Three Win2k Advanced Server DC, each with 3 Nics running in a cluster, PAINFULL????

[Joe M]

I've got three Win2k Advanced Server DC, each with 3 NICs. I was thinking of
running them as a cluster. But I have been discouraged because some people
says it's a real pain and problems running a cluster. Anyone with an
excellent answer to whether I should run three DC with 3nics per box in a
multicast cluster. And how would I assign ip addresses for each of the three
Nics for each DC??? Should they be in the same subnet??? eg..
192.168.100.34 255.255.255.0 ????
Thanks. I was thinking of using this cluster for things such as VPN, DNS
resolution, WINS, TERMINAL SERVER, FTP SERVER, SQL SERVER.

 

[GA]

Um, no. I would not cluster them if I were you. Clustering is generally
designed for one main purpose and only one purpose - high availability.
That said, you already have synchronization between DC's right? So why
would they need to be clustered? If one goes down, you are still ok.
I would say if you have a need for high availability, in other words, the
application or resource absolutely must be available to users no matter
what, then clustering is a good solution. But it can be a tradeoff. SQL
for example will take a performance hit if you cluster it (rather than using
log shipping).
Wins doesn't really need to be clustered - again - it's easier to just sync
with another server for redundancy. FTP - maybe - but load balancing might
be better.
Term Serv - Yes, but not on the DC's and I'm not sure if it's
cluster-aware - you might look into Citrix instead. VPN - again, not sure
if it's cluster-aware.
I say "cluster-aware" because if the app isn't, don't bother - it will not
be worth it.
SQL 2000 is a good candidate for clustering if you have a database that must
be up all the time. Just be aware of the issues and make sure you select
the right setup for your situation (active-passive, active-active, etc.)
Exchange 2K3 is another good candidate.
Finally, I would not run any of the other stuff you mentioned on your DC's
except for DNS, possibly Wins. Dedicated servers would be better and MUCH
easier to fix when something goes wrong.

Hope this helps