Basic Clustering and Failovers

I'm thinking of setting up clustering and have a basic failover question that I can't seem to find and an answer.

I want to setup two sql 2005 std ed servers and have them clustered. When the servers are running are they both taking requests (load balanced) or is only one server taking requests and the other being updated, waiting for the first server to fail. If this is true, if/when the first server fails does the second one step up automatically?

I couldn't find any resources that answered these seemingly beginner questions. I'm more than happy to read so if you know of any articles/books I'd appreciate that as well.

thanks in advance,

Scott

Scott,

First, you have to install windows cluster server before starting to install sql server.

Running SQL Server setup detetcts then cluster and installs sql server on all nodes.

For SQL Server There are two possible setups

a) active/passive = both servers are running. one is the active (taking requests) the other is standby to takeover.

b) active/active = both nodes are taking request (each server for it's own db's) in case one brakes down the other takes all load.

A loadbalancing setup is not possible.

HTH

acki

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Thanks, oddly enough for some reason I just couldn't find info for how the srevers functioned once it was installed.

Quick follow-up--for option b (Active/Active), how do you access the server from the name of the cluster and/or the individual server names?

|||When clustering SQL Servers you always access the SQL Server via the virtual name. In an Active/Active config each SQL Instance that you install has a unique hostname and a unique instance name (one can be default and one must be a named instance, or both can be named instances, but they must be different names).