Newb question regarding cluster load balancing

Hello to all,
I am currently working on creating a Windows 2003 server cluster (3 nodes)
with the intent that it serve our web app which requires multiple SQL
databases. The question I have is this: How can I configure load balancing
for this? It seems that clustering services only allows 1 of the nodes to
access the DB at any given time (which is logical). If this is true, how
will I be able to leverage the processing power of the other two nodes if
they are idle while the node that is hosting the DB does all the work?
Any help would be appreciated.
Michael
You can install multiple instances of SQL Server on a failover cluster. You
cannot natively load-balance the workload between these multiple instances.
They act as independent SQL servers. SQL Clustering is a failover
technology and does not natively load balance.
Geoff N. Hiten
Senior Database Administrator
Microsoft SQL Server MVP
"Michael Weyant" <mweyant@.themarlincompany.com> wrote in message
news:OshvlPrGGHA.312@.TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Hello to all,
> I am currently working on creating a Windows 2003 server cluster (3 nodes)
> with the intent that it serve our web app which requires multiple SQL
> databases. The question I have is this: How can I configure load balancing
> for this? It seems that clustering services only allows 1 of the nodes to
> access the DB at any given time (which is logical). If this is true, how
> will I be able to leverage the processing power of the other two nodes if
> they are idle while the node that is hosting the DB does all the work?
> Any help would be appreciated.
> Michael
>
|||Thanks Geoff for the information. I thought as much but hoped otherwise.
"Geoff N. Hiten" <SQLCraftsman@.gmail.com> wrote in message
news:e9dbmVrGGHA.3856@.TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> You can install multiple instances of SQL Server on a failover cluster.
> You cannot natively load-balance the workload between these multiple
> instances. They act as independent SQL servers. SQL Clustering is a
> failover technology and does not natively load balance.
> --
> Geoff N. Hiten
> Senior Database Administrator
> Microsoft SQL Server MVP
>
> "Michael Weyant" <mweyant@.themarlincompany.com> wrote in message
> news:OshvlPrGGHA.312@.TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
>