4-node and 8-node Clustering Topologies

Figure 4.28 illustrates multi-node clustering topologies that are possible in both the Windows 2000 family and the Windows 2003 family of servers.

Figure 4.28. 4-node and 8-node clustering.

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4-node clusters are the maximum allowed for Windows 2000, while up to 8-node clusters are allowed in Windows 2003. As pointed out earlier in the chapter, there can be some subtleties associated with quorum disks and failure policies for the more advanced topologies on the Windows 2003 servers. The size and uptime requirements will drive you to how many nodes you need in a cluster. The more uptime you require, the more nodes you might want to have (mitigating failures by spreading out the risk).