Upgrading on Cluster Nodes

PART 3 OF 6

This topic applies to the Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 operating system, Enterprise Edition, and, except where noted, the x64-based and Itanium-based versions of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

In This Topic

Preparing for Upgrading Clustering

Upgrading a Cluster from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition

Upgrading a Cluster from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition

With Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, you can use clustering to ensure that users have constant access to important server-based resources. With clustering, you create several cluster nodes that appear to users as one server. If one of the nodes in the cluster fails, another node begins to provide service (a process known as failover). Critical applications and resources remain continuously available.

For technical information and resources to help you evaluate, deploy, and administer the Windows server operating systems, see the Windows Server TechCenter on the Web at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=28944

Note:
This release of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, includes Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1). When you install this release of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, SP1 is automatically installed at the same time. If you uninstall Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition with SP1, SP1 is automatically uninstalled as well. In addition, you cannot uninstall SP1 only.

Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems with SP1 is only available on DVD. Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) for this operating system is available on CD.

Preparing for Upgrading Clustering

The following sections provide information on the initial steps needed for upgrading clustering:

  • Understanding the basic preparations needed.

  • Confirming your hardware compatibility with Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

  • Choosing from the available options for upgrading.

Important Information to Review

To prepare for upgrading clustering:

Other Sources of Information

Following are sources of additional information on server clusters and other topics related to high availability:

  • For more information on server clusters, see Help and Support Center. To do this, go to a computer running Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, or Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, click Start, and then click Help and Support.

Look for the following sets of topics:

Topic area Navigation to use in the Table of Contents

Troubleshooting cluster installation and upgrade problems

Getting Started>Installing and Upgrading on Cluster Nodes>Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting other cluster problems

Availability and Scalability>Windows Clustering>Server Clusters>Troubleshooting

Best practices for installing and upgrading server clusters

Getting Started>Installing and Upgrading on Cluster Nodes>Best practices

Other best practices for server clusters

Availability and Scalability>Windows Clustering>Server Clusters>Best practices

Information about other technologies that enhance availability

Availability and Scalability
  • For more information about the following topics, see the Windows Deployment and Resource Kits.

    • Backing up and restoring data and configuration information

    • Deployment planning for server clusters and Network Load Balancing clusters

    • Planning for high availability

You can view the Windows Deployment and Resource Kits on the Web at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=29883

  • For information about backup and recovery planning, change management, configuration management, and other concepts related to operational best practices, see resources in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). To see a description of ITIL, go to: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=37827

Note:
Web addresses can change, so you might be unable to connect to the Web site mentioned here.

Hardware Compatibility

Microsoft supports only complete server cluster systems that are compatible with the Windows Server 2003 family of products. Ensure that your entire cluster solution is compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family by checking the hardware compatibility information in the Windows Catalog at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=37824

Options for Upgrading Clustering

You have several options when upgrading clustering. You can:

  • Upgrade the operating system on a cluster that is running Windows NT® Server 4.0, Enterprise Edition. For a description of the ways you can do this, see "Upgrading a Cluster from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," later in this topic.

  • Upgrade a cluster that is running Microsoft Windows 2000, possibly through a rolling upgrade. For more information, see "Upgrading a Cluster from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," later in this topic.

  • Perform a new installation of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and install the Cluster service at the same time. For more information about this option, see "Installing on Cluster Nodes: Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," on your Setup CD.

Quorum Resource Options

With clusters running on Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, you can choose between three ways to set up the quorum resource (the resource that maintains the definitive copy of the cluster configuration data and that must always be available for the cluster to run). These options are:

  • Single node server cluster

  • Single quorum device server cluster

  • Majority node set

Before upgrading, refer to "Quorum Resource Options" in "Installing on Cluster Nodes: Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition" to learn more about these options.

Back to Top

Upgrading a Cluster from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition

If you are upgrading from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, on cluster nodes, you might be able to perform a rolling upgrade of the operating system. In a rolling upgrade, you sequentially upgrade the operating system on each node, making sure that one node is always available to handle client requests. When you upgrade the operating system, the Cluster service is automatically upgraded also. A rolling upgrade maximizes availability of clustered services and minimizes administrative complexity. For more information, see the next section "How Rolling Upgrades Work."

To determine whether you can perform a rolling upgrade, and understand the effect that a rolling upgrade might have on your clustered resources, see "Restrictions on Rolling Upgrades" later in this topic. For information about ways to upgrade your cluster nodes if you cannot perform a rolling upgrade, see "Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades from Windows 2000" later in this topic.

If you are upgrading from Windows NT Server 4.0, Enterprise Edition, to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, on cluster nodes, you cannot perform a rolling upgrade. For more information about how to perform an upgrade from Windows NT Server 4.0, Enterprise Edition, see "Upgrading a Cluster from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," later in this topic.

How Rolling Upgrades Work

This section describes rolling upgrades on server clusters. For information about methods, restrictions, and alternatives to rolling upgrades, see the sections that follow this section.

