Supporting the Microsoft Cluster Service (MSCS)

Introducing and setting up MSCS to support failover of virtual servers. MSCS is also known as Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC).

This information applies to IBM® MQ for Windows only.

MSCS/WSFC enables you to connect servers into a cluster, giving higher availability of data and applications, and making it easier to manage the system. MSCS/WSFC can automatically detect and recover from server or application failures.

MSCS/WSFC supports failover of virtual servers, which correspond to applications, websites, print queues, or file shares (including, for example, their disk spindles, files, and IP addresses).

Failover is the process by which MSCS/WSFC detects a failure in an application on one computer in the cluster, and shuts down the disrupted application in an orderly manner, transfers its state data to the other computer, and re-initiates the application there.

For information about how to configure and use failover clusters, see the subtopics.