All vSphere WSFC configurations require certain hardware and software components.

The following table lists hardware and software requirements that apply to all vSphere WSFC configurations.

Table 1. Clustering Requirements
Component Requirement
Virtual SCSI adapter

LSI Logic SAS for Windows Server 2012 and above.

VMware Paravirtual for Windows Server 2012 and above. (recommended)

Operating system Windows Server 2012 and above releases. For supported guest operating systems see Other Clustering Requirements and Recommendations.
Virtual NIC
VMXNET3 is required. You must activate in-guest Windows Receive Side Scaling (RSS) on the virtual NIC.
Note: Drivers, improvements and updates to the VMXNET3 virtual NIC are delivered through VMware Tools. Upgrade to the latest version of VMware Tools on any VM using the VMXNET3 virtual NIC.
I/O timeout

Set to 60 seconds or more. Modify HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Disk\TimeOutValue.

The system might reset this I/O timeout value if you re-create a cluster. You must reset the value in that case.

Disk format

pRDM (physical compatibility mode)

vVol disks can be thin or thick format

VMFS VMDKs with vSphere 7.0 eagerzeroedthick format
Disk and networking setup Add networking before disks.
Number of nodes

Windows Server 2012 and above: up to five-node clustering

For supported guest operating systems see Other Clustering Requirements and Recommendations.

NTP server Synchronize Windows Active Directory domain controllers and WSFC nodes with a common NTP server, and deactivate host-based time synchronization. See KB 1189 for more information.

The following table lists requirements that apply to Clustered VMDK as a disk resource for a WSFC.

Table 2. Additional Requirements for Clustered VMDK WSFC
Component Requirement
Windows Cluster Parameters Set the Windows Cluster Parameter QuorumArbitrationTimeMax to 60
Physical disk /Storage Array LUN
  • The physical disk that virtual disks are stored on must support ATS SCSI
  • The physical disk must also support SCSI-3 Persistent Reservations, specifically Write Exclusive All Registrants (WEAR) type reservations
VMFS Datastore