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How to add additional non-hot swap SCSI hard disks to a cluster node on a shared SCSI bus


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Summary

This article discusses how to add additional non-hot swap small computer system interface (SCSI) hard disks to a cluster node, on a shared SCSI bus. Follow the guidelines discussed in this article if your computer does not support the hot swapping of SCSI hard disks.

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More information

If your computer does not support hot swapping, you must shut down both cluster nodes and turn off the computers to add or replace SCSI disks. You must shut down the cluster nodes completely because the shared SCSI bus is disconnected when you add new disks to the SCSI bus. If the bus is disconnected while you use the cluster, you may lose data or have other drive-related failures. Microsoft recommends that you turn off all the attached hardware while you perform this procedure.

To add additional SCSI hard disks to an existing cluster, use the appropriate method for your version of Microsoft Windows.
  1. Change the startup values for the Cluster Disk device (for Windows NT 4.0 Server) or Clusdisk device (for Windows 2000 Server or for Windows Server 2003) and the Cluster service to Disabled. To do so, follow these steps:
    1. For Windows NT 4.0 Server:
      1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
      2. Double-click Devices.
      3. In the list of devices, click Cluster Disk, and then click Startup.
      4. Click Disabled, click OK, and then click Close.
      5. Close the Devices window.
      6. In Control Panel, double-click Services.
      7. In the list of services, click Cluster Server, and then click Startup.
      8. Change the setting to Disabled, click OK, and then click Close.
      9. Close the Services window, and then close Control Panel.
    2. For Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003:
      1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
      2. In the left pane, click Device Manager.
      3. On the View menu, click Show hidden devices.
      4. In the right pane, expand Non-Plug and Play Drivers, and then double-click Clusdisk.
      5. On the Driver tab, in the Type box, click Disabled, and then click OK.
      6. In the left pane, expand Services and Applications, and then click Services.
      7. In the right pane, double-click the Cluster Server service.
      8. In the Startup type box, click Disabled, and then click OK.
      9. Close the Computer Management tool.
  2. Shut down both of the cluster nodes and turn off both of the computers.
  3. Turn off all the SCSI devices on the shared SCSI bus.
  4. Add or replace the hard disks on the shared SCSI bus.

    Note Make sure that every device on the shared SCSI bus has a unique SCSI ID. SCSI host adapters each use a SCSI ID (typically 6 and 7). Also, make sure that the SCSI bus is terminated correctly.

    For additional information about connecting SCSI devices or about SCSI termination, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    101352 Properly connecting SCSI devices to Windows NT
    92765 Terminating a SCSI Device
  5. Start node 1 of the cluster and let Windows to completely start on the node.
  6. Turn on node 2 of the cluster, but do not let Windows start on the second node. To stop Windows from loading:
    1. For Windows NT 4.0 Server, at the OS Loader menu, press SPACEBAR to pause the startup. When you pause the startup, you prevent Windows NT from loading.
    2. For Windows 2000 Server, when the computer first starts and you see the For troubleshooting and advanced startup options for Windows 2000, press F8 message at the bottom of the screen, press F8 to pause the computer.
    3. For Windows Server 2003, press F8 when the Power On Self Test (POST) is complete.
  7. On node 1, partition and format the new drive, and then assign drive letters to the new disks that are available on the shared SCSI bus.
    1. For Windows NT 4.0 Server:
      1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Disk Administrator (Windisk.exe).
      2. Right-click the free space on the new drive, and then click Create to create a partition.
      3. Type a partition size in megabytes (MB), and then click OK.
      4. Right-click the new partition, click Commit Changes Now, click Yes to save the changes, and then click OK.
      5. Right-click the new partition, and then click Format. Under File System, click NTFS, click Start, click OK, click OK again, and then click Close.
      6. Right-click the partition, click Assign Drive Letter, click the drive letter that you want, click OK, and then click Yes to assign a drive letter to the partition. For additional information about best practices for drive-letter assignments on a server cluster, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
        318534 Best practices for drive-letter assignments on a server cluster
      7. On the Tools menu, click Properties, and then in the Label box, type a volume label that matches the corresponding drive letter.

        For example, to label the partition for drive E, type E.
      8. Repeat steps 1 to 7 of this section for each new drive and partition.
    2. For Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003:
      1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
      2. Expand Storage, and then click Disk Management.

