Failover Clustering Overview

Failover clusters provide high availability and scalability to many server workloads. These include
server applications such as Microsoft Exchange Server, Hyper-V, Microsoft SQL Server, and file
servers. The server applications can run on physical servers or virtual machines. This topic
describes the Failover Clustering feature and provides links to additional guidance about
creating, configuring, and managing failover clusters that can scale to 64 physical nodes and to
8,000 virtual machines.

Feature description

A failover cluster is a group of independent computers that work together to increase

the availability and scalability of clustered roles (formerly called clustered applications
and services). The clustered servers (called nodes) are connected by physical cables and
by software. If one or more of the cluster nodes fail, other nodes begin to provide
service (a process known as failover). In addition, the clustered roles are proactively
monitored to verify that they are working properly. If they are not working, they are
restarted or moved to another node. Failover clusters also provide Cluster Shared
Volume (CSV) functionality that provides a consistent, distributed namespace that
clustered roles can use to access shared storage from all nodes. With the Failover
Clustering feature, users experience a minimum of disruptions in service.

You can use the Failover Clustering feature on the Standard and Datacenter editions of Windows
Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012. This includes Server Core installations.

Cluster node configuration models

• Active/active — Traffic intended for the failed node is

either passed onto an existing node or load balanced
across the remaining nodes. This is usually only possible
when the nodes use a homogeneous software
configuration.
• Active/passive — Provides a fully redundant instance of
each node, which is only brought online when its
 associated primary node fails.[2] This configuration
typically requires the most extra hardware.
• N+1 — Provides a single extra node that is brought online
to take over the role of the node that has failed. In the case
of heterogeneous software configuration on each primary
node, the extra node must be universally capable of
assuming any of the roles of the primary nodes it is
responsible for.