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I am trying to set up a virtual test environment for a SQL Server 2008 R2 Cluster (2 nodes) running on Hyper-V. The cluster requires a shared storage to function properly, however in this test environment I do not have to required hardware (ISCI, FC, etc.) for this.

Is there a way to create some kind of "fake" virtual shared storage that can be used in the cluster? Thanks for your hints.

driAn
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I use the Microsoft iSCSI target for this -

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=19867

My setup is that I have a domain controller in my "lab" network - this is where the iscsi target is installed. From memory, you need to create a VHD, which you can then expose through iSCSI. I then configure the cluster nodes to point to this.

I use three different virtual networks, one for "domain" traffic (which includes the cluster IP), one for the cluster heartbeat, and one for the "SAN" traffic. I realise the second of these isn't really required any more, but old habits die hard...

SQLSophist
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Starwind IP SAN can do this but it won't be free if you want the storage visible to both cluster nodes in a HA configuration.

Chris McKeown
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Since you are virtualizing already, you might consider installing a virtual appliance providing iSCSI storage within your Hyper-V host. Hyper-V has very limited support for non-MS operating systems, but you should be able to install, configure and expose storage on the Linux-based storage appliance flavors like Openfiler with the Advanced iSCSI plugin (needed for Cluster Shared Storage support) or Open-E DSS which is downloadable as a trial.

Generally, I would recommend against such a setup in a production environment. But for a testing setup, it should work out fine.

the-wabbit
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  • As far as I know, Openfiler does not support the required ISCSI features necessary for sql clustering. – driAn Apr 16 '12 at 10:05
  • @driAn You are right, persistent reservation support needed for shared storage use is available with the [advanced iSCSI plugin only](http://www.openfiler.com/products/advanced-iscsi-plugin) which is an additional purchase. The "Lite" Version of the Open-E DSS does not support them as well, but the full version (available as a trial) does. – the-wabbit Apr 16 '12 at 10:19