Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 Beta 2 – Part1

I finally managed to get my hands on some x64 servers to run Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 Beta 2 (actually I didn’t get my hands on them as they are in Redmond, which is a few thousand miles away from Reading, UK where I work).  We have a great facility I recently discovered to book out kit for evaluation and testing, just a simple web form to list requirements and OS version required, and the next day (it helps that Redmond could build them whilst I was asleep) they were ready.
So I have a basic setup consisting of six servers, a Domain Controller (AD), a MOM server, and four cluster nodes.  The diagram on Page 13 of the reviewers guide gives you the rough idea of the setup (I don’t have the file or mail server that’s listed).  Installation was straightforward – which is one of the goals of CCS, easy to use and management.  There is a task-list approach to the install which is easy to follow.  So I went straight in with the defaults, clicking the “next” key at every opportunity (I know you all do the same!), only doing the basics to get a working system, not at all optimal and there are a few things I need to fix.  The two major ones were I didn’t allow for a secondary disk for RIS installation to be possible, whilst manual installs of the nodes are feasible, I prefer automation where possible.  The second thing I learnt was that although I had allowed for multiple NIC’s, it was a lot easier to rename the connections before setup with meaningful names such as “public” and “private” – this would help installation and is intuitive as well.
More next time as I continue to play and tweak this system…

The main website is here, and it has tons of resources for you to look at