Windows Server 2019 2004 Storage Spaces Direct

[Marjan Andonovski]

Hello,

I am trying to setup S2D on Windows Server 2019 2004. I created 2 nodes with file share quorum. Running powershell command Test-Cluster node01,node02 -Include "Storage Spaces Direct",Inventory,Network,"System Configuration" gives me error that both nodes have unsupproted operating system.

Windows version is Datacenter so this is not an issue. I couldn't find anywhere any information about this except one registry key that doesn't help.

I can create failover cluster without problems, it's working just fine, but enabling S2D just fails:

C:\Enable-ClusterStorageSpacesDirect

Enable-ClusterStorageSpacesDirect : Feature S2D is not supported on node node02. Run cluster validation, including the Storage Spaces Direct tests, to verify the configuration At line:1 char:1 + Enable-ClusterStorageSpacesDirect + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (MSCluster_StorageSpacesDirect:root/MSCLUSTER/...ageSpacesDirect) [Ena ble-ClusterStorageSpacesDirect], CimException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : HRESULT 0x80070032,Enable-ClusterStorageSpacesDirect

Cheers 

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Windows Server 2004 is a SAC release (Semi-Annual-Channel) which is meant mostly as a container OS and some specific server application scenarios. For S2D you have to use the current LTC release instead which is Windows Server 2019.

Windows Server 2019 is the current "full" server release for all scenarios, meaning you can use it with or without desktop, for clusters, standalone, s2d and everything else you know from Windows Server.

The SAC-releases are in-between the LTC releases and are not meant to be an upgrade or replacement for the LTC version. They are only used for specific scenarios (mostly containers). Also with the SAC-release upgrading to the next SAC release as soon as it is available is mandatory! With the LTC release you can use it until it's EOL.

Get Windows Server 2019 Datacenter and build your S2D-Cluster with that (I'd still recommending to use the Server Core installation option for the cluster nodes).

@Marjan Andonovski 

[#3]

Thanks for the explanation. I thought that SAC releases are just latest versions, not too different from LTS releases, apart for life time of support.
From now on, I will be staying away from SAC releases.