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Hyper-V: Using Hyper-V and Failover Clustering

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2

This guide walks you through the steps required to set up Hyper-V™ and the Failover Clustering feature to use these two technologies together.

Scenario overview

The Hyper-V role enables you to create a virtualized server computing environment using a technology that is part of the Windows Server® 2008 R2 operating system. This solution is provided through Hyper-V. You can use a virtualized computing environment to improve the efficiency of your computing resources and improve server availability without using as many physical computers as you would need in a failover configuration that uses only physical computers.

The Failover Clustering feature enables you to create and manage failover clusters. A failover cluster is a group of independent computers that work together to increase the availability of applications and services. The clustered servers (called nodes) are connected by physical cables and by software. If one of the cluster nodes fails, another node begins to provide service (a process known as failover). Users experience a minimum of disruptions in service.

This guide shows you how to use these two technologies together to make a virtual machine highly available. You will do this by creating a simple two-node cluster and a virtual machine, and then verify the set-up by failing over the virtual machine from one node to the other.

Requirements for using Hyper-V and Failover Clustering

To use the Hyper-V role on a failover cluster with two nodes, you need the hardware, software, accounts, and network infrastructure described in the sections that follow.

In Windows Server 2008 R2, a new failover clustering feature called Cluster Shared Volumes was introduced. With CSV, the configuration of clustered virtual machines is much simpler than before. For information about requirements for using Hyper-V with Cluster Shared Volumes, see Hyper-V: Using Live Migration with Cluster Shared Volumes in Windows Server 2008 R2.

Hardware requirements for Hyper-V

Hyper-V requires an x64-based processor, hardware-assisted virtualization, and hardware-enforced Data Execution Prevention (DEP). Specifically, you must enable the Intel XD bit (execute disable bit) or AMD NX bit (no execute bit).You can identify systems that support the x64 architecture and Hyper-V by searching the Windows Server catalog for Hyper-V as an additional qualification. The Windows Server catalog is available at the Microsoft Web site https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111228.

Hardware requirements for a two-node failover cluster

You will need the following hardware for a two-node failover cluster:

  • Servers: We recommend that you use a set of matching computers that contain either the same or similar features.

Important

Microsoft supports a failover cluster solution only if all the hardware features are marked as "Certified for Windows Server 2008 R2." In addition, the complete configuration (servers, network, and storage) must pass all tests in the Validate a Configuration Wizard, which is included in the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in.
For information about hardware compatibility for Windows Server 2008 R2, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=139145.

  • Network adapters and cable (for network communication): The network hardware, like other features in the failover cluster solution, must be marked as “Certified for Windows Server 2008 R2.” If you use iSCSI, your network adapters should be dedicated to either network communication or iSCSI, not both.

    In the network infrastructure that connects your cluster nodes, avoid having single points of failure. There are multiple ways of accomplishing this. You can connect your cluster nodes by multiple, distinct networks. Alternatively, you can connect your cluster nodes with one network that is constructed with teamed network adapters, redundant switches, redundant routers, or similar hardware that removes single points of failure.

Note

If you connect cluster nodes with a single network, the network will pass the redundancy requirement in the Validate a Configuration Wizard. However, the report from the wizard will include a warning that the network should not have single points of failure. 

For more details about the network configuration required for a failover cluster, see Network infrastructure and domain account requirements for a two-node failover cluster, later in this guide.

  • Device controllers or appropriate adapters for the storage:

    • For Serial Attached SCSI or Fibre Channel: If you are using Serial Attached SCSI or Fibre Channel, in all clustered servers, the mass-storage device controllers that are dedicated to the cluster storage should be identical. They should also use the same firmware version.

Note

With Windows Server 2008 R2, you cannot use parallel SCSI to connect the storage to the clustered servers. This was also true for Windows Server 2008. 

  - **For iSCSI**: If you are using iSCSI, each clustered server must have one or more network adapters or host bus adapters that are dedicated to the cluster storage. The network that you use for iSCSI cannot be used for network communication. In all clustered servers, the network adapters that you use to connect to the iSCSI storage target should be identical, and we recommend that you use Gigabit Ethernet or a faster network adapter.

