What Geoff simply means is that since you will be having new disk resources, you will need to configure them as dependencies for the SQL Server resource. For example,   Old Setup: SQL Server Resource disk dependency - Disks E:\, F:\, G:\ (old LUNs)   New Setup : SQL Server Resource disk dependency - Disks E:\, F:\, G:\ (new LUNs)   Notice that the old setup is the same as the new setup with the only difference being the LUNs. Which is why Geoff recommended to take them out of the resource group and rename the old LUNs' disk drive letters to something unused so that the new LUNs can use the same disk drive letters as the old ones. The trick here is to document your existing cluster configuration before the LUN change. After the LUN change, make sure that the cluster configuration is exactly the same and you're good to go

hi Statistic, Are you running SQL 2008 on Win 2008? IF you go to failover cluster management in 2008, go to Services and applications and select your SQL Server Instance. on the Right pane you should see Summary  ,and you should see your SQL Server Resources. IF you right click and select properties. you can see the dependencies tab.

You have to make sure you add/see all your disks that have your data,log and tempdb files, These are probably your new disks you are going to migrate your files ,if NOT you have to add them. Because if you don't add the disk resource as a dependency , SQL Server  resource won't come online when you bring it online because its files are on the disk resource and its has not been set as a dependency.

I think win 2003 its called Cluster Administrator.

Thanks

 

The step I don't understand is this

"Change the SQL Server group dependencies so that the SQL Server service is dependent on each disk resource."

 

• Edited by SQL_Jay Wednesday, March 30, 2011 8:49 PM added text

It's Windows server 2008 Enterprise 64bit cluster, running SQL server 2008 in clustered mode Active/passive.  I think what I'm missing is the "Because if you don't add the disk resource as a dependency".  I didn't build the initial cluster, and have never built one, although I did build both servers we currently use as replacements for older servers (basically replacing the cluster front end).  In that process I learned allot about clustering.

 

I guess i need to read up and learn how to add a disk resource as a dependency in a cluster.

Like Edwin mentioned the new disks has to be added as dependencies to SQL Server and the process to add them is What I mentioned through Failover Cluster management.

 Once you are in the dependencies tab of your SQL Server Instance, you can add the new LUN/Disk as a depedency.

HTH

Thanks

• Proposed as answer by WeiLin QiaoModerator Sunday, April 03, 2011 7:17 AM
• Marked as answer by WeiLin QiaoModerator Thursday, April 07, 2011 12:52 PM
• Unmarked as answer by Statistic Monday, April 11, 2011 1:48 PM
• Marked as answer by Jonathan KehayiasMVP, Moderator Monday, April 11, 2011 11:58 PM
• Unmarked as answer by Jonathan KehayiasMVP, Moderator Monday, April 11, 2011 11:58 PM

So I tried this this past weekend and failed.  I was able to mount the new drives, and I copied over the SQL data and transaction logs after shutting down SQL.

Then I tried to copy the Quorum files while the cluster was running and received permission errors.  I tried turning off UAC then rebooting but same result.  If I shut the cluster down then I can't access that drive anymore, the drives show up in disk manager as "Reserved" when the cluster is down, probably because they're still part of the cluster.

 

So I didn't finish the move and put the servers back up as-is.  I need to figure out how to copy the quorum files.

I'm also not completely sure the correct way to take the old disks down and bring the new one's in to the cluster.  I think I can figure it out though if I can get past this quorum problem.

• Edited by Statistic Monday, April 11, 2011 2:10 PM

Once you take the cluster offline, you can bring the individual disk resources online in the Cluster Manager, just expand down to the specific disk resource, right click on it and bring it online.

When i highlight the main cluster and select shutdown, everything dissappears from the console including the cluster name.

Hi Statistic, please take the individual disks offline/online through Cluster Admin, Like Jonathan Mentioned.I think Jonathan was mentioning taking the SQL Cluster (instance Offline) not the Entire Cluster itself. Jonathan can you please confirm  when you get a chance?

Under Services and Applications->SELECT/Highlight your SQL Server Instancename->On the Summary page to the right

You can access the Disk Drives and Other resources which you can bring online offline. You should be able to see the SQL Server Resource here.

Thanks

• Edited by SQL_Jay Monday, April 11, 2011 4:52 PM just accessed a cluster so adding notes

Thanks for the help guys.  My problem isn't with taking SQL down it's with the Quorum.  I took SQL down and copied over the files.  I can't take the quorum down without stopping the cluster itself.  When I do that the drives that hold the quorum files are inaccessible then I can't copy those data files.  If I copy the quorum files while the server is live i get permissions errors.