There are two major advantages to a rolling upgrade. First, there is a minimal interruption of service to clients. (However, server response time might decrease during the phases in which a fewer number of nodes handle the work of the entire cluster.) Second, you do not have to recreate your cluster configuration. The configuration remains intact during the upgrade process.

The four phases are described in the following section.

Phases of a Rolling Upgrade

A rolling upgrade starts with two cluster nodes that are running Windows 2000. In this example, they are named Node 1 and Node 2:
Phase 1: Preliminary

Each node runs Windows 2000 Advanced Server with the following software:

  • The Cluster service component (one of the optional components of Windows 2000 Advanced Server).

  • Applications that support a rolling upgrade. For more information, see the application documentation, and "Resource Behavior During Rolling Upgrades" later in this topic.

At this point, your cluster is configured so that each node handles client requests (an active/active configuration).

Phase 2: Upgrade Node 1

Node 1 is paused, and Node 2 handles all cluster resource groups while you upgrade the operating system of Node 1 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

You are now running a mixed-version cluster. A mixed-version cluster is a cluster in which the nodes are running different versions of the operating system. Although mixed-version clusters are supported by Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, they are not the optimal configuration. It is recommended that you upgrade all nodes to the same operating system by completing the final two phases of the rolling upgrade.

When your cluster is in a mixed version state, it is recommended that you do not make any changes to the cluster configuration, such as adding or removing nodes. It is also recommended that you do not make changes to any of the cluster resources while your cluster is in a mixed version state.

Phase 3: Upgrade Node 2

Node 1 rejoins the cluster. Node 2 is paused and Node 1 handles all cluster resource groups while you upgrade the operating system on Node 2.

Phase 4: Final

Node 2 rejoins the cluster, and you redistribute the resource groups back to the active/active cluster configuration.

Important:
If your goal is to have more than two nodes in the cluster, you must use Fibre Channel (not SCSI) for the cluster storage. Add the additional nodes after completing the rolling upgrade. Before adding additional nodes, ensure that your entire cluster solution is compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family. For more information see "Hardware Compatibility" earlier in this topic.

For cluster disks, you must use the NTFS file system and configure the disks as basic disks. You cannot configure cluster disks as dynamic disks, and you cannot use features of dynamic disks such as spanned volumes (volume sets).

Performing a Rolling Upgrade

For an outline of the rolling upgrade process, see the preceding section "How Rolling Upgrades Work." To perform the following procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. Run as is a secondary logon method that you can use to start commands or programs using a different security context. For example, you can log on as a member of the Users group and, without logging off, run a command as a member of the Administrators group. To find more information in Windows 2000 about Run as, on a server running Windows 2000, click Start, click Help, click the Search tab and then search for runas.

Important:
For information about what resources are supported during rolling upgrades, see "Restrictions on Rolling Upgrades" and "Resource Behavior During Rolling Upgrades" later in this topic.

To perform a rolling upgrade from Windows 2000

  1. Confirm that your systems are running Windows 2000 and use resources that are supported during a rolling upgrade, as described in "Restrictions on Rolling Upgrades" and "Resource Behavior During Rolling Upgrades" later in this topic

  2. Confirm that your hardware is designed for or is compatible with Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

  3. In Cluster Administrator, click the node that you want to upgrade first.

  4. On the File menu, click Pause Node.

  5. In the right details pane, click Active Groups.

  6. In the details pane, click a group, and then on the File menu, click Move Group. Repeat this step for each group listed.

    The services will be interrupted during the time they are being moved and restarted on the other node. After the groups are moved, one node is idle, and the other node handles all client requests.

  7. Use Setup for Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, to upgrade the paused node from Windows 2000. (For information about running Setup, see "Running Setup for an Upgrade: Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," on your Setup CD.)

    Setup detects the earlier version of clustering on the paused node and automatically installs clustering for Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. The node automatically rejoins the cluster at the end of the upgrade process, but is still paused and does not handle any cluster-related work.

    Note:
    As you begin the setup process, you will receive a warning message about using the tempdrive option for Setup. Provided you have followed the preceding steps, you can click OK and proceed with Setup without using this option.

  8. Manage Your Server will appear when you initially log on to the newly upgraded node as an Administrator. Close Manage Your Server to continue with the upgrade.

  9. To verify that the node that was upgraded is fully functional, perform validation tests such as confirming that the operating system recognizes your network connections and, using Device Manager, ensuring that the operating system recognizes all of your storage devices.

  10. In Cluster Administrator, click the node that was paused, and then on the File menu click Resume Node.

    Note:
    When you use Cluster Administrator for the first time on the upgraded node, Cluster Administrator will prompt you to Open connection to cluster. In the Cluster or server name field, type a period (.). This will connect you to the cluster on the local upgraded node. Although you can connect to the cluster by typing the cluster name, if you do so you will be connected to the cluster on the Windows 2000 node and then will be required to respond to several warning messages.