Note

You cannot use teamed network adapters, because they are not supported with iSCSI. 

    For more information about iSCSI, see the iSCSI FAQ on the Microsoft Web site ([https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=61375](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=61375)).

  • Storage: You must use shared storage that is compatible with Windows Server 2008 R2.

    A feature of failover clusters called Cluster Shared Volumes is specifically designed to enhance the availability and manageability of virtual machines. Cluster Shared Volumes are volumes in a failover cluster that multiple nodes can read from and write to at the same time. This feature enables multiple nodes to concurrently access a single shared volume. The Cluster Shared Volumes feature is only supported for use with Hyper-V and other technologies specified by Microsoft.

    On a failover cluster that uses Cluster Shared Volumes, multiple clustered virtual machines that are distributed across multiple cluster nodes can all access their Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) files at the same time, even if the VHD files are on a single disk (LUN) in the storage. This means that the clustered virtual machines can fail over independently of one another, even if they use only a single LUN. When Cluster Shared Volumes is not enabled, a single disk (LUN) can only be accessed by a single node at a time. This means that clustered virtual machines can only fail over independently if each virtual machine has its own LUN, which makes the management of LUNs and clustered virtual machines more difficult.

    For a two-node failover cluster, the storage should contain at least two separate volumes (LUNs), configured at the hardware level. Do not expose the clustered volumes to servers that are not in the cluster. One volume will function as the witness disk (described later in this section). One volume will contain the files that are being shared between the cluster nodes. This volume serves as the shared storage on which you will create the virtual machine and the virtual hard disk. To complete the steps as described in this document, you only need to expose one volume.

    Storage requirements include the following:

    • To use the native disk support included in failover clustering, use basic disks, not dynamic disks.

    • We recommend that you format the partitions with NTFS (for the witness disk, the partition must be NTFS). If you have a disk witness or use Cluster Shared Volumes, the partition for each of those must be NTFS.

      For Cluster Shared Volumes, there are no special requirements other than the requirement for NTFS.

    • For the partition style of the disk, you can use either master boot record (MBR) or GUID partition table (GPT).

    A disk witness is a disk in the cluster storage that is designated to hold a copy of the cluster configuration database. A failover cluster has a disk witness only if this is specified as part of the quorum configuration. For this two-node cluster, the quorum configuration will be Node and Disk Majority, the default for a cluster with an even number of nodes. Node and Disk Majority means that the nodes and the witness disk each contain copies of the cluster configuration, and the cluster has quorum as long as a majority (two out of three) of these copies are available.

Deploying storage area networks with failover clusters

When deploying a storage area network (SAN) with a failover cluster, follow these guidelines:

  • Confirm compatibility of the storage: Confirm with manufacturers and vendors that the storage, including drivers, firmware, and software used for the storage, are compatible with failover clusters in Windows Server 2008 R2.

Important

Storage that was compatible with server clusters in Windows Server 2003 might not be compatible with failover clusters in Windows Server 2008 R2. Contact your vendor to ensure that your storage is compatible with failover clusters in Windows Server 2008 R2. 

Failover clusters include the following new requirements for storage:

  - Improvements in failover clusters (as compared to server clusters in Windows Server 2003) require that the storage respond correctly to specific SCSI commands. To confirm that your storage is compatible, run the Validate a Configuration Wizard. In addition, you can contact the storage vendor.

  - The miniport driver used for the storage must work with the Microsoft Storport storage driver.

  • Isolate storage devices, one cluster per device: Servers from different clusters must not be able to access the same storage devices. In most cases, a LUN that is used for one set of cluster servers should be isolated from all other servers through LUN masking or zoning.

  • Consider using multipath I/O software: In a highly available storage fabric, you can deploy failover clusters with multiple host bus adapters by using multipath I/O software. This provides the highest level of redundancy and availability. For Windows Server 2008 R2, your multipath solution must be based on Microsoft Multipath I/O (MPIO). Your hardware vendor will usually supply an MPIO device-specific module (DSM) for your hardware, although Windows Server 2008 R2 includes one or more DSMs as part of the operating system.

