Cluster-across-boxes in ESXi 5.5 - use File Share Witness instead of private NIC?

[MichaelLeone]

1. We are on 5.5, planning to move to 6.5 in the next couple weeks. (Yes, I know, Microsoft Failover clusters in 5.5 are harder than doing them in 6.5. ) My boss wants to do it now.. I'm trying to only do this on test VMs,  as an exercise to learn how to do it later to set up new, replacement production clusters, but I'm just an employee, what do I know?

2. Since the OS of the guests will be Win 2012 R2, and clustering on that OS can use a File Share Witness on a completely separate host, that's the way I want to go. (also, we're already doing that for our physical clusters).

If I try and set up my new cluster with this method, I should be able to dispense with the private NIC (and accompanying vswitch config), correct? All it needs is regular network connectivity to the file share, in the same way using a private heartbeat NIC just requires that sort of network connectivity.

Thanks

[dbalcaraz]

Hi,

Well, if your doubt is to use the same NIC for FSW as for management, there are no problems.

So what is really your doubt?

[MichaelLeone]

It's not a doubt, I just don't want to have to go to the trouble of adding and configuring a 2nd NIC and a separate vswitch, if I don't have to.

I don't want to use a heartbeat NIC at all. And with a physical cluster, I don't have to, I can use a remote file share as witness instead. And that remote witness can be used for multiple clusters. It makes clustering easier.

Has anyone used file share witness, instead of a private NIC? I can't imagine it doesn't work, but it's always best to ask first. I'll be trying it later today, on a pair of test VMs.

[dbalcaraz]

Ah okay. So do you mean using a DSW or a FSW...

I used my self FSW and didn't found any issues. The same with DSW.

I remember to use FSW in a Exchange DAG time ago and never found an issue related with it.

Hope this helps.