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If I have a cluster and I pause the SQL Server Service on the active server with the cluster interpret this as a failure and attempt to fail-over?

I tried this on a failover cluster test on my laptop (Windows 2008 Enterprise eval running SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1), open SQL server configuration manager and stop SQL server service on the (active) node wait for couple of minutes but somehow SQL server db service did not failed over?

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2 Answers

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Failover clustering works to provide constant service in the event of a failure (defining a failure as an "abnormal termination of the previously active application, server, system, or network" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failover). Manual manipulation (start, restart, pause, and stop) upon the service being clustered (SQL Server, File Services, etc.) does not qualify as an abnormal termination of the service.

If I recall, at least in Windows Server 2008, you can simulate a failover test case in the Failover Management Console under Administration Tools. Check this out for a list of testing methods: http://blogs.technet.com/b/vipulshah/archive/2009/06/17/failover-cluster-testing-methods.aspx

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I did this test out of curiosity assuming SQL server service failed to start after windows startup. – SQL Learner Apr 4 '12 at 17:28
@SQLLearner Yea, I've done the same thing in the past just to see what would happen :-) – OliverAsmus Apr 4 '12 at 17:43
Regardless whether failure is normal or abnormal ...Reason for test if it is doing IsAlive check @@ServerName every minute it should Fail? – SQL Learner Apr 4 '12 at 17:50
up vote 1 down vote

are you doing this from the cluster manager? pausing the service or the node?

Pausing the node will mean the service stays online. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc917563.aspx

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no, I stopped SQL Server service using SQL server configuration manager on the active node. – SQL Learner Apr 4 '12 at 17:27
i can't test that right now, but it sounds like a feature ;-) Try killing the sqlservr.exe process. Your trying to simulate a failover scenario yeah? – Nick Kavadias Apr 4 '12 at 17:37
does doing an initiate failover from the cluster manager work? – Nick Kavadias Apr 4 '12 at 17:46
Yes, it works when I switch service to different node using failover cluster manager. – SQL Learner Apr 4 '12 at 18:05

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