Deploying Scale-Out file Server in Cluster (Server 2016)

Scale-Out File Server provide scale-out file shares that are continuously available for file-based server application storage.Scale-out file shares provides the ability to share the same folder from multiple nodes of the same cluster.

Benefits provided by Scale-Out File Server in include:

• Active-Active file shares   All cluster nodes can accept and serve SMB client requests.
• Increased bandwidth   The maximum share bandwidth is the total bandwidth of all file server cluster nodes.
• CHKDSK with zero downtime  A CSV File System (CSVFS) can use CHKDSK without impacting applications with open handles on the file system.
• Clustered Shared Volume cache    CSVs in Windows Server 2012 introduces support for a Read cache, which can significantly improve performance in certain scenarios, such as in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).
• Simpler management   With Scale-Out File Server, you create the scale-out file servers, and then add the necessary CSVs and file shares. It is no longer necessary to create multiple clustered file servers, each with separate cluster disks.

Preparing storage

As cluster storage i used iSCSI disk.On separate Windows Server i added HDD and installed iSCSI target Server feature:

Then,from server manager i created iSCSI virtual disk

New iSCSI target:

Set storage name

Add-Select IP from drop-down list and enter IP address of server which will be cluster nodes (FS-01 and FS-02 in my case)

Add iSCSI disk to cluster nodes:

On future cluster nodes go to Control Panel-iSCSI Initiator

 

 

 

Enter IP address of iSCSI target (server with iSCSI virtual disk)

 

 

Initialize and format disk

Creating Cluster:

FS-01 and FS-02 (servers which we addedd iSCSI disk for) will be cluster members.From any of these two servers add File Server and cluster roles:

Invoke-Command fs-01,fs-02 {Add-WindowsFeature –name File-Services,Failover-Clustering -IncludeManagementTools}

Validate Cluster:

From Cluster Manager click Validate Configuration

Add nodes:

Run all test

Or use PowerShell equivalent:

Test-Cluster –Node fs-01,fs-02

Creating Cluster

From Cluster Manager click Create Cluster

Add Cluster members and give cluster name and specify IP (Cluster computer account will be created)

Uncheck Add all eligible storage to the cluster check-box !!!

PowerShell:

New-Cluster –Name ClusterName –Node fs-01,fs-02 -StaticAddress 192.168.0.20 -nostorage

Giving Cluster computer account rights to create computer object:

If we don’t delegate rights to Cluster computer object we won’t be able to add cluster File Server role

Right click OU where Cluster Computer object is creted-Delegate control

Object Types-Computer

Create custom task to delegate

Only the following objects in the folder-Computer Object-Create selected objects in this folder

General-Full Control

Add disk to Cluster

From any node right click Disks-Add Disk

Add storage to a cluster shared volume

A cluster shared volume is used by a failover cluster, and it can be accessed by more than one node at a time.

Right click on disk added in previous step-Add to Cluster Shared Volume

PowerShell:

Add-ClusterSharedVolume  "Cluster Disk 1"

Configure File Server Role:

Right click Roles-Configure Role

File-Server

Scale-Out File Server

Give it name

PowerShell:

Add-ClusterScaleOutFileServerRole -Name shared_storage -Cluster test_cluster

 

Creating a continuously available file share on the cluster shared volume

 

Right click file server role-Add File Share

 

 

SMB-Share-Application

 

Select volume

 

 

Choose name

 

 

 

Make sure Enable continuous availability is checked

 

 

And set NTFS permissions

 

 

 

 

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