What is a failover cluster based on Windows Server 2012 R2?

Quick Definition: Failover clustering is Microsoft’s implementation of the high availability cluster method for providing high availability in applications and services. Clustered servers, called nodes, provide services in the event of a different node failing.

What is a Windows Server failover cluster?

A Windows Server Failover Cluster (WSFC) is a group of independent servers that work together to increase the availability of applications and services. SQL Server takes advantage of WSFC services and capabilities to support Always On availability groups and SQL Server Failover Cluster Instances.

How do I start a failover cluster service?

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

How to create a server failover solution?

On Windows Server,an FCI is part of the installation process. An FCI on Linux is configured after installing SQL Server.

  • Linux only supports a single installation of SQL Server per host,so all FCIs will be a default instance.
  • The common name used by FCIs in Linux is defined in DNS,and should be the same as the resource created for the FCI.
  • What is the difference between failover and clustering?

    – Always On Failover Cluster. You can use it for HA. – Database Mirroring. You can use it as HA or DR solution. – Always ON Availability Group. It can be used as HA or DR solution like Database Mirroring. – Replication. Replication has many technologies and each offers different features. – Log Shipping. Its a DR solution.

    How to manage failover clusters?

    Click+Add under All Connections.

  • Choose to add a Failover Connection.
  • Type the name of the cluster and,if prompted,the credentials to use.
  • You will have the option to add the cluster nodes as individual server connections in Windows Admin Center.
  • Click Submit to finish.
  • What is server failover and how does it work?

    Server Failover is a feature that works alongside Authoritative DNS to ensure the availability of critical services prior to answering DNS queries. The Server Failover feature can load balance and automatically failover inbound traffic to multiple servers – whether the servers are onsite or offsite. Any server combination is possible including