  11. Repeat the preceding steps for the remaining node.

Restrictions on Rolling Upgrades

There are several basic restrictions to the rolling-upgrade process. The most basic restrictions are as follows:

  • You can perform a rolling upgrade only if you are upgrading from Windows 2000 on the cluster nodes. You cannot perform a rolling upgrade if you are upgrading from Windows NT Server 4.0, Enterprise Edition. For a description of the ways to upgrade from Windows NT Server 4.0, see "Upgrading a Cluster from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," later in this topic.

  • You cannot mix x86-based and Itanium-based computers within the same cluster. Also, you cannot mix x86-based and x64-based computers within the same cluster. Therefore, you cannot perform a rolling upgrade from an x86-based computer to either an Itanium-based or x64-based computer.

The remaining restrictions involve the beginning of Phase 3, in which you operate a mixed-version cluster: a cluster in which the nodes run different versions of the operating system. The operation of a mixed-version cluster is complicated if a resource type that you add to the cluster is supported in one version of the operating system but not the other. For example, the Cluster service in Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, supports the Generic Script resource type. However, older versions of the Cluster service do not support it.

A mixed-version cluster can run a Generic Script resource on a node running Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, but not on a node running Windows 2000. The Cluster service transparently sets the possible owners of new resource types to prevent these resources from failing over to a Windows 2000 node of a mixed-version cluster. In other words, when you view the possible owners of a new resource type, a Windows 2000 node will not be in the list, and you will not be able to add this node to the list. If you create such a resource during the mixed-version phase of a rolling upgrade, the resource groups containing those resources will not fail over to a Windows 2000 node.

In order for a mixed-version cluster to work, the different versions of the software running on each node must be prepared to communicate with one another. This requirement leads to several basic restrictions on the rolling-upgrade process.

  • For a successful rolling upgrade, every resource that the cluster manages must be capable of a rolling upgrade. For more information, see "Resource Behavior During Rolling Upgrades" later in this topic.

  • During the mixed-version phase of a rolling upgrade, when the cluster nodes are running different versions of the operating system, do not change the settings of resources (for example, do not change the settings of a printer resource).

If the preceding restriction cannot be met, do not perform a rolling upgrade. For more information, see "Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades from Windows 2000" later in this topic.

Resource Behavior During Rolling Upgrades

Although the Cluster service supports rolling upgrades, not all applications have seamless rolling-upgrade behavior. The following table describes the resources that are supported during a rolling upgrade. If you have a resource that is not fully supported during rolling upgrades, see "Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades from Windows 2000" later in this topic.

Resource Rolling upgrade notes

DHCP

DHCP is not fully supported during rolling upgrades. You must instead perform a "Last node rolling upgrade" as described in "Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades from Windows 2000" later in this topic.

File Share

Supported during rolling upgrades.

IIS

IIS 6.0 is not supported during a rolling upgrade. When upgrading a cluster that contains an IIS resource, you must follow the procedure described in "Upgrades That Include an IIS Resource" later in this topic.

IP Address

Supported during rolling upgrades.

Local Quorum

Supported during rolling upgrades.

MSDTC

Supported during rolling upgrades. However, avoid creating or deleting the MSDTC resource while you are operating as a mixed version cluster. Instead create the MSDTC resource before starting the upgrade on any node, or wait until the upgrade is complete on all nodes. For more information on mixed version clusters, see "How Rolling Upgrades Work" and "Restrictions on Rolling Upgrades" earlier in this topic.

Message Queuing (also known as MSMQ)

Message Queuing is not fully supported during a rolling upgrade. To upgrade a cluster that includes Message Queuing, see "Upgrades That Include Message Queuing Resources" later in this topic.

Network Name

Supported during rolling upgrades.

NNTP Service Instance

NNTP Service Instance is not supported in Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. You must remove any NNTP Service Instance resources prior to upgrading.

Physical Disk

Supported during rolling upgrades

Print Spooler

The only Print Spooler resources supported during a rolling upgrade are those on LPR ports or standard port monitor ports. See the following section, "Upgrades That Include a Print Spooler Resource."

SMTP Service Instance

SMTP Service Instance is not supported in Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. You must remove any SMTP Service Instance resources prior to upgrading.

Time Service

Time Service is not supported in Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. You must remove any Time Service resources prior to upgrading.

WINS

WINS is not fully supported during rolling upgrades. You must instead perform a "Last node rolling upgrade" as described in "Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades from Windows 2000" later in this topic.

Other resource types

See Relnotes.htm in the \Docs folder of the Setup CD for Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. Also see the product documentation that comes with the application or resource.

You cannot perform a rolling upgrade on a cluster running Windows NT Server 4.0. Only clusters running Windows 2000 support rolling upgrades to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

When your cluster is in a mixed version state, it is recommended that you do not make any changes to the cluster configuration, such as adding or removing nodes. It is also recommended that you do not make changes to any of the cluster resources while your cluster is in a mixed version state.

Upgrades That Include a Print Spooler Resource

If you want to perform a rolling upgrade of a cluster that has a Print Spooler resource, you must consider two issues.

