Virtualized Domain Controller best practices

[Van Rue]

What are best practices re: the Domain Controller and Starwind (Storage and Compute separate 2x2 node cluster). SInce the loss of a domain controller can cause a loss of storage connectivity, and MS Best Practices require the domain controller to be virtual (which also makes it vulnerable if the storage is also virtual).

What is the best solution under Starwind, to either make the cluster storage more resilient or to promote a storage node to secondary domain controller? or both?

[Michael (staff)]

Hello Van Rue,
Please refer to KB article below:
https://knowledgebase.starwindsoftware. ... san-usage/

[Van Rue]

Thanks, and I agree. but in a 2x2 cluster, storage and computer separate, promoting a storage server to secondary domain controller (or both really) is frowned upon by Microsoft, they really don't like domain controllers clustered.

And in disaster testing I learned first hand the need for a second domain controller. Despite what MS says about Cluster resiliency in Win2012 R2 in the event of a DC loss its not true, CSV storage becomes inaccessible.

[Van Rue]

I think for a second domain controller I am going to try running one under Hyper V at a workstation. Zentyal 4.2 has great potential, because it has a built in role for Active Directory as both a primary and secondary domain controller. Linux would provide a lower profile and less cost than a second virtual instance of Windows Server. I haven't heard of anyone doing this though after weeding through 50 posts on the net with the same issue, so feedback is appreciated.

[Michael (staff)]

We have not tested Zentyal 4.2 yet, but generally, the configuration when you have one DC (as VM) on one physical server and another DC (as VM) on another server should work fine. These DCs should not be in the Cluster, just a VMs in Hyper-V.