Hello,

I've set up a few two node active/passive SQL 2000 clusters in the past but
now a client is asking for a two node SQL 2005 active/passive cluster. I'm
assuming this is still possible in 2005 but just can't seem to find any good
resources related to SQL 2005 clustering. Can anyone provide any?

What version of SQL 2005 must we be running? Etc..

Many thanks,

It isn't Active/Active, it is multi-instance. If your client thinks that
clustering is scale-out, he is wrong. You can install a second instance of
SQL server on the cluster, but it is completely independent from the first
instance.

As for SQL 2005 Editions and clustering, there are some differences.
Standard Edition supports up to two node clusters. Enterprise Edition
supports up to the OS limits (currently 8 nodes using Windows 2003
Enterprise Edition.) Here is the Edition features comparison page:

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinf...-features.mspx

As far as SQL Server 2005 clustering goes, almost all of the changes from
2000 are internal. So, there are few external differences that you would
even notice between 2000 clustering and 2005 clustering.

I agree on the technical implementation being very similar. IMHO, the
biggest difference is the licensing costs. Clustering with Standard Edition
is a huge cost savings. On a "typical" four-processor per host, two node
cluster, you are can usually save the cost of the host hardware nodes just
in license savings. That is not a trivial change.

You can even build a decent two-node, two proc per host system with good
performance for less than $60K, including the shared storage system. Now
this isn't a high-performance system, but it is a lot better than anything
comparable you could build with SQL 2000.

I need to build a 2 node active/passive SQL 2005 cluster. Are there
any websites that list hardware packages for this?

Thanks,

Jim

Geoff N. Hiten wrote:
[..]

Contact your favorite hardware major manufacturers. Most have clustering
experts that can help. You don't want to do this yourself.

Here is a good starting place on the Microsoft web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pro...4c5a322e0.mspx

I was thinking about using a DL380/MSA500 prepackaged cluster, but
combining two DL385 (Opteron dual core) solution with MSA500 really
caught my eye.

Anyone like to share their experience with either of these solutions?

Thanks,

Jim

I have a client that installed a DL385/MSA500 SQL 2005 x64 Dual-Core Opteron
cluster on my advice a few months ago. They are pleased with the price and
performance. They will likely deploy one or two more such clusters to other
data centers later this year. I am specifying two possibilities for another
client, either a similar system or a DL585 (quad processor) based cluster.
From a licensing perspective, Dual-Core is definitely a huge win.

I have used the MSA500 in a stand-alone configuration for a while and am
satisfied with its performance and stability.

To be fair, I am also using the Dell Intel Dual-core PowerEdge 2850 and it
works very well. Unfortunately, Dell does not have an equivalent to the
MSA500 at this time. However, they do sell the EMC Clariion line, which is
a very good mid to high-end cluster storage solution.

I actually just completed deploying a 2 node active/passive Exchange 2003
cluster for a client running two DL385's to a back end EMC CX500 SAN. Very
impressed with the new DL385's.


<jim_adams> wrote in message
news:3480
[..]

Hi Geoff,

Thanks for the insight. We're going ahead with the same combination.
I'll post some impressions when we're up and running.

-Jim

Geoff N. Hiten wrote:
[..]