resource back online:

         cluster "SQLCluster" resource "VirtualSQL" /online
   						

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