###BeginCaseStudy###
Case Study: 6
Contoso Ltd Case C
Background
Overview
Contoso, Ltd., is a manufacturing company. The company has offices in Chicago and Seattle.
Each office contains two data centers. All of the data centers and sites for the company have
network connectivity to each other. The company uses a single Active Directory Domain
Services (AD DS) domain.
Contoso is growing rapidly and needs to expand its computer infrastructure.
Current Environment Chicago Office
The Chicago office contains a primary data center and a backup data center. A Hyper-V
cluster named Clusterl.contoso.com resides in the primary data center. The cluster has a
multiple network path configured. The cluster includes two unused SQL Server virtual
machines (VMs) named SQL-SERVER1 and SQL-SERVER2. The cluster also includes a
Hyper-V Host group named Chi-Primary.
Clusterl.contoso.com contains the following servers:
• CHI1-HVNODE1.contoso.com
• CHI1-HVNODE2.contoso.com
• CHI1-HVNODE3.contoso.com
• CHI1-HVNODE4.contoso.com
The backup data center for the Chicago office is located on a Hyper-V cluster named
Cluster2.contoso.com. The cluster has a single network path configured. The cluster includes
a Hyper-V Host group named Chi-Backup.
Cluster2.contoso.com contains the following servers:
• CHI2-HVNODEl.contoso.com
• CHI2-HVNODE2.contoso.com
• CHI2-HVNODE3.contoso.com
• CHI2-HVNODE4.contoso.com
In addition, the Chicago office contains two standalone Hyper-V servers named CHIHVSERVER1.contoso.com and CHI-HVSERVER2.contoso.com.
There are also four newly built servers:
• CHI-SERVERl.contoso.com
• CHI-SERVER2.contoso.com
• CHI-SERVER3.contoso.com
• CHI-SERVER4.contoso.com
All the servers in the Chicago office run Windows Server 2012. Any future servers that are
deployed in the Chicago office must also run Windows Server 2012.
All servers in the Chicaoo office use the subnet 10.20.xx.
Current Environment Seattle Office
The Seattle office contains a primary data center and a backup data center. The primary data
center is located on a Hyper-V cluster named Cluster3.contoso.com. The cluster has a
multiple network path configured. The cluster includes two unused SQL Server virtual
machines named SQL-SERVER3 and SQL-SERVERS The cluster includes a Hyper-V Host
group named Sea-Primary.
Cluster3.contoso.com contains the following servers:
• SEA3-HVNODEl.contoso.com
• SEA3-HVNODE2.contoso.com
• SEA3-HVNODE3.contoso.com
• SEA3-HVNODE4.contoso.com
The backup data center for the Seattle office is located on a Hyper-V cluster named
Cluster4.contoso.com. The cluster has a single network path configured. The cluster includes
a Hyper-V Host group named Sea-Backup.
Cluster4.contoso.com contains the following servers:
• SEA4-HVNODEl.contoso.com
• SEA4-HVNODE2.contoso.com
• SEA4-HVNODE3.contoso.com
• SEA4-HVNODE4.contoso.com
In addition, the Seattle office contains two standalone Hyper-V servers named SEAHVSERVERl.contoso.com and SEA-HVSERVER2.contoso.com.
There are also four newly built servers:
• SEA-SERVERl.contoso.com
• SEA-SERVER2.contoso.com
• SEA-SERVER3.contoso.com
• SEA-SERVER4.contoso.com
All servers in the Seattle office run Windows Server 2012 R2. Any future servers that are
deployed in the Seattle office must also run Windows Server 2012 R2.
All servers in the Seattle office use the subnet 10.10.x.x.
Business Requirements
Apps
Contoso plans to deploy new applications to make its departments more efficient.
App1
Contoso must create a new application named App1 for the human resources (HR)
department. The infrastructure for App1 must reside in a virtual environment and the data
files for App1 must reside on a single shared disk. In addition, the infrastructure for App1
must meet the following requirements:
• maximize data protection
• withstand the loss of a single guest virtual machine
• withstand the loss of a single physical server
To support App1, Contoso must deploy a new cluster named Applcluster.contoso.com. The
cluster has the following requirements:
• It must span multiple sites.