First, the Print Spooler resource only supports upgrades (including rolling upgrades or any other kind of upgrade) of printers on cluster-supported ports (LPR or Standard Port Monitor ports). For information about what to do if your printer is not supported, see "Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades from Windows 2000" later in this topic.

Second, when you operate a mixed-version cluster including a Print Spooler resource, note the following:

  • Do not change printer settings in a mixed-version cluster with a Print Spooler resource.

  • Avoid adding new printers while you are performing a rolling upgrade. If you do add a new printer, when you install the drivers for that printer, be sure to install both the driver for Windows 2000 and the driver for Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, on all nodes.

  • If printing preferences or defaults are important, be sure to check them. Printing preferences in Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, will not be necessarily correspond to document defaults for the same printer in Windows 2000. This can be affected by differences in the drivers for the two operating systems.

When the rolling upgrade is complete and both cluster nodes are running the updated operating system, you can make any modifications you choose to your printer configuration.

Alternatives to Rolling Upgrades from Windows 2000

Certain resources are not supported during rolling upgrades, including:

  • Internet Information Services (IIS)

  • DHCP

  • WINS

Special procedures, described in the sections that follow, must be used when performing an upgrade of a cluster that contains these resources. In addition to the resource types listed previously, you might also have other resources that are not supported during rolling upgrades. Be sure to read Relnotes.htm in the \Docs folder of the Setup CD for Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, as well as the product documentation that comes with the application or resource.

Note:
You also cannot perform a rolling upgrade when upgrading from Windows NT Server 4.0, Enterprise Edition. For more information, see "Upgrading a Cluster from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," later in this topic.

Upgrades That Include an IIS Resource

IIS 6.0 is not supported during rolling upgrades. To upgrade a clustered IIS resource, you must replace the existing IIS resource with a Generic Script Resource. You have two options to do this; you can perform each of the steps as described in the following procedure, or you can use a script that is supplied with Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, which automates many of the steps. The instructions for using the script are described in the second procedure. To perform either of the following procedures, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform these procedures. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform either of these procedures. Run as is a secondary logon method that you can use to start commands or programs using a different security context. For example, you can log on as a member of the Users group and, without logging off, run a command as a member of the Administrators group. To find more information in Windows 2000 about Run as, on a server running Windows 2000, click Start, click Help, click the Search tab, and then search for runas.

To upgrade from Windows 2000 without using the provided script on a cluster that includes an IIS resource

  1. Confirm that your hardware is designed for or is compatible with Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

  2. Upgrade all nodes except the node containing the IIS instance resource from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. You can perform either a rolling upgrade, or a nonrolling upgrade, whichever is appropriate for your installation. Prior to upgrading, be sure to remove the resources that are not supported by Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. Do this by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resource folder in the console tree. In the details pane, click the resource that you want to remove, and then on the File menu, click Delete. For more information, see "Restrictions on Rolling Upgrades" earlier in this topic. For general information about Setup, see "Getting Ready for an Upgrade: Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition" and "Running Setup for an Upgrade: Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," on your Setup CD.

  3. If you do not already have a Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC) resource on the cluster that you are upgrading, create a DTC resource for this cluster on an upgraded node.

    Note:
    To cluster IIS on Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, you must have a DTC resource on that cluster as well.

  4. On the Windows 2000 node, note the dependencies of the IIS instance resource. Note resources that depend on the IIS resource and also note what resources IIS itself is dependent on.

  5. Take the group containing the IIS instance resource offline by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Groups folder. In the details pane, click the group containing the IIS resource, and then on the File menu, click Take Offline.

  6. Remove any dependencies on the IIS instance resource by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resources folder. For each resource that is dependent on the IIS instance resource, in the details pane, click the resource you want to modify, and then on the File menu, click Properties. On the Dependencies tab, click Modify. Click the IIS resource in the Dependencies list and click the left arrow to move it to the Available resources list.

  7. Delete the IIS instance resource by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resource folder in the console tree. In the details pane, click the IIS instance resource, and then on the File menu, click Delete.

  8. Move the group to a node that is running Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and create a Generic Script resource by following the procedure documented in "Checklist: Creating a clustered IIS Web or FTP service." To find this procedure, click Start on an upgraded node (one of the nodes running Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition), click Help and Support, and click Availability and Scalability. Click Windows Clustering, click Server Clusters, click Checklists: Creating Server Clusters, and then click Checklist: Creating a clustered IIS Web or FTP service.

    As part of this step, recreate the dependencies of the Generic Script resource identical to those of the now deleted IIS resource. Make everything that was dependent on the IIS resource dependent instead on the Generic Script resource. Also make the Generic Script resource dependent on everything that IIS was dependent on.

    Only upgraded nodes can be the owner of the Generic Script Resource created in this procedure because this resource type is not supported in Windows 2000.

