Before starting the installation process for your HPC cluster, you need to prepare the remote database servers for remote access, configure the instance or instances of SQL Server 2008 SP1 where you want to install the HPC databases, manually create the HPC databases in those instances, and create and configure the SQL Server logins for the HPC cluster. The procedures in this topic explain how to perform these tasks.
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Important |
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To prepare the remote database servers |
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If you have not yet installed SQL Server 2008 SP1 on the computers that you want to use as remote database servers, install it by following the steps in Initial Installation (SQL Server 2008) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=171142).
Note - The editions of SQL Server 2008 that can
be installed on the remote database servers are listed in Requirements for
Deploying a Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 Beta 1 Cluster with Remote
Databases earlier in this guide.
- If you have not yet purchased SQL
Server 2008, you can download a 180-day evaluation copy of SQL Server 2008
Enterprise (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=171144).
- The editions of SQL Server 2008 that can
be installed on the remote database servers are listed in Requirements for
Deploying a Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 Beta 1 Cluster with Remote
Databases earlier in this guide.
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If you already installed SQL Server 2008, but you have not yet installed SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 (SP1), install it on all the computers that you want to use as remote database servers. For more information, see SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 in the Microsoft Download Center (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=171145).
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If you have not yet created the instances of SQL Server 2008 SP1 where you want to create the HPC databases, create the instances on the remote database servers. For more information, see Instance Configuration (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=177811).
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To prepare each instance of SQL Server 2008 SP1 for remote access, ensure the following:
- The TCP/IP protocol is enabled for the instance. For more
information, see How to: Enable or Disable a Server Network Protocol (SQL
Server Configuration Manager)
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=171147)
- The Allow remote connections to this server option is
enabled for the instance. For more information, see How to: Set Remote Server Access (SQL Server Management
Studio) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=171148)
- The TCP/IP protocol is enabled for the instance. For more
information, see How to: Enable or Disable a Server Network Protocol (SQL
Server Configuration Manager)
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=171147)
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Configure Windows Firewall on the remote database servers to allow remote access to the database instances. For more information, see How to: Configure a Windows Firewall for Database Engine Access (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=171720).
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Ensure that the SQL Server Browser service is running on each remote database server. For more information, see How to: Start and Stop the SQL Server Browser Service (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=171721).
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On each instance, create a SQL Server login for the domain account that you will use for the installation of the HPC cluster. For more information, see How to: Create a SQL Server Login (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=171722).
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If you want to connect to the databases by using logins that use SQL Server authentication instead of using the login that you created for the domain account, create the logins on each instance. Also, ensure that each instance is configured to accept SQL Server authentication. For more information, see How to: Change Server Authentication Mode (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=171723).
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Assign the sysadmin server role for the instance to all the logins that you created for the HPC cluster. For more information, see Server-Level Roles (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=173275).
Important If you install the reporting database on a remote database server, you must create a SQL Server login on the instance where this database was installed for every HPC cluster administrator that you add to your HPC cluster in the future, and assign these logins the sysadmin server role for that instance. If you do not create these logins and assign them the sysadmin server role, the newly created HPC cluster administrators will not be able to access the reporting database, rendering them unable to view reports for the cluster, or retrieve information about some of the cluster-wider properties that are stored in the reporting database.
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On each instance, create the HPC databases that you want to install in that instance. For more information, see How to: Create a Database (SQL Server Management Studio) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=173277).
To expedite the installation process of HPC Pack, you can assign the HPC databases their default names. By giving the databases their default names, the SQL string that you specify during the installation process requires fewer changes (a SQL string with the default name for each database is suggested during the installation process). The default names for the HPC databases are as follows:
- Cluster management database:
HPCManagement
- Job scheduling database:
HPCScheduler
- Reporting database:
HPCReporting
- Diagnostics database:
HPCDiagnostics
- Cluster management database:
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Optionally, configure the initial size and the Autogrowth parameter for each of the four databases, as listed in the following table:
HPC database Initial size (MB) Autogrowth Cluster management
1024
50%
Job scheduling
256
10%
Reporting
128
10%
Diagnostics
256
10%
Also optionally, configure the initial size and the Autogrowth parameter for the log files of each of the four databases, as listed in the following table:
Log file Initial size (MB) Autogrowth Cluster management database log file
128
50%
Job scheduling database log file
64
10%
Reporting database log file
64
10%
Diagnostics database log file
64
10%
For more information, see How to: View or Change the Properties of a Database (SQL Server Management Studio) (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=177370).
Additional considerations
- One of the most common issues that can cause
the deployment of the HPC databases on remote database servers to
fail is the incorrect configuration of Windows Firewall on the
remote database servers. One way to ensure that Windows Firewall is
configured correctly is to connect to each remote database server
from another computer (for example, the head node computer) by
using SQL Server Management Studio and the SQL Server logins that
you created.
- The following Windows Firewall configurations
have been tested to work:
- Create an inbound rule to allow connections
on the TCP port that is assigned to the instance where you created
the HPC databases (for example, default port 1433). Also create an
inbound rule for UDP port 1434, which is the port that is used by
the SQL Server Browser service.
–OR–
- Create an inbound rule to allow connections
to the
sqlservr.exe
program for the instance where you created the HPC databases (for example,%Program Files%\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.HPCINSTANCE\MSSQL\Binn\sqlservr.exe
). Also create an inbound rule to allow connections to the SQL Server Browser service (for example,%Program Files(x86)%\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Shared\sqlbrowser.exe
).
Caution You must use a Windows Firewall configuration that complies with the security policies of your organization.
- Create an inbound rule to allow connections
on the TCP port that is assigned to the instance where you created
the HPC databases (for example, default port 1433). Also create an
inbound rule for UDP port 1434, which is the port that is used by
the SQL Server Browser service.