Important

Host bus adapters and multipath I/O software can be very version sensitive. If you are implementing a multipath solution for your cluster, you should work closely with your hardware vendor to choose the correct adapters, firmware, and software for Windows Server 2008 R2.

Software requirements for using Hyper-V and Failover Clustering

The following are the software requirements for using Hyper-V and the Failover Clustering feature:

  • All the servers in a failover cluster must either run the x64-based version or the Itanium architecture-based version of Windows Server 2008 R2 (nodes within a single failover cluster cannot run different versions).

  • All the servers should have the same software updates (patches) and service packs.

  • Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise or Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter must be used for the physical computers. These servers must run the same version of Windows Server 2008 R2, including the same type of installation. That is, both servers must be either a full installation or a Server Core installation.

  • If you do not want to install Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise or Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter on the test virtual machine, you will need the installation media for the operating system. The instructions in this guide assume that you will install Windows Server 2008 R2 on the virtual machine.

Network infrastructure and domain account requirements for a two-node failover cluster

You will need the following network infrastructure for a two-node failover cluster and an administrative account with the following domain permissions:

  • Network settings and IP addresses: When you use identical network adapters for a network, also use identical communication settings on those adapters (for example, Speed, Duplex Mode, Flow Control, and Media Type). Also, compare the settings between the network adapter and the switch it connects to and make sure that no settings are in conflict.

    If you have private networks that are not routed to the rest of your network infrastructure, ensure that each of these private networks uses a unique subnet. This is necessary even if you give each network adapter a unique IP address. For example, if you have a cluster node in a central office that uses one physical network, and another node in a branch office that uses a separate physical network, do not specify 10.0.0.0/24 for both networks, even if you give each adapter a unique IP address.

    For more information about the network adapters, see Hardware requirements for a two-node failover cluster, earlier in this guide.

  • DNS: The servers in the cluster must be using Domain Name System (DNS) for name resolution. The DNS dynamic update protocol can be used.

  • Domain role: All servers in the cluster must be in the same Active Directory domain. As a best practice, all clustered servers should have the same domain role (either member server or domain controller). The recommended role is member server.

  • Domain controller: We recommend that your clustered servers be member servers. If they are, you need an additional server that acts as the domain controller in the domain that contains your failover cluster.

  • Clients: As needed, you can connect one or more networked clients to the failover cluster that you create, and observe the effect on a client when you move or fail over the highly available virtual machine from one cluster node to the other.

  • Account for administering the cluster: When you first create a cluster or add servers to it, you must be logged on to the domain with an account that has administrator rights and permissions on all servers in that cluster. The account does not need to be a Domain Admins account, but can be a Domain Users account that is in the Administrators group on each clustered server. In addition, if the account is not a Domain Admins account, the account (or the group that the account is a member of) must be given the Create Computer Objects and Read All Properties permissions in the domain.

Note

There is a change in the way the Cluster service runs in Windows Server 2008 R2, as compared to Windows Server 2003. In Windows Server 2008 R2, there is no Cluster service account. Instead, the Cluster service automatically runs in a special context that provides the specific permissions and privileges that are necessary for the service (similar to the local system context, but with reduced privileges).

Limitations for using Hyper-V and Failover Clustering

Specific limitations for using Hyper-V and the failover clustering feature are outlined below:

  • A maximum number of 16 nodes in the failover cluster are allowed.

  • You can have a maximum number of 1000 virtual machines per cluster for server computer virtualization, with a maximum of 384 on any one node. When Hyper-V is used in conjunction with Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) for client computer virtualization, you can have a maximum of 1000 VDI (Windows XP/Windows Vista®/Windows® 7) virtual machines per cluster, with a maximum of 384 on any one node.

  • The number of virtual machines allowed for each node does not change regardless of the size of the cluster.

