SQL Server Cluster Service Packs - Imp Points

How to apply Service pack on SQL Server 2005 Cluster

1. Backup of all the System and User Databases

2. Windows Login account with "Local Administrator" privileges on all the nodes involved

3. Ensure all the recourses part of the SQL Server Cluster resource group are online.
   I recommend to reboot both nodes before installation. (to avoid pending reboot, hanging installers, terminal sessions etc. problems.)

4. Cross check if the cluster failover on the nodes involved successfully.

5. shut down all applications that use SQLServer (because you know the instance(s) will get offline at some point(s) during the upgrade)

6. Disable if any DDL Triggers

7. Verify if following services online on the nodes involved.

    Task Scheduler
    Com+ System Application Service
    Cryptographic Services
    Remote Registry Service 

8. Pause Database Mirroring

    Log on the active node, apply the Service pack. You cannot install SP3 from any passive nodes in the fail over cluster.
    After SQL Server 2005 SP3 has been applied, it cannot be removed without uninstalling SQL Server 2005 completely on both cluster and     stand alone instances.



How to apply a service pack of SQL Server 2008 cluster


1) Apply the hot fix on passive node

2) Reboot the passive node

3) Fail-over on SQL resource: the passive node become the active node

4) Apply the hot fix on the passive node

5) Reboot the passive node



The main difference in installing Service packages between SQL 2005 and 2008 is the type of node which will be launched a service package.
In SQL server 2005, the SP could be launched on the active node, but in SQL server 2008, you must apply the SP firstly on the passive nodes.


SQL Server 2008 fail over cluster rolling patch and service pack process : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/958734/en-us?p=1


How to move cluster group

c:\cluster group

Listing status for all available resource groups:
Group                Node            Status
——————– ————— ——
Available Storage    HV1DC2          Offline
Cluster Group        HV1DC2          Online
SCVMM Resources      HV1DC1          Offline

c:\cluster group "Cluster Group" /Move:hv1dc1

Moving resource group ‘Cluster Group’…
Group                Node            Status
——————– ————— ——
Cluster Group        HV1DC1          Online

you can use the following commands to change the cluster group to another node in the cluster

PowerShell:

move-ClusterGroup –node NodeName

where NodeName is where you want to move the group.

Command Line:

cluster group “Cluster Group” /Move:NodeName

where NodeName is where you want to move the group.