File Server Cluster with shared storage - options for storage

We would like to build two-node File Server Cluster with Shared Storage on VM. The issues is that our vmware set up doesn't support disk sharing. File server cluster must be available all the time of course.

What other options do we have? I consider:

• DFS - not a solution as both nodes can write at the same time in case of failover (known as a split brain issue)

- Storage replica (not sure here but sounds like an option?) - don't think it can switch automatically once one site goes down

- Storage Space (it requires shared storage anyway?)

I could use Storage outside of vmware (passthrough disk storage attached directly to a virtual server directly). It means the separate LUN must be created only for those 2 servers in cluster, so it sound like a lot of work.

Solution 1:

You can build nested failover cluster using shared iSCSI or FC storage as a shared storage. The following KB covers requirements. https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2147661 If you do not have separate shared storage, you can use something like StarWind VSAN as a shared storage. It can create replicated shared storage, which can be used by the cluster via iSCSI. Check the guide: https://www.starwindsoftware.com/resource-library/starwind-virtual-san-for-hyper-v-2-node-hyperconverged-scenario-with-windows-server-2016/