Q. Should I disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP on my Windows Server 2008 R2 Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) cluster networks?

A. Yes. To improve performance, it's recommended that you disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP on your cluster network NIC and other dedicated-purpose NICs, such as for iSCSI and Live Migration. NetBIOS isn't used in Server 2008 R2 clusters.

To disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP, access the IPv4 properties of your network adapter. To do this, open the Network and Sharing Center, select Change Adapter Settings, right-click the network connection, and select Properties. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click the Advanced button in the displayed dialog.

Select the WINS tab and select the Disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP. Perform this on all network connections that aren't general purpose management/connectivity NICs, and perform it on all nodes in the cluster.

Additionally, make sure you enable jumbo packets on all network adapters, if you haven't done so already.

Make sure you don't disable Client for Microsoft Networks and File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks on the NIC used for CSV—they're requirements. You could disable these for networks used for iSCSI and other dedicated purposes.

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