Adding and Removing node from SQL Server Cluster Failover

Question

Hi All,

In my environment we are useing 2 node cluster with Windows 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2008 R2.we are going to remove 2 node and formatting the complete server and we are again adding the node 2 and same thing for node1 also .Is there any constraints.

Please tell me the best practices.

---

Thanks&Regards Siva G

Answer 1

Simply evicting the nodes before formatting will accomplish what you want from a cluster perspective.  If you are going to re-use the cluster node names, you will need to delete the Virtual Name Objects from Active Directory when you flatten the node.

---

Geoff N. Hiten Principal Consultant Microsoft SQL Server MVP

Answer 2

Hi SKReddy,

To update or remove a SQL Server failover cluster, you must be a local administrator with permission to log in as a service on all nodes of the failover cluster.

To add a node to an existing SQL Server failover cluster, you must run SQL Server Setup on the node that is to be added to the SQL Server failover cluster instance. Do not run Setup on the active node.

To remove a node from an existing SQL Server failover cluster, you must run SQL Server Setup on the node that is to be removed from the SQL Server failover cluster instance.

SQL Server 2008 R2 Cluster Best Practices: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/pamitt/archive/2010/11/06/sql-server-clustering-best-practices.aspx .
How to Add or Remove Nodes in a SQL Server Failover Cluster: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms191545(v=sql.105).aspx.

Thanks,
Maggie

---

Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.