• It must support dynamic quorums.
• It must prevent failures caused by a 50% split.
App2
Contoso must create a new application named App2. To support App2, Contoso must deploy
a new SQL Server cluster. The cluster must not be part of the domain.
The server deployment team that will install the cluster has limited permissions. The server
deployment team does not have the ability to create objects in Active Directory.
Virtualization and Storage
New VMs
Any new VMs that are deployed to the Hyper-V cluster in Cluster3.contoso.com have the
following requirements:
• New SQL Server VMs must be deployed only to odd-numbered
servers in the cluster.
• All other new VM guests must be deployed to any available server in
the cluster.
New VDE
The company needs a highly available file share cluster for a new Virtual Desktop
Environment (VDE). It has the following requirements:
• The file share cluster must withstand the loss of a single server.
• The file share cluster must withstand the loss of a single network path.
• The file share cluster must use the least amount of disk space.
New virtualized SQL Server cluster
Contoso must create a new application for manufacturing. The company needs a new
virtualized SQL Server cluster named VM-SQLclusterl.contoso.com. It has the following
requirements:
• The cluster must use a shared virtual hard disk.
• The cluster must have two nodes named VM-SQLNODE1.contoso.com and VM-SQL-NODE2.contoso.com.
Highly available storage solution
The company is deploying new hardware that will replace the existing Hyper-V clusters. The
new file share cluster must have a highly available storage solution for a Hyper-V
environment. It has the following requirements:
• The new file share cluster must support guest VM clusters.
• The storage cannot reside on any of the physical Hyper-V hosts.
###EndCaseStudy###
HOTSPOT
You need to implement the file share for the new virtual desktop environment.
How should you configure the implementation? To answer, select the appropriate option from each
list in the answer area.
Answer: 
Seattle Site 3 Data DeDuplication
– Why Seattle/Site 3?
– Why not Storage Spaces:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj822937.aspx
Any better suggestions and explanations?
Seattle – Site 3 – DFS Replication
* Scenario:
The company needs a highly available file share cluster for a new Virtual Desktop Environment (VDE). It has the following requirements:
– The file share cluster must withstand the loss of a single server.
– The file share cluster must withstand the loss of a single network path.
– The file share cluster must use the least amount of disk space.
– The new file share cluster must have a highly available storage solution for a Hyper-V environment.
– The new file share cluster must support guest VM clusters.
– The storage cannot reside on any of the physical Hyper-V hosts.
———————————————————————————————————————————–
All the servers in the Chicago office run Windows Server 2012. Any future servers that are deployed in the Chicago office must also run Windows Server 2012.
———————————————————————————————————————————–
The Chicago office contains a primary data center and a backup data center. A Hyper-V cluster named Clusterl.contoso.com resides in the primary data center. The cluster has a multiple network path configured.
———————————————————————————————————————————–
The backup data center for the Chicago office is located on a Hyper-V cluster named Cluster2.contoso.com. The cluster has a single network path configured.
———————————————————————————————————————————–
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
All servers in the Seattle office run Windows Server 2012 R2. Any future servers that are deployed in the Seattle office must also run Windows Server 2012 R2.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Seattle office contains a primary data center and a backup data center. The primary data center is located on a Hyper-V cluster named Cluster3.contoso.com. The cluster has a multiple network path configured. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The backup data center for the Seattle office is located on a Hyper-V cluster named Cluster4.contoso.com. The cluster has a single network path configured.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Explanation:
DFS Replication is an efficient, multiple-master replication engine that you can use to keep folders synchronized between servers across limited bandwidth network connections.
DFS Replication uses a compression algorithm known as remote differential compression (RDC). RDC detects changes to the data in a file and enables DFS Replication to replicate only the changed file blocks instead of the entire file.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc771058.aspx
If you are considering implementing DFS replication, consider using Windows 2012 R2 because DFS replication has been massively improved. It supports larger data sets and performance has dramatically been improved over Windows 2008 R2.
