Business Continuity Support for

Clustering is a key technique to achieve maximum fault tolerance. A cluster is a collection of computer systems responsible for running a shared set of applications and services. The systems in the cluster are interconnected through hardware and software in such a way that in case any component in the cluster stops functioning, the workload will "failover" to, or be assumed by, another system in the cluster without a disruption of service.

Failover clustering clearly has an advantage in increasing network availability in the case of a hardware breakdown, but it also allows non-disruptive system maintenance for environments that have no time window when key applications such as email or web commerce can be taken offline without hurting business. For geographically dispersed environments, multi-site clustering provides insurance against natural disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes.

The Enterprise and Datacenter editions of Windows Server 2008 included significant improvements in failover clustering such as easier deployment, management, and migration; enhanced support for multi-site clusters; improved security architecture and quorum models; stronger authentication and encryption; and more efficient tools for backup and recovery. Windows Server 2008 R2 offers even more advanced support for clustering through the addition of features that make clusters more secure, more available, and easier to manage. Major clustering improvements in Windows Server 2008 R2 include Live Migration support through Cluster Shared Volumes, enhanced support for IPsec security, and expanded cluster storage.

Progent offers a full range of Windows Server 2008 Server consulting services and Windows Server 2008 R2 expertise and can assist businesses of any size to maintain and troubleshoot failover clusters powered by Windows Server 2008. If you are considering an upgrade to a modern version of Windows Server, Progent can provide Windows Server 2019 migration expertise and Windows Server 2016 failover clustering consulting to maximize the availability and performance of your system.

New and Improved Features of Windows Server 2008 Failover Clustering
The failover clustering capabilities incorporated into Microsoft Windows 2008 Server represents more than a decade of Microsoft's experience in developing clustering technology. The Enterprise and Datacenter Editions of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 offer a number of new clustering services and capabilities including:

More Convenient Management Interfaces
Windows Server 2008 includes Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0, a new easy-to-use interface for controlling network resources. The new Failover Cluster Administration Console is task oriented rather than cluster resource oriented. To make a file share highly available, for example, the administrator no longer has to create a group, a disk resource, an IP address resource, Network Name, configure IsAlive/LookAlive, configure preferred services, and set dependencies. Instead, the wizard simply asks for the Network Name. You do not necessarily need to assign an IP address because Windows Server 2008 failover clustering now supports DHCP.

Windows Server 2008 also supports remote management via the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT). You can manage multiple clusters throughout the organization from a single MMC. Windows Server 2008 Failover Clusters are also fully scriptable with Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).

Built-in Cluster Validate Tool
Windows Server 2008 clustering includes a cluster Validate Tool, an expanded and integrated version of the ClusPrep tool released for Windows Server 2003 server clustering. As a part of the cluster configuration process, Validate runs a set of tests to determine whether the selected servers, cluster networks, and storage meet the requirements for failover clustering. Validate performs an inventory that includes BIOS information, operating systems, adapters, drivers and software updates; verifies cluster topology for redundancy; checks IP configuration details; and makes sure that storage can correctly handle simulated cluster actions. The Validate Tool helps prevents configuration errors, which is one of the most common problems encountered in failover clusters.

Support for Windows Server 2008 Server Core
Windows Server 2008 offers a Server Core installation option that supports failover clustering and provides a bare-bones environment for running distinct server roles. By limiting the services that need to be maintained and updated, this minimalist installation reduces support and management expense and enhances security by shrinking the server's attack surface. Server Core supports a variety of important roles including DHCP server, file services, print services, DNS server, Active Directory Domain Services, streaming media services, and Windows Server 2008 virtualization.

Better Storage and Backup Support
Improvements in storage and backup offer increased stability and availability for failover clusters. Support for both Master Boot Record (MBR) and GUID Partition Table (GPT) disks allows the creation of disks greater than 2 terabytes. Built-in logic initiates self healing automatically as long as the system can find either the disk signature in the Master Boot Record or the SCSI inquiry page 0x83 data (VPD).

