Adding a SQL Server instance to existing 2012 cluster

  • I have a 3 node, active-active-passive cluster. Node A host 2 SQL Server instances, node B 3rd instance. All are 2012. I need to add a temporary 4th instance to be hosted on the passive node for testing. I DO NOT want to create a new cluster or add a new node, but it appears that those are the only 2 options when running installer. I saw earlier posts here where people suggested creating a new cluster but that is not what I want to do. What are the steps to just add a new instance to my passive node?

    Thanks in advance.

  • Why do you want to test in a production environment? Set up a test environment for testing and leave production alone.

    Thanks

  • Great point. This is a request from a consultant who is going to do a migration in Production and requested everything set up identical. Also, resource constraints at the moment do not allow for a cluster to be setup in Dev.

  • Lexa - Friday, May 18, 2018 8:34 AM

    Great point. This is a request from a consultant who is going to do a migration in Production and requested everything set up identical. Also, resource constraints at the moment do not allow for a cluster to be setup in Dev.

    No offense, but can you really afford to do a migration if you can't even test it first?

    Steve (aka sgmunson) 🙂 🙂 🙂
    Rent Servers for Income (picks and shovels strategy)

  • sgmunson - Friday, May 18, 2018 9:15 AM

    Lexa - Friday, May 18, 2018 8:34 AM

    Great point. This is a request from a consultant who is going to do a migration in Production and requested everything set up identical. Also, resource constraints at the moment do not allow for a cluster to be setup in Dev.

    No offense, but can you really afford to do a migration if you can't even test it first?

    None taken, it's not my call to make.

  • Lexa - Friday, May 18, 2018 12:11 PM

    sgmunson - Friday, May 18, 2018 9:15 AM

    Lexa - Friday, May 18, 2018 8:34 AM

    Great point. This is a request from a consultant who is going to do a migration in Production and requested everything set up identical. Also, resource constraints at the moment do not allow for a cluster to be setup in Dev.

    No offense, but can you really afford to do a migration if you can't even test it first?

    None taken, it's not my call to make.

    Yep... been there..  I'm reminded of a poem I once read about the engineer on the train...   not sure who this can be attributed to, but it's easily found on the internet:
    It's not my place to run the train
    The whistle I can't blow.

    It's not my place to say how far
    The train's allowed to go.

    It's not my place to shoot off steam
    Nor even clang the bell.

    But let the damn thing jump the track
    And see who catches hell.

    Steve (aka sgmunson) 🙂 🙂 🙂
    Rent Servers for Income (picks and shovels strategy)

  • sgmunson - Friday, May 18, 2018 12:19 PM

    Lexa - Friday, May 18, 2018 12:11 PM

    sgmunson - Friday, May 18, 2018 9:15 AM

    Lexa - Friday, May 18, 2018 8:34 AM

    Great point. This is a request from a consultant who is going to do a migration in Production and requested everything set up identical. Also, resource constraints at the moment do not allow for a cluster to be setup in Dev.

    No offense, but can you really afford to do a migration if you can't even test it first?

    None taken, it's not my call to make.

    Yep... been there..  I'm reminded of a poem I once read about the engineer on the train...   not sure who this can be attributed to, but it's easily found on the internet:
    It's not my place to run the train
    The whistle I can't blow.

    It's not my place to say how far
    The train's allowed to go.

    It's not my place to shoot off steam
    Nor even clang the bell.

    But let the damn thing jump the track
    And see who catches hell.

    Good poem! Do you know if there is a way to add an instance the way that I'm looking to do it? Or is this something that just needs to be built from scratch?

  • Lexa - Friday, May 18, 2018 8:12 AM

    I have a 3 node, active-active-passive cluster. Node A host 2 SQL Server instances, node B 3rd instance. All are 2012. I need to add a temporary 4th instance to be hosted on the passive node for testing. I DO NOT want to create a new cluster or add a new node, but it appears that those are the only 2 options when running installer. I saw earlier posts here where people suggested creating a new cluster but that is not what I want to do. What are the steps to just add a new instance to my passive node?

    Thanks in advance.

    Please read my stairway to AlwaysOn starting at this link

    http://www.sqlservercentral.com/stairway/112556/

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Ya can't make an omelette without breaking just a few eggs" 😉

  • As I got you would like to install one more instance that won't be part of existing cluster- correct?
    In that case you can install standalone instance on node 3. We have pretty much similar setup (in UAT) for 2 nodes WSFC  (sql 2016) where node A has running cluster instance1 and standalone and node B- another cluster instance2.

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