Do Not Use Cluster Server Recovery Utility on 64-bits Windows Server

You probably have heard about Cluster Server Recovery Utility before, a nice Windows utility that alleviate some of the burden associated with Cluster changes (restoring checkpoint files, changing disk signatures, storage migration, etc.).

The Microsoft download page clearly states this utility is not suited for Windows Server 64-bits systems but I have recently found several SQL Server issues that are caused by the use of the utility on 64-bits SQL Server clustered installations.

Using this tool on 64-bits SQL Server clustered installations could potentially lead to hard-to-fix and time-consuming troubleshooting scenarios. For this reason I think it is worth the time to highlight here the importance of not using this tool on 64-bits.

What errors could I find when using this tool on 64-bits cluster?

Some of the SQL Server errors that can result from the use of Cluster Server Recovery Utility under 64-bits are:

SQLBrowser service was unable to establish SQL instance and connectivity discovery (Application Event Log)

2009-05-13 08:11:13.04 Server Error: 17182, Severity: 16, State: 1.
2009-05-13 08:11:13.04 Server TDSSNIClient initialization failed with error 0x2, status code 0x35. (SQL Server Errorlog)

Please, keep in mind these errors could have a different root-cause, not necessarily Cluster Server Recovery.

How do I know if I have used Cluster Server Recovery Utility on my 64-bits cluster?

You will see that one ore more entries like this are created under the Wow6432Node registry entry:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.x]

Oh-oh, I think I have use this on my 64-bit Cluster, what should I do?

Fixing these errors requires several registry changes and it is not a straightforward process. Please, contact Microsoft PSS for help on this case.