Skip to main content

Creating NLB Cluster Windows 2008 Server

Creating an NLB Cluster
There are three key steps to creating an NLB cluster in Windows Server 2008:
  1. Install the NLB Feature into Server 2008 on each host that you will add to an NLB cluster.
  2. Use the New Cluster wizard to create the cluster and add the first host.
  3. Use the Add Host wizard to add one ore more nodes to your cluster
Installing NLB in Server 2008



This is extremely easy. First you run Server Manager, and select Features from the tree and click on Add Features:
image
From the Add Features wizard just select Network Load Balancing and click Next:
image

Finally from the Confirm Installation Selections click Install:
image
After a few seconds, NLB will be installed on the first host. You need to repeat this installation on each host you plan to add to your NLB Cluster. Installing the NLB feature does NOT require a reboot, but removing it does.
Creating your NLB Cluster
Once NLB is installed, you create your cluster by first bringing up the NLB Cluster Manager:
image
The right click the Network Load Balancing cluster node in the left pane, and select New Cluster:
image
This brings up the first page of the New Cluster Wizard – here you select the first member of your cluster by adding the IP address or DNS name into the Host box:
image
This shows you the interfaces on this host that you can use for configuring a new cluster. Chose the interface and click Next:
image


This brings up the Host Parameters page, where you enter the IP address to be used for the cluster for the cluster, then you click next:

image


This brings up the Cluster IP address page. Here you add the address used by clients to connect to nodes in the cluster:
image
After adding the IP address, and clicking next, the New Cluster wizard displays the Cluster Parameters where you specify the cluster IP configuration and the cluster operation mode (and click  next):
image
Finally, the wizard displays the port rules. In this case, we specify the cluster shoudl handle TCP Port 80 (and click on Finish):
image

The Wizard then does the necessary configuration, resulting in a single node NLB cluster, shown in the NLB manager like this:
image
At this point, you can navigate to the cluster to see the application running:
image

Adding Additional Nodes
A single node cluster is not much value, so you next need to add an additional node (or nodes). To add a node, you right click your newly created cluster and select Add Host to Cluster:
image
This brings up the Add Host to Cluster: Connect page where you specify the host to add, and the interface used in the cluster:
image

Next you specify the new host’s parameters:
image
Then you get to update, in needed the cluster’s port rules:
image
Clicking next completes the wizard, resulting in a 2nd host in the cluster. As seen by NLB Manager:
image
Re navigating in your browser to the cluster may (or may not) result in a different page. Whilst running the wizard to create the screen shots shown here, this did change:
image

So – it’s simple and easy to create an NLB cluster in Server 2008!
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
My partner and i actually enjoy this post and the internet site all in all! Your piece of writing is really plainly composed as well as simply understandable. Your current Blog design is awesome as well! Would be awesome to know where I are able obtain it. Please maintain up the very good job. We all require far more such website owners like you on the net and much fewer spammers. Fantastic mate!
http://www.sqlservermasters.com/
May 29, 2013 at 12:14 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Clean Up Your Messy Windows Context Menu

One of the most irritating things about Windows is the context menu clutter that you have to deal with once you install a bunch of applications. It seems like every application is fighting for a piece of your context menu, and it’s not like you even use half of them. Today we’ll explain where these menu items are hiding in your registry, how to disable them the geeky way, and an easier cleanup method for non-geeks as well. Either way, your context menu won’t look like this one anymore… Cleaning the Context Menu by Hacking the Registry If you want to clean things up the truly geeky way, you can open up regedit.exe through the start menu search or run box, and then browse down to one of the following keys… sadly the context menu items are not stored in a single location. Most of the menu items that used for all files and folders can be found by looking at one of these keys: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers HKEY_CLASSES_...
Post a Comment
Read more

Create a Restore Point for Windows 7 or Vista’s System Restore

If you are thinking of installing an application but aren’t quite sure what it’s going to do to your computer, I would absolutely recommend creating a restore point before you install that application, and here are the steps to do so. Note that most application installs automatically create a restore point, but you can do this if you are really worried. Open up the Start Menu and right-click on “Computer”, and then select “Properties”. This will take you into the System area of Control Panel. Click on the “System Protection” link on the left hand side. Now select the “System Protection” tab to get to the System Restore section. Click the “Create” button to create a new restore point. You’ll be prompted for a name, and you might want to give it a useful name that you’ll be able to easily identify later. Click the Create button, and then the system will create the restore point. When it’s all finished, you’ll get a message saying it’s completed successf...
Post a Comment
Read more

Linuxfx 10 : A Windows-Like Linux Distro

The idea of Linuxfx is to make it easier for people who are migrating from Windows 7. People who are dissatisfied with the lack of security and stability of Windows 10 are also fit for Linuxfx. LinuxFX Desktop : Apart from Windows-like looks, Linuxfx also has more to offer which a regular user will definitely admire. So, let’s get along with me to know more about Windows alternative Linuxfx. As usual, I started by downloading the ISO image of Linuxfx from the official site  here . Then, instead of dual-booting, I decided to install it on my VirtualBox to play safely. After finishing the basic configuration, as soon as I booted it, I noticed a Windows logo and system integrity check. That’s quite surprising because every Linux distro puts their own or OEM logo on that place. But I think Linuxfx wants to make migrating users feel like home from the beginning. Entering the boot menu, Linuxfx redirected and logged in to a live session. Whoah! it can also detect the system I’m using — a...
Post a Comment
Read more