        Note If you connect to a new drive, the Write Signature and Upgrade Disk Wizard starts automatically. Click Next to go through the wizard. The wizard sets the disk to dynamic. To reset the disk to Basic, right-click Disk n, where n specifies the disk you are working with, and then click Revert To Basic Disk. Make sure that the disk is set to Basic before you partition the hard disk in step 3.

        For additional information about dynamic and basic disks in a Cluster service environment, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
        237853 Dynamic disk configuration unavailable for server cluster disk resources
      3. Right-click the unallocated space on the new drive, and then click Create Partition.
      4. In the Create Partition Wizard, click Next, click the type of partition that you want, click Next, type the size of the partition in megabytes (MB), and then click Next.
      5. Click the drive letter that you want to assign to the partition, and then click Next.
      6. Under Formatting, make sure that the File system to use drop-down list is set to NTFS.
      7. In the Volume label box, type a volume label that matches the corresponding drive letter, click Next and then click Finish.

        For example, to label the partition for drive E, type E.
      8. Repeat steps 1 to 7 of this section for each new drive and partition.
  8. Restore the original startup values for the Cluster Disk or Clusdisk device and the Cluster service. To do so, follow the procedure outlined in steps 1a or 1b, depending on your operating system, except:
    1. In Devices, change the Startup value for the Cluster Disk device (in Windows NT 4.0 Server) or Clusdisk device (in Windows 2000 Server or in Windows Server 2003) to System.
    2. In Services, change the Startup value for the Cluster Server service to Automatic.
  9. Restart node 1, but do not let Windows start on the first node. To stop Windows from loading:
    1. For Windows NT 4.0 Server, at the OS Loader menu, press SPACEBAR to pause the startup. When you pause the startup, you prevent Windows NT from loading.
    2. For Windows 2000 Server, when the computer first starts and you see the For troubleshooting and advanced startup options for Windows 2000, press F8 message at the bottom of the screen, press F8 to pause the computer.
    3. For Windows Server 2003, press F8 when the Power On Self Test (POST) is complete.
  10. On node 2, let the operating system start. To do so, follow the steps as appropriate for your operating system:
    • For Windows NT 4.0 Server, press SPACEBAR.
    • For Windows 2000 Server, use the arrow keys to select Boot Normally, and then press ENTER.
    • For Windows Server 2003, use the arrow keys to select Start Windows Normally, press ENTER, use the arrow keys to select the operating system, and then press ENTER.
  11. On node 2, use Disk Administrator or the Computer Management tool (depending on your operating system) to assign drive letters to the new disks that are available on the shared SCSI bus. Make sure that when you assign drive letters to the disks on the shared SCSI bus, you use the same letter assignments as on the first node (created in step 7).
  12. Restore the original startup values for the Cluster Disk or Clusdisk device and the Cluster service. To do so, follow the steps discussed in steps 1a or 1b, depending on your operating system, except:
    1. In Devices, change the Startup value for the Cluster Disk device (in Windows NT 4.0 Server) or Clusdisk device (in Windows 2000 Server or in Windows Server 2003) to System.
    2. In Services, change the Startup value for the Cluster Server service to Automatic.
  13. Restart node 2 and let the computer completely restart.
  14. Use the Cluster Administrator tool to create a physical disk resource for each new disk, and then bring the disks online.
  15. If there are errors, check the SCSI cabling, termination and SCSI ID assignment for correct configuration. For additional information about cluster disk and drive connection issues, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  16. If there are no errors, let the operating system start on node 1. To do so, follow the steps as appropriate for your operating system:
    • For Windows NT 4.0 Server, press SPACEBAR.
    • For Windows 2000 Server, use the arrow keys to select Boot Normally, and then press ENTER.
    • For Windows Server 2003, use the arrow keys to select Start Windows Normally, press ENTER, use the arrow keys to select the operating system, and then press ENTER.
  17. When the node comes online and appears so in Cluster Administrator, try to move the group to the node. To do so, right-click the group, and then select the option Move. The group and all of its resources move to another node. Test to verify that you can go online on each node.

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References

For additional information about Microsoft Cluster service and how to add an additional SCSI hard disk, see Chapter 4 of the Microsoft Cluster Server Administrator's Guide. To locate the guide, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For additional information about how to replace a disk that is on a Windows 2000 or a Windows Server 2003 cluster, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
305793 How to replace a disk that is on a Windows 2000 or a Windows Server 2003 cluster

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Keywords: KB175278, kbsetup, kbinfo, kbwinservperf

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Article Info
Article ID : 175278
Revision : 10
Created on : 9/14/2007
Published on : 9/14/2007
Exists online : False
Views : 818