  9. Start the W3SVC service on this node and set the W3SVC service to start automatically. For more information about the W3SVC, see the topic titled "Internet Information Services (IIS) security." To find this topic, click Start on the upgraded node, click Help and Support, and click Internet Services. Click Internet Information Services, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) security.

  10. Bring the group containing the new Generic Script resource online by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Groups folder. In the details pane, click the group containing the Generic Script resource, and then on the File menu, click Bring Online.

  11. Using IIS, start the Web site on the upgraded node.

  12. Upgrade the final node to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. Manage Your Server will appear when you initially log on to the newly upgraded node as an Administrator. Close Manage Your Server to continue with the upgrade. Once the upgrade is complete, start the W3SVC service on this node and set the W3SVC service to start automatically.

    Note:
    Although suitable for most situations, it is not necessary to upgrade all nodes but one in the first step. Depending on your availability needs and the number of nodes in your cluster, you can modify the sequence of the preceding steps by performing steps three through 11 after only one, two or three nodes are upgraded. After upgrading between one and three nodes, create the Generic Script resource and bring it online. Then upgrade the remaining nodes.
To use the provided script to upgrade from Windows 2000 on a cluster that includes an IIS resource

  1. Confirm that your hardware is designed for or is compatible with Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

  2. Upgrade all nodes except the node containing the IIS instance resource from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. You can perform either a rolling upgrade, or a nonrolling upgrade, whichever is appropriate for your installation. Prior to upgrading, be sure to remove the resources that are not supported by Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. Do this by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resource folder in the console tree. In the details pane, click the resource that you want to remove, and then on the File menu, click Delete. For more information, see "Restrictions on Rolling Upgrades" earlier in this topic. For general information about Setup, see "Getting Ready for an Upgrade: Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition" and "Running Setup for an Upgrade: Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," on your Setup CD.

  3. If you do not already have a Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC) resource on the cluster that you are upgrading, create a DTC resource for this cluster on an upgraded node.

    Note:
    To cluster IIS on Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, you must have a DTC resource on that cluster as well.

  4. On an upgraded node, open a Command Prompt and navigate to the %systemroot%\system32\inetsrv directory.

  5. Type:

    iis_switch cluster name [group name]

    where

    • cluster name is the name of a physical node in the cluster that has been upgraded or the name of a virtual server.

    • group name is optional, because the script will, by default, upgrade all IIS web and FTP resources in the cluster. However, if you want to upgrade only one particular group, you can specify the name of that resource group.

    Important:
    The resource group that includes the IIS resource must be on the Windows 2000 node when you run the script. The script includes a step that will bring the group with the newly created Generic Script resource online. However, the script will only bring the group online if all resources in the group were online before the script was run. If the group was only partially online or was offline prior to the script being run, the script will take the entire group offline and will not bring any resources back online after the upgrade. Once the script completes, the newly created resource might immediately fail. This is because the W3SVC service is disabled. You can correct this problem by completing the following step.

  6. Once the script completes, take the newly created Generic Script resource offline, and then start the W3SVC service on the upgraded node and set the W3SVC to start automatically. For more information about the W3SVC, see the topic titled "Internet Information Services (IIS) security." To find this topic, click Start on the upgraded node, click Help and Support, and click Internet Services. Click Internet Information Services, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) security.

  7. Bring the Generic Script resource online.

  8. Using IIS, start the Web site on the upgraded node.

  9. Upgrade the final node to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. Manage Your Server will appear when you initially log on to the newly upgraded node as an Administrator. Close Manage Your Server to continue with the upgrade. Once the upgrade is complete, start the W3SVC service on this node and set the service to start automatically.

  10. If appropriate, add the final upgraded node to the Possible Owners list for the newly created Generic Script resource by using the Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resource folder. In the details pane, click the Generic Script resource. On the File menu, click Properties. On the General tab, next to Possible owners, click Modify.

    Only upgraded nodes can be the owner of the Generic Script Resource created in this procedure because this resource type is not supported in Windows 2000.

    Note:
    The script will not upgrade IIS resources that are in the cluster group. If you have IIS resources that are in the cluster group, you can instead use the procedure "To upgrade from Windows 2000 without using the provided script on a cluster that includes an IIS resource" earlier in this topic. The script sets the script path as %systemroot%\system32\inetsrv\ a default. You can modify this path if necessary.

    Note:
    Although suitable for most situations, it is not necessary to upgrade all nodes but one in the first step. Depending on your availability needs and the number of nodes in your cluster, you can modify the sequence of the preceding steps by performing steps two through four after only one, two or three nodes are upgraded. After upgrading between one and three nodes, create the Generic Script resource and bring it online. Then upgrade the remaining nodes.

Upgrades That Include Message Queuing Resources

Message Queuing is not fully supported during a rolling upgrade. To perform the following procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. Run as is a secondary logon method that you can use to start commands or programs using a different security context. For example, you can log on as a member of the Users group and, without logging off, run a command as a member of the Administrators group. To find more information in Windows 2000 about Run as, on a server running Windows 2000, click Start, click Help, click the Search tab, and then search for runas.