I tried taking the quorum drive offline but was denied with a statement that i can't do that or the cluster won't function.  If I shut down the cluster everything in cluster management dissappears because there is no cluster to administrer.

Hi Statistic , I am not a windows cluster expert but this might be helpful for you

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/280353

http://forums.techarena.in/windows-server-help/755270.htm

Thanks

Jay

Hey Statistic,

I am only good at answering clustering answers when I have one setup at home that I can play with to walk myself through the specific steps.  I sent Geoff Hiten an message with a link to your question and I am sure that he will reply here when he gets a chance tonight or tomorrow.

Hi.

Nice to see my original post getting some extra mileage.

Changing the quorum disk in 2008/2008R2 is not a complex process. Unlike with the SQL Disks, do not re-use the drive letter for the new LUN when creating clustered storage fromthe new LUNs.

First, go to the failover Cluster Administrator, right-click on the cluster name, and select More Actions... |Configure Quorum Setttings.

Change to the "Disk Majority" setting. Give the cluster a minute or two to settle.

Do the same thing and select "Node and Disk Majority". Select the new LUN as the new witness disk.

You can now delete the old quorum disk and remove it from the cluster.

Thanks guys this worked and I was successful this weekend in moving the quorum and SQL to new storage.  The only thing I will add is that when you change the drive letter the server must be rebooted to free the drive letter for reuse.  Having said that, I stopped the cluster services on the passive node, set the cluster service on the active node to manual, then rebooted.

After that I reversed those changes then proceeded.

I did a full cluster validation in conclusion and all was well.

Hello all,
I know that this a old post,but the topic is very much what i am trying to do.
I have 3 instances on my windows 64 bit sql server 2005 standard edition server. I was given the task of moving the
SAN Data Drives to each of the instances to a new SAN, and my network admin is going to take care of the Quorum drive.

Please let me know if my understanding is right. I have outlined for 1 instance.

InstanceA(group 1): i see 2 physical disk resources available Disk:N and Disk:T in the cluster administrator group1.
Disk: N is the new  resource that was added by the network admin where I need the data to moved from Disk:T(Current).

From what i understood here are the steps.

1. take the sql server/sql server agent of the instance(group1 in this case) offline.
2. Copy everything exactly from Old disk(T) to new Disk(N)

3. Take the old disks out of the resource group.(As i understood,from the cluster administrator go to group 1(for the instanceA) and go to properties of sql server service, and then go to dependencies and click on modify and then move the (Disk:T) which is under dependencies to Available Resources. Please correct me if i am wrong)?

4.Change the old disk drive letters to some unused letters. How do i do that, do i need to do this in cluster administrator or in disk management or in both places?

5.Change the new disk drive letters to the old ones? how do i do this, i probaly have to follow the same steps as in the above step 4.

6.Go to Sqlserver service of the group1 instance and then click on properties and add the new drive as dependency.

7. Restart SQL.

Another question i have,

1. do i need to restart the node instead of taking the particular instance offline & bringing it back online

2. Do i need to stop the clusterservice on the passive node?

3. Do i need to put the clusterservice on the active node to manual?

Thanks for your help.
Vijay

Thanks Geoff, the procedure you outlined worked perfectly while all cluster nodes were left online.  I used Robocopy with the switches below for copying the SQL folders to the new LUN to ensure the identical attributes were retained.    Also important to ensure no backups are running at the time and the backup remote agent service is stopped.

eg.  robocopy F:\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER X:\MSSQL10_50.MSSQLSERVER /E /COPY:DATSOU /LOG:C:\MSSQLCopyResults.txt

F: being original cluster disk and X: the new cluster disk that will use the same drive letter F: before bringing SQL Server back online

I moved the quorum disk using the 'Configure Cluster Quorum Settings' wizard and deleted and recreated the MSDTC clustered service to use a disk on the new SAN

Is this process documented anywhere in Technet?    It would be great if there were functions built into Failover Cluster Manager or SQL Server to automate the migration of storage as it would be a fairly common task for DBAs/network admins.

Regards

Mark

Hi Geoff,

I understand that this is a very old post. I have already migrated sql 2008 on windows 2008 cluster to new san. My query is are the steps same for sql 2005 on windows 2008 cluster and further what would be the steps to for MSDTC and QUORUM...

Thanks and regards

Amit