How to Install Additional Drives on the Shared SCSI Bus

 Last reviewed: March 20, 1998
Article ID: Q175278
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition version 4.0 - Microsoft Cluster Server

SUMMARY

If you want to add additional drives to an existing cluster, special procedures may be necessary. This article discusses how to add these devices to a system that does not support hot swapping.

MORE INFORMATION

Unless your drive cabinet supports hot swapping, you must shut down and turn off both cluster nodes to add or replace SCSI drives. It is necessary to do this because the shared SCSI bus will be disconnected during this procedure. Disconnection of the bus during cluster use may lead to data loss or other failures; therefore, it is recommended that you turn off all attached hardware while you perform this procedure.

The following procedure applies to configurations that do not support hot swapping:

  1. Shut down both nodes and turn off both computers.

  2. Turn off SCSI devices on the shared SCSI bus.

  3. Add or replace drives on the shared SCSI bus.

  4. Ensure that every device on the shared SCSI bus has a unique SCSI ID. Remember that the two SCSI host adapters each use a different SCSI ID (usually 6 and 7).

  5. Ensure that the bus has proper termination.

  6. Restart one node and allow the boot process to complete. Turn on the other node and press the SPACEBAR when the OS Loader screen appears.

    NOTE: Do NOT allow Windows NT to start on the second node.)

  7. On the first node, run Windows NT Disk Administrator and assign drive letters to the new disks available on the shared SCSI bus.

  8. Create a physical disk resource for each new disk using Cluster Administrator and bring the disks online.

  9. If there are no errors, select the Windows NT Server operating system on the second node and press ENTER. If there are errors, check the SCSI cabling, termination, and SCSI ID assignment for proper configuration.

  10. When the node comes online and appears so in Cluster Administrator, try moving the group to the node. Check for the ability to go online on each node.

NOTE: For additional information, consult Chapter 4 of the MSCS Administrator's Guide. 
Keywords          : ntsetup NTSrv kbsetup
Version           : WinNT:4.0
Platform          : winnt
Issue type        : kbhowto

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Last reviewed: March 20, 1998
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