Steps for using Hyper-V and Failover Clustering

  • Step 1: Connect both physical computers to the networks and storage

  • Step 2: Install Hyper-V and Failover Clustering on both physical computers

  • Step 3: Create a virtual network

  • Step 4: Validate the cluster configuration

  • Step 5: Create the cluster

  • Step 6: Create a virtual machine and reconfigure the automatic start action

  • Step 7: Make the virtual machine highly available

  • Step 8: Install the guest operating system on the virtual machine

  • Step 9: Test a planned failover

  • Step 10: Test an unplanned failover

  • Step 11: Modify the settings of a virtual machine

  • Step 12: Remove a virtual machine from a cluster

Step 1: Connect both physical computers to the networks and storage

Use the following instructions to connect your selected cluster servers to networks and storage.

To connect the cluster servers to the networks and storage

  1. For details about the kinds of network adapters and device controllers that you can use with Windows Server 2008 R2, review the details about networks in Hardware requirements for a two-node failover cluster and Network infrastructure and domain account requirements for a two-node failover cluster, earlier in this guide.

  2. Connect and configure the networks that the servers in the cluster will use.

Note

If you want to include clients or a non-clustered domain controller as part of your test configuration, make sure that these computers can connect to the clustered servers through at least one network.

  1. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for physically connecting the servers to the storage.

  2. Ensure that the disks (LUNs) that you want to use in the cluster are exposed to the servers that you will cluster (and only those servers). You can use any of the following interfaces to expose disks or LUNs:

    • The interface provided by the manufacturer of the storage.
    • An appropriate iSCSI interface.
    • Microsoft Storage Manager for SANs (part of the operating system in Windows Server 2008 R2). To use this interface, you need to contact the manufacturer of your storage for a Virtual Disk Service (VDS) provider package that is designed for your storage.

  3. If you have purchased software that controls the format or function of the disk, follow the instructions from the vendor about how to use that software with Windows Server 2008 R2.

  4. On one of the servers that you want to cluster, click Start, click Administrative Tools, click Computer Management, and then click Disk Management. (If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.) In Disk Management, confirm that the cluster disks are visible.

  5. If you want to have a storage volume larger than 2 terabytes, and you are using the Windows interface to control the format of the disk, convert that disk to the partition style called GUID partition table (GPT). To do this, back up any data on the disk, delete all volumes on the disk and then, in Disk Management, right-click the disk (not a partition) and click Convert to GPT Disk. For volumes smaller than 2 terabytes, instead of using GPT, you can use the partition style called master boot record (MBR).

Important


  • You can use either the MBR or the GPT partition style for a disk that is used by a failover cluster, but you cannot use a disk that you have converted to dynamic by using Disk Management.

  • If you have purchased software that controls the format or function of the disk, contact the vendor for instructions about how to use that software with Windows Server 2008 R2.


  1. Check the format of any exposed volume or LUN. We recommend NTFS for the format (for the witness disk, you must use NTFS).

Step 2: Install Hyper-V and Failover Clustering on both physical computers

In this step, you install the Hyper-V role and the Failover Clustering feature.

Procedure 1: Install the Hyper-V role

In this procedure, you install the Hyper-V role on both servers. You can install Hyper-V on either a full installation or a Server Core installation. You can use Server Manager to install Hyper-V on a full installation, as described in the following procedure. To install Hyper-V on a Server Core installation, you must perform the installation from a command prompt. Run the following command:

Start /w ocsetup Microsoft-Hyper-V

When installing Hyper-V on a Server Core installation, you can manage the Hyper-V installation in the following ways:

  • Locally and remotely using Windows PowerShell. By using Windows PowerShell locally on a computer running a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 or remotely from a computer running Windows Server 2008 R2, you can connect to a server running a Server Core installation in the same way that you would connect to any computer running Windows.

  • Locally and remotely using a command prompt. By using the Windows command-line tools at a command prompt, you can manage servers running a Server Core installation.

  • Remotely using an MMC snap-in. By using an MMC snap-in from a computer running Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2 you can connect to a server running Server Core installation in the same way that you would connect to any computer running Windows.

