What is Resource for a Cluster?
Any physical or logical component that can provide a service to a network client and that can be taken offline and brought online by Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) or Windows Clustering. Resources are physical or logical entities that are managed by a node of a cluster.
MSCS supports a number of types of resources, which you can manage using the Cluster Administrator program. These resource types include the following:
- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers
- Distributed Transaction Coordinator
- File shares
- Generic applications such as database programs
- Generic services such as Microsoft Windows NT services
- Internet Information Services (IIS) virtual server for World Wide Web (WWW) and File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
- IP addresses
- Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) Server
- Network names
- Physical disks
- Print spoolers
- Time services
Related MSCS terminology with regard to resources includes the following:
-
Resource Group:
An association of dependent or related resources running on one node of a cluster. Dependent resources require other resources in order to operate. All resources in a group move together between nodes during failover or failback operations.
-
Resource Monitor:
A software component of MSCS that facilitates communication between the Cluster service and application resources.
NOTE
MSCS resources always exist in one of the following states:
- Offline
- Offline pending
- Online
- Online pending
- Failed