As a SQL Server administrator, it is not uncommon to encounter various issues and challenges on a daily basis. Recently, one of my blog readers reached out to me for assistance with a problem she was facing. She had already set up a two-node Windows Cluster, with Node1 and Node2. The SQL Server Clustered instance was successfully installed on Node1. However, when she tried to add Node2 to the cluster, she encountered a Rule Failure.

The specific error message she received was: “The edition of the new node does not match the edition of the cluster.” This error occurred during the “AddNode” action, which is performed by running the setup on Node2.

Upon examining the setup logs from Node2, I discovered the following information:

2015-03-10 12:00:22 Slp: Initializing rule       : Node and cluster edition match
2015-03-10 12:00:22 Slp: Rule applied features   : ALL
2015-03-10 12:00:22 Slp: Rule is will be executed   : True
2015-03-10 12:00:22 Slp: Init rule target object: Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.SetupExtension.AddNodeEditionBlock
2015-03-10 12:00:22 Slp: The edition user specified is: ENTERPRISE
2015-03-10 12:00:22 Slp: The edition of the cluster instance: STANDARD
2015-03-10 12:00:22 Slp: Evaluating rule        : AddNodeEditionBlock
2015-03-10 12:00:22 Slp: Rule running on machine: Node2
2015-03-10 12:00:22 Slp: Rule evaluation done   : Failed
2015-03-10 12:00:22 Slp: Rule evaluation message: The edition of the new node does not match the edition of the cluster.
	

From the highlighted lines in the log, it becomes clear that the issue is related to a mismatch in the SQL Server editions. The existing clustered instance on Node1 is of the “Standard” edition, while the media being used for the AddNode operation is of the “Enterprise” edition.

The solution to this problem is straightforward. In order to successfully add Node2 to the cluster, the reader should have used the media of the same edition that was installed on Node1. The edition of the media is determined by the product key provided during the installation process.

It is important to ensure that the editions of all nodes in a SQL Server cluster match in order to avoid compatibility issues and rule failures. This is especially crucial when adding new nodes to an existing cluster.

By following the correct installation procedures and using the appropriate media, SQL Server administrators can avoid edition mismatch errors and ensure a smooth and successful cluster setup.