  • Remotely using Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT). You can install RSAT on either Windows Vista or a full installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 and use these tools to administer Server Core. The advantage of using RSAT is that it gives you the full complement of MMC consoles; by comparison, on a full installation of Windows Server 2008 R2, you may be missing some consoles because of certain roles and features not being installed on your server. Using MMC snap-ins or RSAT allows you to administer a Server Core installation the same way that you administer a full installation—without the need of learning the syntax of many command-line utilities.

To install Hyper-V on a full installation of Windows Server 2008 R2

  1. Click Start, and then click Server Manager.

  2. In the Roles Summary area of the Server Manager main window, click Add Roles.

  3. On the Select Server Roles page, click Hyper-V.

  4. On the Create Virtual Networks page, if the network adapters are identical on both physical computers, select a physical adapter to create a virtual network that provides access to the physical network. If the network adapters are not identical, do not create a virtual network at this time. You can create the virtual network later by following the instructions in Step 4, Create a virtual network.

  5. On the Confirm Installation Selections page, click Install.

  6. The computer must be restarted to complete the installation. Click Close to finish the wizard, and then click Yes to restart the computer.

  7. After you restart the computer, log on with the same account you used to install the role. After the Resume Configuration Wizard completes the installation, click Close to finish the wizard.

Procedure 2: Install the failover cluster feature

In this step, you install the failover cluster feature on both servers. The servers must be running Windows Server 2008 R2.

To install the failover cluster feature on a Server Core installation, run the following command:

Start /w ocsetup FailoverCluster-Core

To install the failover cluster feature on a full installation of Windows Server 2008 R2

  1. If you recently installed Windows Server 2008 R2, the Initial Configuration Tasks interface is displayed. Under Customize This Server, click Add features. Then skip to step 3.

  2. If the Initial Configuration Tasks interface is not displayed and Server Manager is not running, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager. (If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.)

    In Server Manager, under Features Summary, click Add Features.

  3. In the Add Features Wizard, click Failover Clustering, and then click Install.

  4. Follow the instructions in the wizard to complete the installation of the feature. When the wizard finishes, close it.

  5. Repeat the process for each server that you want to include in the cluster.

Step 3: Create a virtual network

You will need to perform this step on both physical computers if you did not create the virtual network when you installed the Hyper-V role. This virtual network provides the highly available virtual machine with access to the physical network.

To create a virtual network

  1. Open Hyper-V Manager.

  2. From the Actions menu, click Virtual Network Manager.

  3. Under Create virtual network, select External.

  4. Click Add. The New Virtual Network page appears.

  5. Type a name for the new network. Make sure you use exactly the same name on both servers running Hyper-V.

  6. Under Connection Type, click External and then select the physical network adapter.

  7. Click OK to save the virtual network and close Virtual Network Manager.

Step 4: Validate the cluster configuration

Before you create the cluster, we strongly recommend that you run a full validation test of your configuration. Validation helps you to confirm that the configuration of your servers, network, and storage meets a set of specific requirements for failover clusters. You can validate either an existing cluster or one or more servers that are not yet clustered.

To validate the failover cluster configuration

  1. To open the failover cluster snap-in, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Failover Cluster Management. (If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.)

  2. In the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in, confirm that Failover Cluster Manager is selected and then, in the center pane under Management, click Validate a Configuration.

  3. Follow the instructions in the wizard to specify the servers. Run all tests to fully validate the cluster before creating a cluster.

    The Summary page appears after the tests run.

  4. While still on the Summary page, click View Report and read the test results. To view Help topics that will help you interpret the results, click More about cluster validation tests.

    To view the results of the tests after you close the wizard, see SystemRoot\Cluster\Reports\Validation Report date and time.html where SystemRoot is the folder in which the operating system is installed (for example, C:\Windows).

  5. As necessary, make changes to the configuration and rerun the tests.

Step 5: Create the cluster

To create a cluster, you run the Create Cluster wizard.