To upgrade from Windows 2000 on a cluster that contains Message Queuing resources

  1. Confirm that your hardware is designed for or is compatible with Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

  2. Take all of the Message Queuing cluster resources offline by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resources folder. In the details pane, click each Message Queuing resource, and then on the File menu, click Take Offline.

  3. For each Message Queuing resource, take the Network Name resource that depends on it offline also.

  4. Upgrade all of the nodes from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. Prior to upgrading, be sure to remove the resources that are not supported by Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. Do this by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resource folder in the console tree. In the details pane, click the resource that you want to remove, and then on the File menu, click Delete.

  5. Manage Your Server will appear when you initially log on to the newly upgraded nodes as an Administrator. Close Manage Your Server to continue with the upgrade.

  6. Bring the Network Name resources back online. Ensure that the Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC) resource is online, and then bring the Message Queuing resources online.

Last Node Rolling Upgrades

If you have other resources on your cluster such as DHCP and WINS that are not fully supported during a rolling upgrade and are not described by other technology specific procedures listed previously (such as IIS), you can perform a "last node rolling upgrade"

Last node rolling upgrades are similar to standard rolling upgrades. In a last node rolling upgrade, you upgrade all nodes except the node that contains the unsupported resources. After all other nodes are upgraded, you then upgrade the final node containing the identified resources.

Last node rolling upgrades are a way to accommodate resources that cannot fail over to an older operating system from a node running Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. Be aware that these resources can, however, fail over the other way, that is, from the older operating system to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

To perform the following procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. Run as is a secondary logon method that you can use to start commands or programs using a different security context. For example, you can log on as a member of the Users group and, without logging off, run a command as a member of the Administrators group. To find more information in Windows 2000 about Run as, on a server running Windows 2000, click Start, click Help, click the Search tab, and then search for runas.

To perform a last node rolling upgrade from Windows 2000

  1. Confirm that your systems are running Windows 2000.

  2. Confirm that your hardware is designed for or is compatible with Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

  3. Using the information in "Resource Behavior During Rolling Upgrades" earlier in this topic, identify the resources in your cluster that are not supported by Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and remove those resources. Do this by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resource folder in the console tree. In the details pane, click the resource that you want to remove, and then on the File menu, click Delete.

  4. Again using the information in "Resource Behavior During Rolling Upgrades" earlier in this topic, identify the resources in your cluster that are not supported during rolling upgrades and are not covered by other technology specific upgrade procedures described previously.

  5. Move all of the resources identified in the previous step to a single node by double-clicking the Groups folder in the Cluster Administrator console tree. Click the group that contains the resource and then in the File menu, click Move Group.

  6. Upgrade the operating system on each of the nodes that is not hosting the resources moved in the previous step. Manage Your Server will appear when you initially log on to the newly upgraded nodes as an Administrator. Close Manage Your Server to continue with the upgrade.

  7. Move all of the resources that you moved in the earlier steps from the node that has not been upgraded to one of the newly upgraded nodes.

  8. Once all of the resources have been moved, upgrade the final node. After you upgrade, close the Manage Your Server dialog box if it is displayed.

    Note:
    It is not mandatory to move all of these resources to a single node and upgrade that node last. However, following the procedure as described will typically give you the highest availability of the resources that do not support rolling upgrades.

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Upgrading a Cluster from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition

You cannot perform a rolling upgrade directly from Windows NT Server 4.0, Enterprise Edition, to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. You instead have two options:

  • You can maintain cluster availability by performing an upgrade first to Windows 2000, and then to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. If you use this method, perform an upgrade from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows 2000 as documented in the Windows 2000 documentation. Then follow the procedures documented in "Upgrading a Cluster from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," earlier in this topic. If you have an IIS resource on your Windows NT Server 4.0 cluster, after you complete both upgrades, you must delete the unsupported IIS resource type by opening the Command Prompt and typing the following command:

    Cluster restype “IIS Virtual Root” /delete /type

  • You can perform a nonrolling upgrade directly from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, which will not allow you to maintain cluster availability.

Upgrading from Windows NT Server 4.0 while not Maintaining Cluster Availability

To upgrade from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, without the use of Windows 2000, you must interrupt cluster availability. The steps you perform depend on what resources are included in your cluster. For many installations, the following procedure, "To upgrade directly from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," is appropriate. However, if your cluster contains an IIS resource, you must use the procedure "Upgrades from Windows NT Server 4.0 that Include an IIS Resource" later in this topic.

To perform the following procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure.

To upgrade directly from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition

  1. Confirm that your hardware is designed for or is compatible with Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

  2. Confirm that you do not have an IIS, MSMQ or DTC resource on your cluster. If you have an IIS resource, see "Upgrades from Windows NT Server 4.0 that Include an IIS Resource" later in this topic.