Note: windows 2012 R2 improves DFS replication dramatically, only more reason to upgrade your file servers to 2012 R2 or higher.
http://louwrentius.com/my-experiences-with-dfs-replication-on-windows-2008-r2.html
DFS is a replicate on close technology. The replication occurs when you click save or close. DFS meant for .doc, .pptx, .pdf ect not vhd or vhdx files.
Agreed with (Seattle – Site 3)( for withstand the loss of a single server & single network path)
the question said ‘The company needs a highly available file share cluster for a new Virtual Desktop Environment (VDE).’
if you had HA file server cluster to storage guest VMs vhdx file. DFS and DDup is not best practice.
the question is asked selection of ‘storage type’. I would go ‘Iscsi target block storage’
Seattle/Site 3/Storage Spaces.
Requirement for storage “The new file share cluster must support guest VM clusters”
To meet the requirement (shared vhdx), storage has to support SMB 3.02
CSV on 2012 R2 meets the requirement.
For CSV, storage spaces connected to 2012 R2 servers ( 2 or more servers in a cluster, with clustered SoF)
http://blogs.technet.com/b/askpfeplat/archive/2015/06/01/how-shared-vhdx-works-on-server-2012-r2.aspx
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj822937.aspx
Here is my two pennies worth(cents for our US friends :-))
Agree with OSA Seattle/Site 3/Storage Spaces based on the following
As the case study does not tell us which data centre is associated with which site I have made the following assumption
Site1 = Primary Site Chicago – cluster1
Site2 = Backup Site Chicago – cluster2
Site3 = Primary Site Seattle – cluster3
Site4 = Backup Site Seattle – cluster4
– The file share cluster must withstand the loss of a single server.
Dynamic Quorum ?? Available in 2012 and R2 so doesn’t help in selection choice
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-GB/library/jj612870.aspx#BKMK_dynamic
– The file share cluster must withstand the loss of a single network path.
Based on my assumption. Can not be either of the backup Data Centres as they only have single network configurations therefore Site2 & Site4 do not meet requirements. Site 1 does not meet the 2012R2 requirements for shared vhdx in my next point therefore we are left with Site 3 as our answer
– The file share cluster must use the least amount of disk space.
Shared vhdx?? Must be 2012R2 therefore must be Seattle
https://technet.microsoft.com/library/dn265980.aspx
Deduplication will save space but IMO it is not a Storage Type (it is a feature)! Therefore not applicable. You can use dedup in 2012R2 SoFS but not 2012 SoFS so again Seattle becomes our choice. See “When to use Scale-Out File Server” in this link
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-GB/library/hh831349.aspx
– The new file share cluster must have a highly available storage solution for a Hyper-V environment.
I think Storage Spaces is the option as it is a MS solution and they will want to push us in this direction for an answer
http://www.thomasmaurer.ch/2013/08/hyper-v-over-smb-scale-out-file-server-and-storage-spaces/
– The new file share cluster must support guest VM clusters.
IMO Only applicable to the new virtualized SQL Server cluster named VM-SQLclusterl.contoso.com
– The storage cannot reside on any of the physical Hyper-V hosts.
IMO Only applicable to the new virtualized SQL Server cluster named VM-SQLclusterl.contoso.com
1. Data Center – Answer is Seattle ( it is running W2K12 with shared Disk capability with vhdx support, Can not be any backup DCs because they do not support Multipath Network)
2. Site 2 – They are referring Seattle as Site 2
3. Storage Type – Block Level Storage ( If you enable Guest Level Clustering ,You need to Provide Block Level Storage, In this scenario we need to setup VM-SQL-NOD1 and NODE2 as a guest cluster)https://technet.microsoft.com/en-GB/library/hh848272.aspx
Guest Clustering needs block level storage (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn265980(v=ws.11).aspx)
Can be Storage Spaces (JBOD) or iSCSI. I think MS wants you to use MPIO with iSCSI (no single network path)