To run the Create Cluster wizard

  1. To open the failover cluster snap-in, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Failover Cluster Management. (If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.)

  2. Confirm that Failover Cluster Manager is selected and then, in the center pane under Management, click Create a cluster.

    Follow the instructions in the wizard to specify:

    • The servers to include in the cluster.

    • The name of the cluster.

    • Any IP address information that is not automatically supplied by your Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) settings.

  3. After the wizard runs and the Summary page appears, to view a report of the tasks the wizard performed, click View Report.

    To view the report after you close the wizard, see SystemRoot\Cluster\Reports\ where SystemRoot is the folder in which the operating system is installed (for example, C:\Windows).

Step 6: Create a virtual machine and reconfigure the automatic start action

In this step, you create a virtual machine and reconfigure the automatic action that controls the virtual machine's behavior when the Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management service starts.

Procedure 1: Create a virtual machine

In this step, you use the New Virtual Machine Wizard to create a virtual machine.

On a Server Core installation, you have the option to create a virtual machine using the failover clustering PowerShell cmdlet, Add-ClusterVirtualMachineRole. The following is an example of how to use this cmdlet to create a virtual machine:

Add-ClusterVirtualMachineRole -VirtualMachine VM1 -Name "MainServer1"

This command configures VM1 as a clustered virtual machine, and assigns the name MainServer1 to the virtual machine.

Important

You must choose the shared storage as the location to store the virtual machine and the virtual hard disk. Otherwise, you will not be able to make the virtual machine highly available. To make the shared storage available to the virtual machine, you must create the virtual machine on the physical computer that is the node which owns the storage.

To create a virtual machine

  1. Open Hyper-V Manager. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Hyper-V Manager.

  2. If you are not already connected to the server that owns the shared storage, connect to that server.

  3. From the Action pane, click New, and then click Virtual Machine.

  4. From the New Virtual Machine Wizard, click Next.

  5. On the Specify Name and Location page, specify a name for the virtual machine, such as FailoverTest. Click Store the virtual machine in a different location, and then type the full path or click Browse and navigate to the shared storage.

  6. On the Memory page, specify the amount of memory required for the operating system that will run on this virtual machine. For example, specify 1024 MB to run Windows Server 2008 R2.

  7. On the Networking page, connect the network adapter to the virtual network that is associated with the physical network adapter.

  8. On the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, click Create a virtual hard disk. If you want to change the name, type new a name for the virtual hard disk. Click Next.

  9. On the Installation Options page, click Install an operating system from a boot CD/DVD-ROM. Under Media, specify the location of the media, and then click Finish.

Important

Do not start the virtual machine at this point. The virtual machine must be turned off so that you can make it highly available.

Procedure 2: Reconfigure automatic start action for the virtual machine

Automatic actions let you automatically manage the state of the virtual machine when the Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management service starts or stops. However, when you make a virtual machine highly available, the management of virtual machine state should be controlled through the Cluster service. In this step, you reconfigure the automatic start action for the virtual machine.

Important

Do not to intentionally shut down a node while a virtual machine is running on the node. If you need to shut down the node, take the virtual machine offline, and then shut down the node. Step 11: Modify the settings of a virtual machine shows you how to take a virtual machine offline.

To reconfigure automatic start action for the virtual machine

  1. In Hyper-V Manager, under Virtual Machines, select FailoverTest, the virtual machine that you created in Step 6, and then in the Action pane, under the virtual machine name, click Settings.

  2. In the left pane, click Automatic Start Action.

  3. Under What do you want this virtual machine to do when the physical computer starts?, click Nothing and then click Apply.

Step 7: Make the virtual machine highly available

To make the virtual machine highly available, you run the High Availability Wizard.

Note

The virtual machine must be turned off so that you can make it highly available.

To make a virtual machine highly available

  1. In the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in, if the cluster that you want to configure is not displayed, in the console tree, right-click Failover Cluster Manager, click Manage a Cluster, and then select or specify the cluster that you want.

