Overview
High availability (HA) systems are designed to ensure that services remain accessible even in the event of a component failure.
In Windows failover cluster technology, which is a means to achieve HA, a group of independent computers work together to increase the availability and scalability of clustered roles. These computers, known as nodes, are clustered server machines running applications and services.
Failover cluster feature and file server roles are installed on the Node1 and Node2 servers (also called iSCSI initiators). A virtual disk is created on the iSCSI target server for shared storage. Failover clustering technology arranges for a backup server whenever the primary server fails for any reason. When the primary server is down, the backup server is automatically activated to take over the role of the primary server. This ensures uninterrupted access to shared storage and continuity of services even during a server failure.
Architecture Overview
The following image illustrates the simplest form of deploying the Windows failover cluster and iSCSI technology as a high availability solution.
