Server Cluster Nodes Must Be Running the Same Language

When you try to connect to or administer a cluster that is running a different language than the cluster from which you are connecting, you may receive the following error message and you may not be able to connect:

This problem occurs because the server cluster components are dependent on network basic input/output system (NetBIOS) for cluster communication. When you try to connect to a cluster name that is not an English-language cluster and that contains characters that are not English-language characters, a damaged string may be displayed in Cluster Administrator (Cluadmin.exe). The same problem occurs if a cluster node that is running the English-language attempts to join a cluster that is not an English-language cluster if that cluster contains characters that are not English-language characters.

Note: This article describes problems that you may have when you use the English-language version and a version that is not an English-language version. This problem may also occur on two different versions that are not English-language versions if you try to connect the nodes to one another.

To resolve this problem, use English-language characters for all nodes and virtual servers in the cluster. If a cluster is using a different language, connect to it with another computer that is using the same language.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.