As a SQL Server blog writer, I often receive interesting questions from my readers. Recently, I had an interaction with a reader named Asif (name anonymized) who was facing an issue while trying to add a third node to a SQL Server failover cluster instance (FCI). While he was able to add the second node without any problems, he encountered an error when attempting to add the third node.
FCI related errors and troubleshooting can sometimes be complex, and I usually prefer face-to-face troubleshooting for such cases. However, in this particular instance, I felt that there might be a fundamental misunderstanding. Asif mentioned that he was using the enterprise edition media, so I asked him to share the setup logs and a screenshot of the error.
Upon reviewing the setup logs, I noticed an interesting entry:
(14) 2016-01-10 15:44:24 Slp: Rule 'Cluster_NumberOfNodes' edition Standard allows 2 cluster nodes.
This entry indicated that the edition of SQL Server being used was the Standard edition, which only supports up to 2 cluster nodes. This explained why Asif was unable to add the third node. To confirm this, I asked Asif to run a query in SQL Server Management Studio:
SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('Edition')
Alternatively, he could also check the ERRORLOG file to find the edition information. I directed him to an article on my blog titled “SQL SERVER – Where is ERRORLOG? Various Ways to Find its Location” for guidance on locating the ERRORLOG file.
After examining the ERRORLOG, we found the following entry:
2016-01-18 14:55:48.430 Server Microsoft SQL Server 2014 - 12.0.2548.0 (X64) Jun 8 2015 11:08:03 Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation Standard Edition (64-bit) on Windows NT 6.3(Build 10240: )
As suspected, the edition was indeed Standard, which explained the limitation on the number of cluster nodes. I advised Asif to contact the application team and obtain the media for the enterprise edition. Once he upgraded from Standard to Enterprise, he was able to successfully add the third node.
This experience highlights the importance of carefully considering the edition of SQL Server being used in a failover cluster instance. It is crucial to ensure that the chosen edition supports the desired number of cluster nodes. By paying attention to the setup logs and error messages, we can quickly identify and resolve such issues.
Have you ever encountered similar errors during SQL Server setup? How have the setup logs helped you in troubleshooting? Share your experiences in the comments below!