Building Fault-Tolerant Windows Server 2008 R2 Systems

Building fault-tolerant Windows Server 2008 R2 systems by utilizing the built-in clustering technologies consists of carefully planning and configuring server hardware and software, planning and configuring the network devices that connect the server to the network, and providing reliable power for the server. Purchasing high-quality server and network hardware is a good start to building a fault-tolerant system, but the proper configuration and selection of this hardware is equally important. Also, providing this equipment with reliable power and redundant backup power from battery sources and possibly generators can increase reliability of the servers as well as the networking infrastructure. Last, but not least, properly tuning the server operating systems to streamline performance for the desired roles, role services, features, and applications helps enhance server availability and stability.

Powering the Computer and Network Infrastructure

Powering Windows Server 2008 R2 servers and network hardware with battery or generator-backed power sources not only provides these devices with conditioned line power by removing voltage spikes and providing steady line voltage levels, but it also provides alternative power when unexpected blackouts or brownouts occur. Many organizations cannot afford to implement redundant power sources or generators to power the offices, data centers, and server rooms. For these organizations, the best approach to providing reliable power to the computer and network infrastructure is to deploy uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) with battery-backed power. With a UPS, power is normally supplied from the batteries, which are continually charged by the utility line power. When the line power fails, a properly sized UPS provides ample time for end users to save their data to the server and to gracefully shut down the server or network device without risk of damaging hardware or corrupting data.