  3. Ensure that Service Pack 5 or later has been applied to all computers that will be upgraded from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

  4. As appropriate, notify users that you will be shutting down the applications they use on the cluster.

  5. Stop the applications that are made available through the cluster.

  6. Remove any resources that are not supported by Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, including NNTP Service Instance, SMTP Service Instance and Time Service resources. Do this by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resource folder in the console tree. In the details pane, click the resource that you want to remove, and then on the File menu, click Delete.

  7. Shut down and turn off all nodes but one, or bring them to a shutdown state appropriate to your method of termination.

    Caution:
    If you are using a shared storage device, when you upgrade and power on and start the operating system, it is of vital importance that only one node has access to the cluster disk. Otherwise the cluster disks can become corrupted. To prevent the corruption of the cluster disks, shut down all but one cluster node, or use other techniques (for example, LUN masking, selective presentation, or zoning) to protect the cluster disks, before creating the cluster. Once the Cluster service is running properly on one node, the other nodes can be installed and configured simultaneously.

  8. Upgrade the operating system on the node that is running. For more general information about Setup, review "Getting Ready for an Upgrade: Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition" and "Running Setup for an Upgrade: Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," on your Setup CD.

    The cluster software will be upgraded automatically during the operating system upgrade. Note that you cannot make configuration changes such as configuring cluster disks as dynamic disks. For more information, see "Limitations of server clusters" in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. To open Help and Support Center, after completing Setup, click Start, and then click Help and Support.

    Note:
    When upgrading from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, the Cluster service user account requires the additional user right "Act as part of the operating system." If possible, Setup will grant this user right automatically. If Setup cannot grant the user right, you will be prompted to make this change. For security reasons, you must grant this user right to the specific user account that is used by the Cluster service. You cannot correct this problem by granting the user right to a security group of which the user account is a member. Typically, you must grant this user right as a local user right; it cannot be a domain-level user right. However, if your node is a domain controller, you can use the domain level user right. For more information on setting user rights, on Windows NT Server 4.0, open User Manager for Domains, click the Help menu in User Manager and refer to "Managing the User Rights Policy." Manage Your Server will appear when you initially log on to the newly upgraded node as an Administrator. Close Manage Your Server to continue with the upgrade.

  9. On the upgraded node, click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Cluster Administrator.

  10. Check to see that the cluster disks are online in Cluster Administrator.

    Caution:
    Be sure that the cluster disks are online in Cluster Administrator before continuing to the next step. When the disks are online, it means that the Cluster service is working, which means that only one node can access the cluster storage at any given time. Otherwise the cluster storage could be corrupted.

  11. Shut down and turn off the upgraded node, or bring it to a shutdown state appropriate to your method of termination.

  12. Turn on the other node in the cluster and upgrade the operating system on that node.

    Manage Your Server will appear when you initially log on to the newly upgraded node as an Administrator. Close Manage Your Server to continue with the upgrade.

  13. After the second node is upgraded, turn on the first node.

  14. If you want to add additional nodes to the cluster, add them after the first two nodes are upgraded.

    Important:
    If your goal is to have more than two nodes in the cluster, you must use Fibre Channel (not SCSI) for the cluster storage. Before adding additional nodes, ensure that your entire cluster solution is compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family. For more information, see "Hardware Compatibility" earlier in this topic.

Upgrades from Windows NT Server 4.0 that Include an IIS Resource

To upgrade a clustered IIS resource, you must replace the existing IIS resource with a Generic Script Resource. Be aware that the following procedure is only applicable when upgrading directly from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

To perform the following procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure.

To upgrade from Windows NT Server 4.0 on a cluster that includes an IIS resource

  1. Confirm that your hardware is designed for or is compatible with Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

  2. As appropriate, notify users that you will be shutting down the applications they use on the cluster.

  3. Ensure that Service Pack 5 or later has been applied to all computers that will be upgraded from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition.

  4. Stop the applications that are made available through the cluster.

  5. Remove any resources that are not supported by Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, including NNTP Service Instance, SMTP Service Instance and Time Service resources. Do this by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resource folder in the console tree. In the details pane, click the resource that you want to remove, and then on the File menu, click Delete.

  6. Set the Cluster service on all nodes to start manually.

  7. Shut down and turn off the node that does not contain the IIS resource, or bring it to a shutdown state appropriate to your method of termination.

    Caution:
    If you are using a shared storage device, when you upgrade and power on and start the operating system, it is of vital importance that only one node has access to the cluster disk. Otherwise the cluster disks can become corrupted. To prevent the corruption of the cluster disks, shut down all but one cluster node, or use other techniques (for example, LUN masking, selective presentation, or zoning) to protect the cluster disks, before creating the cluster. Once the Cluster service is running properly on one node, the other nodes can be installed and configured simultaneously.

  8. On the running node, note the dependencies of the IIS instance resource. Note the resources that depend on the IIS resource and also note what resources IIS itself is dependent on.

  9. Take the group containing the IIS instance resource offline by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Groups folder. In the details pane, click the group containing the IIS resource, and then on the File menu, click Take Offline.

