The World According to Mitch

While he may not be very well know to the Microsoft community, Mike Laverick is a legend in VMware circles.  Mike owns a blog called RTFM Education, a source of white papers for VMware technology, although he did start out as a Microsoft Certified Trainer.  He now works for VMware as a Senior Cloud Infrastructure Evangelist.  I was very happy to read on his blog that he has decided to try learning Hyper-V and Microsoft’s Private Cloud.  Unfortunately from what I can tell he was still trying to think way too VMware, rather that trying to learn the Microsoft way of doing things.

(To read the article follow this link:

http://www.mikelaverick.com/2013/10/i-cant-get-no-validation-windows-hyper-v-r2eality-fail-over-clustering/)

This is a problem that I see all the time, and going both ways.  When I was teaching vSphere Infrastructure classes my Microsoft-focused students had a hard time getting out of the Microsoft mindset.  When I teach Microsoft courses, my VMware students have the same problem going the other direction.  It would be much easier if people would open their minds and just let the technology flow… but then I have been a Star Wars fan for too long so I believe in that sort of thing.

I found several points of the article quite amusing.  Mike opens the article with a picture and quote from the book Windows NT Microsoft Cluster Server.  The first words that he actually types are ‘Mmm, so much has changed since then or has it?’  I am sorry Mike, but to even insinuate that Microsoft Clustering in Windows Server 2012 R2 is anywhere near the disaster that was clustering in Windows NT (or Server 2000, or Server 2003) is a joke.  Yes, you have to have the proper pieces in place, and yes, you have to configure it properly.  You even have to spend a little time learning Microsoft Clustering and how it works.  If you were to spend thirty minutes with someone like me I’d say you’d be good.

Also, I know you don’t like that you have to install the Failover Clustering Feature to all of the servers before you can create your cluster.  However please remember that unlike a pure hypervisor, Windows Server is an operating system that does many things for many people.  To install all of the possible features out of the box is a ridiculous notion – for one thing, it would triple the footprint and multiply exponentially the attack surface of Windows Server… to say nothing of having code running that you don’t need which takes resources.

To save time, I recommend the following PowerShell cmdlets:

Install-WindowsFeature –Name Failover-Clustering –IncludeManangementTools –ComputerName MyServer1
Install-WindowsFeature –Name Failover-Clustering –IncludeManangementTools –ComputerName MyServer2
Install-WindowsFeature –Name Failover-Clustering –IncludeManangementTools –ComputerName MyServer3
New-Cluster –Name MyCluster –Node MyServer1, MyServer2, MyServer3 –StaticAddress 172.17.10.5

(There are probably ways to wildcard that – -ComputerName * or something, but that is not the point of the article).

The point of this article is not to Mike’s article apart – for one thing, he is probably doing better on Microsoft technology than I would have when I was new to VMware, for another I have great respect for him, both as a person and as an IT Pro.  I just find it amusing that a VMware evangelist is struggling to learn Hyper-V and System Center, just as so many of the Microsoft evangelists have been struggling to learn VMware.  There is a huge learning curve to be sure… no matter which way you go.

While I am reasonably fluent and certified in both technologies, there is no question that I favour Microsoft… just as Mike favours VMware.  I am glad to see that he is trying to learn Microsoft though… even though some of the ways he is going about it may be questionable.

The one thing that I will point out though is that Mike is right… there are two ways of building a Microsoft Cluster – you can use the Failover Cluster Manager, or you can use System Center VMM.  Michael points out that these technologies would do well to communicate better.  I agree, and recommend that users pick one or the other.  I would also like to point out that in vCenter Server you can create a cluster, but if you are only using ESXi (Vmware’s hypervisor) without vCenter Server there is no way to create a cluster… the technology is simply not supported unless you pay for it.  Score one for Microsoft.

Mike, on a personal note, I would love to sit with you and show you the vastness of System Center and Microsoft’s Private Cloud one day.  Geography seems to work against us, as you are (I believe) in Scotland, and I am in Japan.  There is a catch though… I will gladly teach you Microsoft’s virtualization stack from top to bottom… but I want you to do the same for me with the vSphere stack.  I know the technology and am certified, but I would cherish the opportunity to relearn it from you, as I have followed your articles with reverence for many years.

If you ever do care to take me up on the offer Mike, my email address is mitch@garvis.ca.  Drop me a line, we’ll figure it out.  I suspect that we would both be able to write some great articles following those sessions, and we would both have newfound respect for the other’s technology of choice.