  2. If the console tree is collapsed, expand the tree under the cluster that you want to configure.

  3. Click Services and Applications.

  4. In the Action pane, click Configure a Service or Application.

  5. If the Before You Begin page of the High Availability Wizard appears, click Next.

  6. On the Select Service or Application page, click Virtual Machine and then click Next.

  7. On the Select Virtual Machine page, check the name of the virtual machine that you want to make highly available, and then click Next.

  8. Confirm your selection and then click Next again.

  9. The wizard configures the virtual machine for high availability and provides a summary. To view the details of the configuration, click View Report. To close the wizard, click Finish.

  10. To verify that the virtual machine is now highly available, you can check in either one of two places in the console tree:

    1. Expand Services and Applications. The virtual machine should be listed under Services and Applications.

    2. Expand Nodes. Select the node on which you created the virtual machine. The virtual machine should be listed under Services and Applications in the Results pane (the center pane).

  11. To bring the virtual machine online, under Services and Applications, right-click the virtual machine and then click Bring this service or application online. This action will bring the virtual machine online and start it.

Step 8: Install the guest operating system on the virtual machine

In this step, you install Windows Server 2008 on the virtual machine that you created in step 5. Then, you install the integration services, which improve performance and integration with the physical computer.

Note

If you are installing a different operating system, integration services may not be available. For more information, see About Virtual Machines and Guest Operating Systems (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=128037).

To install the guest operating system on the virtual machine

  1. Open Hyper-V Manager. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Hyper-V Manager.

  2. Connect to the virtual machine. From the Virtual Machines section of the results pane, using one of the following methods:

    • Right-click the name of the virtual machine, and then click Connect.

    • Select the name of the virtual machine. In the Action pane, click Connect.

  3. The Virtual Machine Connection tool opens.

  4. From the Action menu in the Virtual Machine Connection window, click Start.

  5. The virtual machine starts, searches the startup devices, and loads the installation package.

  6. Proceed through the installation.

    Note

    Depending on the operating system being installed, the mouse pointer may change to a small dot when you move the mouse cursor over the image of the setup window. If this occurs, click anywhere in the virtual machine window. This action "captures" the mouse so that keyboard and mouse input is sent to the virtual machine. To return the mouse input to the physical computer, press Ctrl+Alt+Left arrow and then move the mouse pointer outside of the virtual machine window.

  7. Hyper-V includes a software package for supported guest operating systems that improves integration between the physical computer and the virtual machine. This package is referred to as integration services. Newer versions of supported Windows operating systems include the integration services and do not require installation after you install the guest operating system. For more information about which operating systems are supported and which of those require you to install integration services, see the deployment content for Hyper-V at the Windows Server 2008 Technical Library (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=128037).

Step 9: Test a planned failover

To test a planned failover, you use Failover Cluster Manager to move FailoverTest, the virtual machine that you created in Step 6, to another node.

To test a planned failover

  1. In the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in, if the cluster that you want to manage is not displayed, in the console tree, right-click Failover Cluster Manager, click Manage a Cluster, and then select or specify the cluster that you want.

  2. If the console tree is collapsed, expand the tree under the cluster that you want to configure.

  3. Expand Services and Applications, and then click FailoverTest, the virtual machine that you created in Step 6.

  4. Under Actions (on the right), click Move this service or application to another node, and click the name of the other node.

    As the FailoverTest virtual machine is moved, the status is displayed in the results pane (center pane). Optionally, you can repeat this step to move the FailoverTest virtual machine to an additional node or back to the original node.

  5. You can verify that the move succeeded by inspecting the details of each node.

Step 10: Test an unplanned failover

To test an unplanned failover, you stop the Cluster service.

To test an unplanned failover

  1. In the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in, if the cluster you want to manage is not displayed, in the console tree, right-click Failover Cluster Manager, click Manage a Cluster, and then select or specify the cluster that you want.

