Re: Windows Server 2008 cluster nodes as Domain Controllers

"John Doe" <JohnDoe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:2400A322-BCD9-416C-8027-F9A367387C31@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I understand your comments however you must realise that not all situations
fit the complete Microsoft framework. And wanting to run cluster nodes as DCs
may in some situations not have anything to do with lack of money. Far from
it. I want to run clusters across a spanned network in two separate
datacenters with two separate SANs.

This does not require putting your nodes on DCs. Far from it.

I want to move a heavily used resource (Microsoft Exchange) into the HA
space. However, the current Exchange servers (not clustered) are DCs.

This is not supported. See this KB for more info: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/898634/

This is
required in my company's situation. The workstations are not part of the AD
domain, which must be more common that Microsoft think. The AD and Exchange
Admins (my group) have no control over workstations, so we can't dictate that
they be members of the domain. In fact, working at a University you soon
learn that IT can't dictate anything!

Again, this does not require that your nodes be DCs.

Reason for being DCs? As the workstations aren't members of the domain, when
the client launches Outlook the local account and password is passed to the
Exchange server, which can't authenticate the user based on the domain. So
the Exchange server checks its own user (local) database, which is a full
copy of the domain! The user account and password match and Outlook launches
without an issue. [pass-through authentication].

This is not a reason to make the nodes domain controllers.

The issue, if we can't have Exchange cluster nodes be DCs, is we can have HA
(which only comes into play during a, hopefully infrequent, outage/disaster)
or user convenience (every time Outlook is launched). When "management" is
asked which one they want the answer is always the same; forget the cluster.

Then you should forget the cluster. Seriously, if management is not committed to HA, then don't implement it.

--
Russ Kaufmann
MVP - Windows Server - Clustering
ClusterHelp.com, a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner
Web http://www.clusterhelp.com
Blog http://msmvps.com/clusterhelp

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