To install SQL Server failover cluster we need to have windows cluster configured with a shared disk.

Step 1

If you do not have a windows cluster configured you can create using Hyper-v

Follow the steps in “HOW TO CREATE CLUSTER USING HYPER-V” to create Domain controller and two member servers which will act as nodes of the cluster.

Once the domain controller and two member servers are created proceed to step 2

Step 2

Once the domain controller and nodes are created install failover cluster feature and create cluster 

To install the failover cluster feature and create a cluster follow the steps in “How to install cluster in windows 2008 and windows 2012“

Step 3

Once the cluster is created we have to create shared Disk for installing failover aware clustered application like SQL Server.

Follow the steps in ”How to create shared disk using iSCSI Software Target” to create a shared disk using iSCSI target software.

 

Once shared disk is configured invoke Setup from  SQL server installation media .Make sure the node in which you perform the  installation has shared disk online.

Run the setup.

Start the installation by selecting New SQL Server Failover Cluster Installation option.

Setup support rules will analyze and identify the problems that might occur during setup installation.

After setup validation ,you will get details about operations completed,Click Next and continue

On the Product key page, specify the Product ID key of the product. Click Next.

Then read and select the check box to accept terms and agreements.Click Next.

Select the developer features which you want and click Next.

 

Perform instance configuration.Give SQL server network name.Either you could have  default instance or named instance.But you could have only one default instance.

Click Next.

Allocate required disk space for your installation.Click Next.

Select the SQL Server cluster resource group name.Click Next and continue.

Cluster disk selection will help us to view the disk we have selected for SQL Server failover cluster.

Configure the network resource for your SQL Server failover cluster.Select DHCP check box if you are going to use DHCP network.Otherwise give the IP address for your network(IP address which you provide not be in use currently).

Select the database engine domain group and SQL Server agent domain group. These groups have to be pre created in AD before the installation and startup account of SQL Server services will be added to these groups.  You can also use service SIDs option.

Specify the  account name and password for SQL server agent and SQL server database engine.Click Next.

Specify the authentication mode for your SQL Server failover cluster.Click Next and continue your installation.Verify the cluster installation rules.

  Enable error reporting service if you want or else,click Next and continue.

Cluster installation rules will run the setup to determine whether any operations will block the installation.After operation completes.Click Next and continue. 

Ready to install page will display the summary of options which we have selected during the setup process.If you want to make any changes,go back and make the required changes or else Click Install and start the installation.

Click Close and Complete the installation process.

Successfully we have installed the SQL server failover cluster in first node.

We can install the SQL server failover cluster in remaining nodes by selecting Add node to a SQL Server failover cluster in  installation centre window. To add node to existing SQL Server failover cluster follow the steps in “How to add node to SQL Server cluster”