How to add a registry value to a Windows Server 2003-based computer that you start from a SAN so that the startup disk, the pagefile disks, and the cluster disks are all on the same SAN fabric (886569)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows registry

INTRODUCTION

This article describes how to add a registry value to a Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based computer that you start from a storage area network (SAN) so that the startup disk, the pagefile disks, and the cluster disks are all on the same SAN fabric.

When you try to create a new cluster, the following entry may be logged in the Clcfgsrv.log file if there is a single controller for the System\Boot drive and for the shared storage drive: The cluster cannot manage physical disks that are on the same storage bus as the volume that contains the operating system because other nodes connected to the storage bus cannot distinguish between these volumes and volumes used for data.

MORE INFORMATION

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

When you start a Windows Server 2003-based computer from a SAN, the startup disk, the pagefile disks, and the cluster disks can be on the same SAN fabric. For this to occur, you must add a registry DWORD value to the ClusSvc registry subkey or to the ClusDisk registry subkey, depending on the version of Windows Server 2003 that you are running.

Note Make sure that you have the latest version of the Storport driver installed on the Windows Server 2003-based computer before you follow these steps. For more information about Storport storage drivers for Windows Server 2003, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

883646 The updated Storport storage driver, version 5.2.3790.217, fixes a range of Storport-related problems in Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 original release version

If you are running the original release version of Windows Server 2003, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
  2. Locate and then right-click the following registry subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ClusSvc\Parameters

  3. Point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
  4. Type ManageDisksOnSystemBuses for the name of the DWORD, and then press ENTER.
  5. Right-click ManageDisksOnSystemBuses, and then click Modify.
  6. In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, click Decimal, type 1 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
When you try to configure or modify the cluster service on a Windows Server 2003 original release version-based computer, the cluster service may stop responding. This problem occurs because the following registry subkey is deleted:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ClusSvc\Parameters\ManageDisksOnSystemBuses

Important When you configure or modify the Cluster service, the cluster Setup program may re-create the ClusSvc registry subkey. The cluster Setup program may delete the ManageDisksOnSystemBuses registry entry. Therefore, the cluster Setup program may form the cluster by using a local quorum resource.

If the ManageDisksOnSystemBuses registry entry is deleted, you must manually add the ManageDisksOnSystemBuses entry to the ClusSvc registry subkey by using the steps in this article.

Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1

If you are running Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1), follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
  2. Locate and then right-click the following registry subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ClusDisk\Parameters

    Note If the Parameters registry subkey does not exist, right-click ClusDisk, point to New, click Key, type Parameters as the subkey name, and then press ENTER.
  3. Point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
  4. Type ManageDisksOnSystemBuses as the entry name, and then press ENTER.
  5. Right-click ManageDisksOnSystemBuses, and then click Modify.
  6. In the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, click Decimal, type 1 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
If clustering is not configured on the nodes, you can run the cluster configuration wizard to create the cluster together with the quorum on the SAN. If clustering is already configured, you do not have to remove cluster configuration and rerun the cluster configuration wizard. Instead, you can create new disk resources and move the quorum to one of the newly created disk resources on the SAN. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

888160 Cluster is formed by using a local quorum resource after a cluster setup failure in Windows Server 2003

Note The location of the ManageDisksOnSystemBuses registry subkey was changed from \ClusSvc\Parameters to \ClusDisk\Parameters in Windows Server 2003 SP1. This change was made to prevent the ManageDisksOnSystemBuses registry subkey from being deleted if you remove cluster configuration from a node. When you remove cluster configuration from a node, the \ClusSvc registry subkey is removed from the computer and the cluster configuration wizard is rerun without this setting. The \ClusDisk registry subkey remains even if you remove cluster configuration from a computer

In Windows Server 2003 SP1, you must add the ManageDisksOnSystemBuses entry to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ClusDisk\Parameters subkey instead. This configuration change was made to prevent the ManageDisksOnSystemBuses entry from being deleted if you try to configure or modify the Cluster service. The ClusDisk key remains even if you remove clustering.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:4/10/2006
Keywords:kbtshoot kbinfo KB886569 kbAudEndUser kbAudITPRO
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