Hyper-V Servers Failover Clustering & Adding iSCSI LUN as a Shared Volume

 In this guide, we will go over the process of adding Hyper-V servers into a Failover Cluster and configuring an iSCSI LUN as a shared volume.

Failover Clustering ensures high availability of virtual machines by allowing them to move between Hyper-V hosts without downtime, and shared storage is essential for seamless failover.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

• Two or more Hyper-V hosts running a supported version of Windows Server.
• Both servers are joined to the same Active Directory domain.
• Shared Storage (LUN) accessible by all Hyper-V hosts, such as iSCSI or Fibre Channel.
• Failover Clustering feature enabled on both servers.
• Properly configured network for Hyper-V traffic, Cluster communication, and Storage access.

Step 1: Install Failover Clustering on Hyper-V Hosts

1. Open Server Manager on both servers.
2. Go to Manage > Add Roles and Features.
3. Select Role-based or feature-based installation.
4. In the Features section, check Failover Clustering, then click Install.
5. Repeat this on both Hyper-V hosts.

Step 2: Connect the LUN to Hyper-V Servers

To ensure the iSCSI storage LUN is available for both Hyper-V hosts:

1. On both Hyper-V servers, open iSCSI Initiator from start menu.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Connect to the iSCSI target (the LUN).
   
   
   
   
   
3. In Disk Management, take the disk online, initialize it, and format it from one server, then take it offline.
   
   
   
   
   
4. On the second server, bring the disk online briefly to verify visibility, then take it offline.

Step 3: Validate Cluster Configuration

1. Open Failover Cluster Manager on one of the servers.
2. Select Validate Configuration from the right-hand pane.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Add the names of the Hyper-V hosts to be part of the cluster.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Run the validation tests to verify the setup (network, storage, and system checks).
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Review the report for any issues that need fixing before proceeding.
   
   
   
   
   

Step 4: Create the Failover Cluster

1. In Failover Cluster Manager, select Create Cluster.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Add the Hyper-V servers you wish to include in the cluster.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Assign a Cluster Name and Cluster IP.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Complete the wizard to form the cluster.

Step 5: Add the LUN as a Clustered Shared Volume (CSV)

Once the cluster is created, add the LUN to be used as shared storage:

1. In Failover Cluster Manager, right-click Disks and select Add Disk.
2. Choose the LUN that both servers have access to.
3. Right-click the added disk and select Add to Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV).
4. This LUN is now available for use by both Hyper-V servers for highly available virtual machines.

Step 6: Configure Hyper-V for High Availability

1. On each server, make sure the Hyper-V role is enabled.
2. In Failover Cluster Manager, right-click Roles and select Configure Role.
3. Choose Virtual Machine, and pick the VMs you want to make highly available.
4. This ensures that virtual machines are able to fail over between the Hyper-V hosts without disruption.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can successfully add Hyper-V servers into a failover cluster and configure a iSCSI LUN as shared storage. This setup is critical for ensuring high availability and minimizing downtime in a Hyper-V environment.