Use Validation Tests for Troubleshooting a Failover Cluster

The Validate a Configuration Wizard can be useful when troubleshooting a failover cluster. By running tests related to the symptoms you see, you can learn more about what to do to correct the issue.

Important

If a clustered service or application is using a disk when you start the wizard, the wizard will prompt you about whether to take that clustered service or application offline for the purposes of testing. If you choose to take a clustered service or application offline, it will remain offline until the tests finish.
Also, if you want to test disks that you have configured as Cluster Shared Volumes, you must explicitly take those disks offline, as described in the following procedure.

Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477.

To use validation tests for troubleshooting a failover cluster

Decide whether you want to run all or only some of the available validation tests. You can select or clear the following tests individually or by category:
- Cluster Configuration tests: Validate important cluster configuration settings. For more information, see Understanding Cluster Validation Tests: Cluster Configuration.
- Inventory tests: Provide an inventory of the hardware, software, and settings (such as network settings) on the servers, and information about the storage. For more information, see Understanding Cluster Validation Tests: Inventory.
- Network tests: Validate that networks are set up correctly for clustering. For more information, see Understanding Cluster Validation Tests: Network.
- Storage tests: Validate that the storage on which the failover cluster depends is behaving correctly and supports the required functions of the cluster. For more information, see Understanding Cluster Validation Tests: Storage.
- System Configuration tests: Validate that the system software and configuration settings are compatible across servers. For more information, see Understanding Cluster Validation Tests: System Configuration.
In the Failover Cluster Manager snap-in, if the cluster that you want to troubleshoot is not displayed, in the console tree, right-click Failover Cluster Manager, click Manage a Cluster, and then select or specify the cluster that you want.
If you want to test disks that you have configured as Cluster Shared Volumes, perform the following steps:
1. Expand the console tree and click Cluster Shared Volumes.
2. In the center pane, right-click a disk that you want to test and then click Take this resource offline.
3. Repeat the previous step for any other disks that you want to test.
Right-click the cluster that you want to troubleshoot, and then click Validate This Cluster.
Follow the instructions in the wizard to specify the tests, run the tests, and view the results.
If you took Cluster Shared Volumes offline in a previous step, perform the following steps:
1. Click Cluster Shared Volumes.
2. In the center pane, right-click a disk that is offline and then click Bring this resource online.
3. Repeat the previous step for any other disks that you previously took offline.

Additional considerations

To open the failover cluster snap-in, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Failover Cluster Manager. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Yes.
To view the results of the tests after you close the wizard, choose one of the following:
- Open the folder systemroot\Cluster\Reports (on a clustered server).
- In the console tree, right-click the cluster, and then click View Validation Report. This displays the most recent validation report for that cluster.

Additional references

Understanding Cluster Validation Tests
Managing a Failover Cluster
For troubleshooting information for failover clusters, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=137836.