Setup for Windows Server Failover Clustering describes the supported configurations for a WSFC with shared disk resources you can implement using virtual machines with Failover Clustering for Windows Server 2012 and above releases. You get step-by-step instructions for each configuration and a checklist of clustering requirements and recommendations.

Unless stated otherwise, the term Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) applies to Failover Clustering with Windows Server 2012 and above releases.

Setup for Windows Server Failover Clustering covers ESXi and VMware® vCenter® Server.

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Intended Audience

This information is for system administrators who are familiar with VMware technology and Failover Clustering for Windows.

Note: This is not a guide to using Failover Clustering for Windows. Use your Microsoft documentation for information about installation and configuration of Microsoft Cluster Service or Failover Clustering.
Note:

All instances of "WSFC" in this document and elsewhere is intended to refer to all Windows OS and Microsoft application clustering configurations which utilize one or more shared disks among the clustered nodes, namely:

  • The Microsoft Cluster Service (MSCS)
  • The Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC)
  • Microsoft SQL Server Always On Failover Cluster Instances (FCI)
Note: Other WSFC-based solutions not accessing shared storage such as SQL Server Always On Availability Groups or Exchange Database Availability Group, require no special storage configurations on the vSphere side using VMFS or NFS. This guide should not be used for such configurations.