Build SCVMM 2012 SP1 Cluster on virtual Machine, Virtual Cluster on Hyper-V 2012 Part 1

Last week, I presented my design chart of my Lab. Today, I’m going to build SCVMM2012 cluster on Virtual Machine. In another word, this post will also show you how to build Virtual Cluster on Hyper-V.

Environment:

Physical Host:

Before you start, you need to make sure that you have at least one Hyper-v Host available. You will also need a windows File Server which will provide quorum disk for your vmm cluster. You can use a virtual file server(Windows 2012) but I have a physical box.

Clearly, you need a virtual SQL server as database source.

Virtual Machine:

Since we are building cluster, so you will need to VMs which I install Windows 2012 on that. Each VM has 2 nics. One is heartbeat and the other is for production and management.

What you will install on VMM01 and VMM02:

• AD Preparation

Create two user accounts, svc_vmm and svc_vmmadmin

 

• Configure distributed Key Management (DKM)

DKM is critical for VMM which stores encryption key for both VMM servers to access.

grant Vmmadmins rights for this AD  object

 

 

• Install Windows 2012 Standard version

Build windows 2012

Add IP address

Join VM into domain

Turn off Firewall

Enable Remote Desktop

Disable IE security

Disable UAC

test remote winrs /r:vmm01 ipconfig

• Add SCVMM accounts into local Administrator groups

You must add those two accounts separately.

Please DO NOT create a group and put users into group and put group into local administrator group, because it won’t work!

 

• Install Failover Manager
• Install .NET Framework 3.5 Feature

When you install that, be aware you need to have Windows 2012 ISO or CD ready like following

You instruct installation application where to find source code, otherwise, it will fail.

Tip:

You will be surprised that how many features actually coded base on 3.5 rather than 4.1. This is one of “must install” for me every time I install a VM.

• Install Windows ADK for Windows 8

 

 

 

 

 

• Install SQL Native Client (I’m using SQL 2008 R2 SP1)
• Install SQL Command Line Utilities

Build windows 2012 File Server

A file server is important for cluster. As cluster, you need a quorum disk which can be accessed by all members of cluster so they can exchange data, voting etc. You can have a NAS or SAN blah,blah, but the cheapest way is to use a free windows Server to provide shared folder. Windows 2012 cluster has this capability to use this share folder as quorum storage, thank for SMB 3.0 which allows multiple accesses at same time.

By saying that, we can also build iSCSI features on both File server and VMM01,02. No additional software required, Windows 2012 will allow us to have a iSCSI storage. I will write another post about it.

Let’s install

Make sure you have these service installed on your windows File server.

You will also need a separated physical disk attached to file server.

Once you have this physical disk, you can build a new storage Pool.

Now, I have storage Pool, I will start build a virtual disk on the pool.

You will also need to build another virtual disk for storing VMs as to be used by VMMLibrary Role later on.

Now, you need to install Share feature.

 

Once that’s done, Let’s come back and share the quorum

don’t need anything here for quorum

However, we do need permission to be added here. You need to add svc_vmm, svc_vmmadmin and also two VMM computer AD objects.

 

I’m not going to repeat similar steps here.

With this File server, you can also build quorum for Hyper-v Hosts as well.

 

To be continued….

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Topology of SCVMM 2012 Test Lab

 

 

This is the test environment I currently have. I will write a series of posts of how to build this environment and issues I have encountered along the way.

Essentially, this lab involves following physical hosts.

2 Hyper-v 3 servers, 1 ESXi and 1 file server.

The rest of them are all VMs with Windows 2012.

VMM01,VMM02, clustered

SQL03 (windows 2008 R2, SQL 2008 R2 )

APPV01 (App-v Server)

VCE01 (vCenter 5.1)

Plus with some DCs which are not included in this diagram.

Most posts will come. Please be patient.