Support for Storage Area Networking (SAN) solutions is improved for storage hardware that supports SCSI-3 SPC3-compliant SCSI commands for persistent reservation/release. All multi-path solutions are Microsoft Multipath I/O (MPIO). The Device Specific Module (DSM) provided by the storage vendor is responsible for sending PR registration information down each path to the storage system. Closer integration with Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) makes the backup process easier. Failover clustering in Windows Server 2008 has its own VSS.

Greater Expandability
With Windows Server 2008, x64-based failover clusters support up to 16 nodes in a single cluster, as opposed to the maximum of 8 nodes in Windows Server 2003. Windows Server 2008 failover clusters also now support GPT disks, which use the GUID partition table (GPT) disk partitioning system. A GPT disk allows up to 128 primary partitions and a much larger volume size. In comparison, MBR disks can support up to four primary partitions and a volume size limit of up to 2 terabytes. For greater reliability, GPT disks offer replication and cyclical redundancy check (CRC) protection of the partition table. The increased number of nodes plus support for GPT disks dramatically extends the scalability of larger volumes in cluster environments.

A New Quorum Model
Windows Server 2008 introduces a new failover clustering quorum model that incorporates a combination of Microsoft's earlier shared disk and majority node set models. In Windows Server 2008 failover clustering there are now four ways to establish a quorum:

• No Majority - Disk Only (same as Windows Server 2003 shared disk quorum)
• Node Majority (same as the Windows Server 2003 majority node set)
• Node and Disk Majority
• Node and File Share Majority

An Improved Security Model
Windows Server 2008 failover clustering incorporates a new security model that enhances its security and dependability. Changes include:

• Elimination of the need for a domain user account for the Cluster Service Account (CSA)
• Better logging and event tracing
• Transition from unsecure datagram remote procedure call (RPC) communications to TCP-based RPC communications
• Default enabling Kerberos authentication on all cluster network name resources
• The ability to audit access to the cluster service via either the Failover Cluster Management snap-in or the cluster command-line interface
• Ability to secure Inter-Cluster communications.

New Networking Capabilities and More Flexible Dependencies
Windows Server 2008 failover clustering includes a new networking model. Major improvements include:

• Enhanced support for geographically distributed networks
• The ability to place cluster nodes on different networks
• The ability to use DHCP server to assign IP addresses to cluster interfaces
• Improvements in the cluster heartbeat mechanism
• Support for IPv6

Cluster IP address resources can now get their addressing from DHCP servers as well as from static entries. The cluster heartbeat mechanism has moved from a UDP broadcast health checking mechanism to a UDP unicast communication that it uses a Ping-like Request-Reply process. This allows better security and more reliable packet sequence numbering. Windows Server 2008 supports IPv6 IP Address resources and IPv4 IP Address resources either alone or in combination in a cluster. Clustering also supports 6-4 and Intra-site Automatic Tunneling Addressing Protocol (ISATAP).

Enhancements to Failover Clustering In Windows Server 2008 R2
Major enhancements to Failover Clustering available with Windows Server 2008 R2 include:

• Clustered Shared Volumes (CSV) with dynamic I/O redirection
• Geographically dispersed clustering for immunity from natural disasters
• Easier setup and migration through the new Best Practices Analyzer
• Redundant Quorum Resource to eliminate single-point failure for the cluster quorum
• Improved security through support for IPsec security between client and cluster nodes
• Supports for GPT disks that exceed 2 terabytes in capacity

How Progent Can Help You Benefit from Microsoft's Failover Clustering
Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can help you evaluate the business benefits of Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 failover clustering, set up pilot programs to validate performance and compatibility for your key workloads, develop and execute a cost-effective deployment plan, train your IT staff to manage your clustering environment, and provide ongoing consulting and technical support services remotely or at your site. Progent can also provide comprehensive Help Desk services.

Progent's service professionals can also help you migrate from Windows Server 2003 cluster nodes. This migration requires experience because these two types of nodes cannot share the same cluster, which eliminates a rolling migration.

If you currently have a clustering environment based on Windows Server 2008 R2 and are considering a move to Windows Server 2019 or Windows Server 2016, Progent can help you plan and carry out a Windows Server 2019 failover clustering upgrade or create a Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery solution.

