SQL Server® 2008 Administration: Real World Skills for MCITP Certification and Beyond

Understanding Windows Failover Clustering Service

The Windows Failover Clustering service provides server clustering for Windows-based servers. A cluster is a collection of servers that work together to provide services to the network. The unique thing about a cluster of servers, as opposed to separate servers performing independent functions, is that the collection of clustered servers is accessed as a single server. You may have two servers in a cluster, but they appear as one to the users.

Clusters share storage. For example, if you have two physical servers that you want to use as a cluster for SQL Server 2008, both servers must have access to shared storage. It is this shared storage that allows both servers to access the same data and for ...