As a SQL Server administrator, you may encounter situations where a SQL Server resource fails to come online during a failover. In this blog post, we will discuss a real-life scenario where a client faced a similar issue and the steps taken to resolve it.

One of our clients recently reached out to us with an email stating that they were unable to bring their SQL Server resource online on a specific node in their cluster. The client provided minimal information, mentioning the node name and the cluster name. After checking the event log, they found generic error messages and sought expert advice to resolve the issue.

Our response to the client was concise yet effective. We suggested trying the steps outlined in our previous blog post titled “SQL SERVER – Steps to Generate Windows Cluster Log?” The client followed our advice and shared the cluster log, which contained relevant information about the problem.

Upon analyzing the cluster log, we identified the following errors and warnings:

• Failed to retrieve the ftdata root registry value
• Failed to create directory tree at SQLDataRoot
• SQL Cluster shared data upgrade failed with error 0

Based on these errors, we suspected that there might be an issue with the registry values. We asked the client to check the registry values at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL11.MSSQLSERVER\Setup for the SQLDataRoot key. Upon inspection, they discovered that the registry still referenced an old drive (M) that had been replaced by a new drive (O).

To resolve the issue, the client updated the registry value to the correct location. After making this change, the failover process worked seamlessly, and the SQL Server resource came online successfully.

If you encounter a similar failover issue and the above solution doesn’t work for you, we recommend generating the cluster log again. This will provide more detailed information about any additional errors or warnings. By checking the registry key references, you should be able to identify and fix the problem.

Remember, troubleshooting SQL Server failover issues requires careful analysis and attention to detail. It’s essential to understand the underlying cause of the problem and take appropriate steps to resolve it.

We hope this blog post has provided you with valuable insights into troubleshooting SQL Server failover issues. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.