Progent's CISM, CISA, GIAC, CISSP, and CRISC certified security engineers can assess the protection offered by your cluster environment and can recommend and implement affordable improvements. Progent's security experts can also help you design, document, and test business continuity and disaster recovery plans.

Non-stop Solutions Offered by Progent's Consultants
Progent's certified consulting experts can help you to design a cost-effective, fault-tolerant network that resolves critical issues encompassing a wide range of networking solutions and processes including:

Workplace Recovery Planning
Progent's business continuity planning engineers can show you how to create a business continuity plan in order to resume IT operations in the event of an IT network disaster. Progent can assist you to develop a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that includes periodic disaster recovery evaluations and drills. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-authorized consultants can also help you build an affordable, fault-tolerant system solution that takes into account reliability issues involving a wide range of network technologies and processes. For more information, see Business Continuity Expertise.

CRISC-Certified IT Risk Mitigation
The CRISC program was initiated by ISACA to verify an IT professional's ability to plan, implement, and maintain information system control mechanisms to reduce network risk. Progent offers the services of a CRISC-certified engineer to help your company to create and execute a workplace continuity or disaster recovery plan based on leading practices identified by CRISC and geared to match your organization's risk tolerance, business objectives, and IT budget. To find out more, see CRISC-Certified network risk management specialists.

Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Fault-tolerant Failover Clustering
Windows Server 2019 incorporated important enhancements in capacity, throughput, manageability, security and compliance, application compatibility, Linux support, container technology, and hybrid combinations of on-premises and cloud-hosted resources. Top enhancements of Microsoft Windows Server 2019 are Windows Admin Center for centralizing the management and monitoring of hybrid on-premises/cloud deployments, System Insights for utilizing modern predictive analytics to manage on-premises networks, Windows Defender ATP Exploit Guard for host-intrusion defense, container networking with Kubernetes, Cluster Sets technology for deploying and managing massive non-stop scale-out clusters, and Microsoft's Storage Migration Service for streamlining the migration from outdated versions of Windows Server. For details, see Microsoft Windows Server 2019 High Availability Failover Clustering Consulting.

Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery experts can assist your organization to plan and deploy a disaster recovery solution based on Microsoft's cloud-tested Failover Clustering tools including Cluster OS Rolling Upgrade for non-disruptive migration to Windows Server 2016, Storage Replica for crash-consistent Recovery Point Objective (RPO), Storage Spaces Direct for high-performance storage clusters using low-cost hardware, Virtual Machine Load Balancing for enhancing the speed and resilience of Failover Clusters while minimizing TCO and operational expenses, and Cloud Witness for fast, economical creation of a stretch cluster quorum witness. To read more, go to Microsoft Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Help.

VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Disaster Recovery Solutions
VMware's Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is a component of VMware vCenter that allows you to define, automate and test a repeatable workflow for recovering services quickly following a breakdown. SRM supports centrally controlled and automated recovery, application mobility, and non-intrusive site relocation, failback and re-protect. SRM also allows transparent testing for disaster recovery, updates and patches and can generate audit reports to verify full service recovery, validate Service Level Agreements and prove compliance. Progent offers the skills of a VCDX certified VMware SRM consulting expert to help your organization to plan, configure, test and maintain a disaster recovery system powered by VMware Site Recovery Manager.

NetApp MetroCluster High Availability and Disaster Recovery Platform
NetApp MetroCluster is a high-availability and disaster recovery platform that uses failover storage clustering along with synchronous replication to deliver rapid, zero RPO disaster recovery (DR) between datacenters that are as far as 300km apart from each other. Progent offers access to a NetApp MetroCluster consultant who can assist you to plan, deploy, manage, update, test and troubleshoot a disaster recovery system built around NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can help you to select an architecture for your MetroCluster deployment that meets your functional needs and budget. Progent can make sure you follow best practices for installing your MetroCluster solution by providing help with procedures such as assigning disk pools, determining aggregate layout, setting up NetApp FlexVol volumes, setting up NetApp Snapshot, installing switches, implementing a tiebreaker, designing a TCP/IP configuration replication network between your storage clusters, and testing your MetroCluster disaster recovery system to show adherence with information assurance standards and government requirements.

