Hi,

I want to cluster SQL 2008. I know of the failover clustering feature in
combination with Windows failover clustering.
But, is it also possible to use a 3rd party cluster solution? Main reason
for this is costs. I came across the following 3rd party software:

-Neverfail
-Double Take
-Steeleye
-Marathon
-Symantec Veritas

The thing is, they never mention SQL 2008, only 2000 and 2005. I was hoping
there are some experts here who can answer this question (ofcourse I will
also try to get an answer from those 3rd parties themselves).

If it is possible, do I still also need the SQL 2008 Standard Edition or
higher to get it work? If this is the case, then it could turn out that the
price difference between MS clustering and 3rd party clustering isn't that
big (we will get a SAN whatsoever).

Most likely, they haven't gone through their testing.

Having used a few of those, I can say that none is as seamless as Windows
Clustering. While they do work, there are issues and lots more complexity
in configuring things.

In general, if the licensing cost for Windows and SQL clustering is a
problem, there aren't going to be enough resources to build the rest of a
decently available infrastructure.

--
Geoff N. Hiten
Principal SQL Infrastructure Consultant
Microsoft SQL Server MVP





"Aeolus" <Aeolus (AT) discussions (DOT) microsoft.com> wrote