  2. If the console tree is collapsed, expand the tree under the cluster you want to manage.

  3. To minimize disruption to clients, before stopping the Cluster service on a node, move the applications that are currently owned by that node to another node. To do this, expand the console tree under the cluster that you want to manage, and then expand Services and Applications. Click each service or application and (in the center pane) view the Current Owner. If the owner is the node on which you want to stop the Cluster service, right-click the service or application, click Move this service or application to another node, and then choose the node

  4. Expand the console tree under Nodes.

  5. Right-click the node that runs the virtual machine, and then click More Actions.

  6. Click Stop Cluster Service.

  7. The virtual machine will be moved to the other node.

Step 11: Modify the settings of a virtual machine

If you change the configuration of a virtual machine, we recommend that you use the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in to access the virtual machine settings. When you do this, the cluster is updated automatically with the configuration changes. However, if you make changes to the virtual machine settings from the Hyper-V Manager snap-in, you must update the cluster manually after you make the changes. If the configuration is not refreshed after networking or storage changes are made, a subsequent failover may not succeed or may succeed but result in the virtual machine being configured incorrectly.

To modify the settings of a virtual machine

  1. In the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in, if the cluster that you want to configure is not displayed, in the console tree, right-click Failover Cluster Manager, click Manage a Cluster, and then select or specify the cluster that you want.

  2. If the console tree is collapsed, expand the tree under the cluster that you want to configure.

  3. Expand Services and Applications, and then click FailoverTest, the virtual machine that you created in Step 6, to modify the settings for this virtual machine.

  4. In the center pane, right-click the virtual machine resource, and then click Settings. (If you do not see Settings in the menu, collapse the virtual machine resource and then right-click it.)

    The Settings interface appears. This is the same interface that you see in Hyper-V Manager.

  5. Configure the settings for the virtual machine.

Note

If you use Hyper-V Manager instead of Failover Cluster Manager to configure settings for a virtual machine, be sure to refresh the configuration of the virtual machine in Failover Cluster Manager. To do this, expand Services and Applications, and then click the virtual machine for which you want to refresh the configuration. In the Actions pane, scroll down, click More Actions, and then click Refresh virtual machine configuration.

Step 12: Remove a virtual machine from a cluster

When you want to remove a virtual machine from a cluster, the procedure you need to use varies depending on whether you want to keep the virtual machine. This step illustrates both scenarios.

Scenario A: To remove a virtual machine from a cluster and retain the virtual machine

  1. Use the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in to take the virtual machine offline. Under Services and Applications, select FailoverTest, the virtual machine that you created in Step 6. In the results pane, right-click Failover and then click Take this resource offline.

  2. This is an optional step that shows you how to export the virtual machine. Exporting a virtual machine allows you to move the virtual machine to another server running Hyper-V, such as a non-clustered server. Switch to Hyper-V Manager and verify that the FailoverTest virtual machine is selected. Under Actions, click Export. Type or browse to specify a location in which to export the virtual machine, and then click Export.

Important

If you plan to import the virtual machine to another cluster, use either Hyper-V Manager or Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM). If you import a virtual machine using Hyper-V Manager, afterwards, follow the procedure in Step 7: Make the virtual machine highly available.

  1. In Hyper-V Manager, verify that the FailoverTest virtual machine is selected. Under Actions, click Delete.

  2. Switch to the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in. Expand Services and Applications, and then select the FailoverTest virtual machine. Right-click FailoverTest and then click Delete. This action removes the virtual machine from the cluster.

Important

The following steps show you how to delete a virtual machine and its files. Perform these steps only if you do not want to keep the virtual machine.

Scenario B: To remove a virtual machine from a cluster and delete the virtual machine

  1. Use the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in to take the virtual machine offline. Under Services and Applications, select the FailoverTest virtual machine. In the results pane, right-click Failover and then click Take this resource offline.

  2. Switch to Hyper-V Manager and select the FailoverTest virtual machine. Under Actions, click Delete.

  3. Switch to the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in. Expand Services and Applications, and then select the FailoverTest virtual machine. Right-click FailoverTest and then click Delete. This action removes the virtual machine from the cluster.

  4. Manually delete the virtual machine, and virtual hard disk from the shared storage.