Recently, one of my clients encountered an issue while trying to apply a security patch for their SQL Server clustered instance. The setup was failing, and they reached out to me for assistance. Since it was a SQL Server 2005 instance, there was no official support available from Microsoft. However, upon analyzing the setup logs, I discovered an interesting note that led to the resolution of the problem.
The setup log revealed the following error message: “Failed to determine disk information.” This error indicated that the setup was encountering difficulties in obtaining the necessary disk information. To further investigate, I advised the DBA to check the Windows Failover Cluster Manager.
Upon inspection, the DBA discovered that one of the disk resources in the available storage was in a failed state. This failed disk resource was causing the setup to fail. We concluded that resolving the issue with the disk resource would allow the setup to proceed successfully.
At this point, we had two options:
- Bring the disk resource online
- If the disk resource couldn’t come online due to a hardware change, remove it
Since bringing the disk resource online was not possible, the DBA decided to delete it. Once the disk resource was removed, the setup for the database engine succeeded, bringing relief and happiness to everyone involved.
Have you ever encountered a similar issue where the SQL Server setup failed due to another resource? It’s essential to carefully analyze the setup logs and investigate any error messages to identify the root cause of the problem. In this case, resolving the issue with the failed disk resource allowed the setup to proceed smoothly.
Remember, troubleshooting SQL Server setup failures requires a systematic approach and attention to detail. By understanding the underlying causes and taking appropriate actions, you can overcome such challenges and ensure the successful installation and patching of SQL Server instances.