Network Load Balancing
Progent offers high availability load balancing consulting that addresses system load balancing, load balanced applications, LAN/WAN infrastructure routing, and content dispatching products such as Cisco Content Engine. Non-stop load balancing technologies for which Progent offers consulting expertise include Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 Server Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Access Suite and Access Gateway, Cisco Content Services Switch, Cisco Content Distribution Manager and LocalDirector 400 series, and F5 Networks BIG-IP. For more information, visit High Availability Load Balancing.

Fault Tolerant Data Centers
Progent's Data Center professionals can help you identify high availability data centers that meet the specific requirements of your business. High availability colocation sites are particularly attractive to small and mid-size companies because of their low cost and simplified logistics in comparison to taking a do-it-yourself approach. Attempting to create an in-house data center that offers even a minimum level of fault tolerance is too costly for the majority of small businesses. Progent can help you get all the advantages of 24x7 colocation centers by providing a complete range of engineering and support services. For details, go to Non-stop Data Centers Expertise.

High-Availability Branch Office Connectivity
Progent's branch office connection consultants can help companies create zero-downtime multi-site connectivity solutions via redundant system architectures featuring transparent failover. Progent's Cisco-premier CCIE engineers can design and implement ultra-reliable Inter-office connections supported by fault tolerant EIGRP network routers or non-stop OSPF configurations of Cisco routers. Progent can show you how multi-path connections and automatic fail-over can provide economical non-stop interoffice networking. To find out more, go to Fault Tolerant Inter-office Networking.

24x7 Internet Access
Progent's Cisco-authorized IT professionals can help you create an affordable, fault tolerant Internet configuration architecture that can deliver non-stop Internet connectivity via a wide range of high availability Internet access solutions including high availability BGP, automatic fail-over, and redundant ISPs. Progent offers CCIE engineers to show you how to utilize the most advanced techniques for high availability Internet connectivity to implement a cost-effective, completely redundant Internet interface with automatic failover and other capabilities to deliver fault tolerant Internet availability. To read more, visit Fault Tolerant Internet Access Architecture.

Backup and Restore Solutions Consulting Experts
Progent offers affordable online access to consultants with expertise in a wide array of products and technologies that deliver solutions for backing up Windows, Mac, and Linux physical and virtual servers and workstations plus laptops and handhelds. Progent offers consulting support for leading backup platforms such as Acronis, Symantec Backup Exec, BackupAssist Software, CrashPlan PRO, Double-Take Software, MozyPro, Retrospect, Time Machine, VMware vSphere Data Protection (VDP), and Oracle Solaris FLARs. Progent's consultants can assist your company to implement, enhance, or maintain backup solutions for a variety of topologies including local, remote, cloud-based, or hybrid. To learn more, go to Backup and Recovery Solutions Consulting.

Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) Backup and Restore Consulting
Progent's expert System Center Data Protection Manager support professionals can help your company to develop a practical business continuity plan, implement a cost-effective fault-tolerante network infrastructure, configure a System Center Data Protection Manager-based backup and restore solution, comprehensively test your system, educate your administrative personnel or local consultants how to maintain Microsoft SCDPM, or provide extensive information technology outsourcing services including remote housing of Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager servers in Progent's secure data center facility. To read more, go to Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager Expertise.

Barracuda Backup Local, Offsite and Cloud Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is a low-cost, subscription backup and disaster recovery service for small and mid-size organizations. A Barracuda Backup deployment can incorporate a custom-designed physical storage device built by Barracuda or a virtual appliance with similar functionality but which utilizes your existing storage infrastructure. Barracuda Backup protects vital business data generated locally, at one or more remote locations, or in the cloud. For disaster recovery, you can replicate data to the Barracuda Cloud, to Amazon Web Services (AWS), or to any location with a Barracuda Backup appliance. Progent is a Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consulting experts offer a broad range of consulting support services to assist your business to design, integrate, operate and repair a backup and disaster recovery system based on Barracuda Backup. For additional information, go to Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consulting.

