Build a failover cluster on VMAS

Preparation

Configure Domain Controller

In the Server Manager of the server that you want to use as a Domain Controller, click on Add roles and features.

Check Active Directory Domain Services and DNS Server tabs and continue the installation.

Configure Domain Settings

For the node servers, Control Panel --> System and Security --> System --> Change settings --> Change, set the Domain as you created. You may need to reboot the machine to make effects.

Configure DNS Settings

For the node servers, change their DNS settings to the same as the DC, Control Panel --> Network and Internet --> Network Connections --> Properties --> Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).

Add the Failover Clustering Feature to Nodes

This should be done for all the servers that you want to join your WSFC.

In the Server Manager of node servers, click Add roles and features.

Check Failover Clustering.

Running the Failover Cluster Validation Wizard

Before creating the cluster, it's better to validate first. This step can be done on any of your node servers.

Server Manager --> Tools --> Failover Cluster Manager

Select Validate Configuration

In the Select Servers or a Cluster section, you may find the Selected Servers list is empty. Click Browse and search servers using their names.

Run the test and see the test result.

If all tests are successful, check the Create the cluster now using the validated nodes to start creating clusters.

Create WSFC

If you checked the Create the cluster now using the validated nodes box, simply continue installing would successfully create a failover cluster.

Configure Static IP Address

Double click on the cluster you've created, you will see the following prompt, and check the Static IP Address.

Build iSCSI Virtual Disk

One DC as Disk Server.

Two node servers as clients.

Configure Disk Server

Install iSCSI service

Again, in the Server Manager --> Add Roles and Features. Expand the File and Storage Services and check boxes start with iSCSI.

Create virtual disk

Click on TASKS and New iSCSI Virtual Disk.

Either Select by volume or Type a custom path works.

Here I choose to query clients, as we did before in the creating clusters section.

Those are client servers that access the disk server.

Configuration

Server Manager --> File and Storage Services --> iSCSI --> iSCSI

We can add initiators here.

Configure Client Servers

For each client server, configure it as the following.

Double click to start the iSCSI Initiator service.

Since my initiator for the disk server is an IQN connection, I need to input the IP address here. Note that we can find the IP address of the disk server by typing ipconfig in the command line.

In the Volumes and Devices, click Auto Configure to add the virtual disk to the volume list.

Now, we can bring the virtual disk online.

In the Disk Management, we can check the status of the virtual disk.

Note that for both clients and disk servers, we need to turn the startup type of iSCSI service to auto.

Add Virtual Disk to Cluster

Go to the Disk Management on any node server, initialize and create a new volume for the virtual disk.

Then go to the Failover Cluster Manager, in the Disk tab, Add Disk. Choose the virtual disk created before. Then, in the active node server, we can find a new volume in the file explorer. You can click Move Available Storage to see whether the action succeeded.

Configure the Cluster Quorum Settings

On the disk of the DC server, create a Witness file folder and share it. Make sure to give permissions to your WSFC server.

Right click on your cluster, More Actions --> Configure Cluster Quorum Settings. This can be done in any of your node servers.

In the Configure Cluster Quorum Wizard, Advanced quorum configuration --> All Nodes --> Configure a file share witness --> Select the path of your shared folder