Failover Cluster Management - Can't locate the MMC

Question

_{Thursday, November 4, 2010 8:44 PM}

I've been up and down the internet with a bat, and can't find a clue to this seemingly reasonable configuration

I have 2 servers, each running Windows Server 2008 Enterprise R2 Core.
These are attached to an iSCSI device, with the targets all set up and ready to go.

Since these machines are both Core, that means I can not use the MMC Gui to configure the cluster.
I have no Vista or Windows 7 systems suited to run the convenient RSAT package that could manage this role remotely.

I ~do~ have a Windows Server 2008 Standard R2 server that can connect to the Core units (in fact, I'm already using it to do Computer Management MMC for event viewing on both of them).

No matter where I look, i can't find the MMC snap in for "Failover Cluster Managment on my W2k8STDR2 machine.

It has been suggested that I enable the Clustering role on the the Standard box (even though it's not part of the cluster)... but Standard does not have the option to become a clustered server.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to expect to be able to manage a Remote Failover cluster from a Win 2k8 Server, if I could do it from Vista or Win7... but it's proving excruciatingly difficult to get this going.

So, Summing up:
-Every server I have was installed with a flavor of '08 R2, so I can't apply any service packs to get them to where they already are
-Windows CORE installations do not have the capability to run an MMC... so I'm shot there
-'08 Standard can not be part of a cluster, therefore It can't get the "easy pass" to cluster management.
-The Win7 / Vista RSAT won't install on Win2k8StdR2

Is there any hope of managing from a Win2k8R2 server ?

All replies (4)

_{Thursday, November 4, 2010 9:22 PM ✅Answered | 6 votes}

Thanks to the hard hitting gentlemen that had my back (David and Scott from Dell), the elusive management console was located.

On the Windows Server 2008 Standard r2 server:

Start -> Control Panel -> Programs -> Turn Windows features on or off

The server manager will appear

Highlight "Features"

Add Features

Expand Remote Server Administration Tools

Expand Feature Administration Tools

Select Failover Clustering Tools.

Click Next... and There You Have It!

I've spent hours looking for this feature. Remind me never to go to ~that~ guy's house to look for Easter Eggs.

Now it's documented in this thread.
For those who needed this document to help them find this management toolset, smoke 'em if you've got 'em...

_{Thursday, October 18, 2012 5:12 PM}

Thanks, You saved me, spent a lot of time trying find that!

_{Saturday, December 29, 2012 3:29 PM}

that was right on the spot.

thank you very much!

_{Sunday, December 30, 2012 2:31 AM}

Here is a blog which describes the process for installing the Failover Clustering feature on Windows Server 2012:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/clustering/archive/2012/04/06/10291601.aspx