ProSight DPS Altaro VM Backup Software for Data Protection and Disaster Recovery
Hornetsecurity's Altaro VM Backup software provides small and mid-size organizations a reliable and budget-friendly solution for backing up and restoring Hyper-V and VMware-based virtual machines (VMs). Altaro VM Backup can be deployed in on-premises, remote, distributed, and cloud-hosted environments and also enables cost-effective backup to Azure storage. Altaro VM Backup supports high-end features such as Immutable Cloud Storage for enhanced recoverability from ransomware. Progent is a certified Hornetsecurity Altaro partner and can provide a wide array of remote or onsite consulting services to assist you to plan, deploy, optimize and debug a modern backup/restore system based on Altaro VM Backup. With ProSight DPS Altaro VM Backup, Progent offers a managed backup/recovery service powered by on Altaro VM Backup software. To read more, visit Altaro VM Backup consulting.

ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup Services for Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 offers simple archiving but does not have integrated support for crucial data protection capabilities like Exchange Online backups or greater than 30-day point-in-time recovery for OneDrive or SharePoint Online. Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup delivers a feature-rich platform for automatic backup and quick recovery of all your organization's M365 mailboxes, Teams Chats, SharePoint documents, OneDrive files, and content on Windows endpoints. Progent is a certified Hornetsecurity/Altaro partner and offers ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS) 365 Total Backup to deliver end-to-end managed services for Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup suite. ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup delivers an affordable backup-as-a-service solution that guards M365 apps against data loss resulting from user or software mistakes, malevolent deletion, and malware assaults such as ransomware. For details, see ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup solutions for Microsoft 365.

Fully Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO
ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO provide small and medium-sized organizations a low cost and fully managed service for reliable backup/disaster recovery. Available at a fixed monthly cost, ProSight DPS ECHO automates and monitors your backup processes and allow fast restoration of critical files, applications and virtual machines that have become unavailable or corrupted as a result of hardware failures, software bugs, natural disasters, human mistakes, or malicious attacks such as ransomware. ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO can help you protect, retrieve and restore files, folders, apps, system images, as well as Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware images. Important data can be protected on the cloud, to an on-promises storage device, or to both. Progent's backup and recovery consultants can deliver world-class expertise to configure ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO to be compliant with regulatory requirements such as HIPAA, FIRPA, and PCI and, when necessary, can help you to recover your business-critical information. Read more about ProSight DPS ECHO managed cloud backup.

ProSight DPS 360 Backup Services
Progent's data protection experts can help your company to design, deploy and troubleshoot a backup plan built around MSP360 technology. MSP360 enables file or image-based backup/restore for VMs and physical machines, supports all leading public clouds, and permits you to build a data protection solution with a low Recovery Time Objective and a defined Recovery Point Objective. With ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup, Progent offers comprehensive monitoring and remote management of your backup environment to prevent data loss resulting from user miscues, computer glitches, ill-intentioned users, and malware attacks like ransomware. To find out more, visit ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup solutions.

Consulting Services Double-Take Solutions for Data Backup and Recovery
Double-Take Software offers a selection of products intended to deliver small companies a range of cost-effective alternatives for backing up and restoring vital applications such as Microsoft Exchange Server, SQL, Blackberry, and SharePoint. Progent's disaster recovery planning experts have in-depth experience integrating Double-Take Software technology into small business information systems to create a high level of availability and business continuity readiness at a budget-friendly cost. To read more, go to Consulting Services Double-Take Software for Data Backup.

Why Pick Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning Solutions?
Since Progent is a Microsoft Partner and offers high-level application consulting for a wide variety of small business software programs, Progent can assist clients to arrive at efficient information technology solutions that substantially enhance the productivity of your network. As a Registered Partner for Cisco, Progent offers the support of certified engineers and specialists with expertise in architecting, configuring and supporting networking solutions based on Cisco products. The broad scope of Progent's IT know-how and Progent's appreciation for the needs of small and midsize companies make Progent the perfect resource for creating and running an affordable, fault-tolerant information system.

How You Can Access Progent's Engineers for Help with Fault Tolerant Computing
In order to get in touch with Progent about professional assistance for fault tolerant infrastructure, call 1-800-993-9400 or see Contact Progent.