  10. Remove any dependencies on the IIS instance resource by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resources folder. For each resource that is dependent on the IIS instance resource, in the details pane, click the resource you want to modify, and then on the File menu, click Properties. On the Dependencies tab, click Modify. Click the IIS resource in the Dependencies list and click the left arrow to move it to the Available resources list.

  11. Delete the IIS instance resource by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resource folder in the console tree. In the details pane, click the IIS instance resource, and then on the File menu, click Delete.

  12. Delete the unsupported resource type: Open the Command Prompt and type the following command and press ENTER:

    Cluster restype “IIS Virtual Root” /delete /type

  13. Stop the Cluster service on the remaining node.

  14. Upgrade the operating system on the running node. See "Running Setup for an Upgrade: Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition," on your Setup CD, for general information about Setup.

    The cluster software will be upgraded automatically during the operating system upgrade. Note that you cannot make configuration changes such as configuring cluster disks as dynamic disks. After you upgrade, close Manage Your Server if it is displayed.

    Note:
    When upgrading from Windows NT Server 4.0 to Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, the Cluster service user account requires the additional privilege "Act as part of the operating system". If possible, Setup will grant this privilege automatically. If Setup cannot grant the privilege, you will be prompted to make this change. For security reasons, you must grant this user right to the specific user account that is used by the Cluster Server service. You cannot correct this problem by granting the user right to a security group of which the user account is a member. Typically, you must grant this user right as a local user right; it cannot be a domain-level user right. However, if your node is a domain controller, you can use the domain level user right. For more information on setting user rights, on Windows NT Server 4.0, open User Manager for Domains, click the Help menu in User Manager and refer to "Managing the User Rights Policy."

    Note:
    Manage Your Server will appear when you initially log on to the newly upgraded node as an Administrator. Close Manage Your Server to continue with the upgrade.

  15. Start the Cluster service on the upgraded node.

  16. Reconfigure the Cluster service on the upgraded node to start automatically.

  17. Shut down and turn off the upgraded node, or bring it to a shutdown state appropriate to your method of termination.

  18. Turn on the other node in the cluster and upgrade the operating system on that node. Manage Your Server will appear when you initially log on to the newly upgraded node as an Administrator. Close Manage Your Server to continue with the upgrade.

    Caution:
    If you are using a shared storage device, when you upgrade and power on and start the operating system, it is of vital importance that only one node has access to the cluster disk. Otherwise the cluster disks can become corrupted. To prevent the corruption of the cluster disks, shut down all but one cluster node, or use other techniques (for example, LUN masking, selective presentation, or zoning) to protect the cluster disks, before creating the cluster. Once the Cluster service is running properly on one node, the other nodes can be installed and configured simultaneously.

  19. After the second node is upgraded, start the Cluster service on the second upgraded node. The node automatically rejoins the existing cluster.

  20. Reconfigure the Cluster service on the upgraded node to start automatically.

  21. Turn on the first node.

  22. On one of the upgraded nodes, click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Cluster Administrator.

  23. Check to see that the cluster disks are online in Cluster Administrator.

    Caution:
    Be sure that the cluster disks are online in Cluster Administrator before continuing to the next step. When the disks are online, it means that the Cluster service is working, which means that only one node can access the cluster storage at any given time. Otherwise the cluster storage could be corrupted.

  24. If you do not already have a Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC) resource on the cluster that you are upgrading, create a DTC resource on this cluster.

    Note:
    To cluster IIS on Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, you must have a DTC resource on that cluster as well.

  25. On the node that used to contain the IIS resource, create a Generic Script resource by following the procedure documented in "Checklist: Creating a clustered IIS Web or FTP service." To find this procedure, click Start on the upgraded node, click Help and Support, and click Availability and Scalability. Click Windows Clustering, click Server Clusters, click Checklists: Creating Server Clusters, and then click Checklist: Creating a clustered IIS Web or FTP service.

    Recreate the dependencies of the Generic Script resource identical to those of the now deleted IIS resource. Make everything that was dependent on the IIS resource dependent instead on the Generic Script resource. In addition, make the Generic Script resource dependent on everything that IIS was dependent on.

  26. Start the W3SVC service on all nodes and set the service to start automatically. For more information about the W3SVC, see the topic titled "Internet Information Services (IIS) security." To find this topic, click Start on the upgraded node, click Help and Support, and click Internet Services. Click Internet Information Services, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) security.

  27. Bring the group containing the new Generic Script resource online by using Cluster Administrator and clicking the Resources folder. In the details pane, click the Generic Script resource, and then on the File menu click Bring Online.

  28. Using IIS, start the Web site.

  29. If you want to add additional nodes to the cluster, add them after the first two nodes are upgraded.

    Important:
    If your goal is to have more than two nodes in the cluster, you must use Fibre Channel (not SCSI) for the cluster storage. Before adding additional nodes, ensure that your entire cluster solution is compatible with products in the Windows Server 2003 family. For more information see "Hardware Compatibility" earlier in this topic.

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