| Previous | Next |
| ERROR_CLUSTER_PARAMETER_MISMATCH | ERROR_CLUSTER_WRONG_OS_VERSION |
ERROR_NODE_CANNOT_BE_CLUSTERED
Cluster membership is rejected after system-wide eligibility checks
ERROR_NODE_CANNOT_BE_CLUSTERED indicates that Windows cannot admit the computer as a failover-cluster node. The decision is broader than whether the Cluster Service is installed: supported clustering requires compatible Windows versions and editions, reachable cluster networks, appropriate identity and domain configuration, and storage or hardware that passes the applicable validation tests.
Run Test-Cluster against the exact set of intended nodes and preserve the generated report. Compare operating-system builds, installed updates, network adapters, firmware, drivers, and storage presentation across nodes. If the node was previously clustered, verify that stale membership and cluster configuration were cleaned up rather than forcing a new join over old state. The validation failure category is more useful than the top-level Win32 code.
Admission checks that should agree across nodes
- Windows Server version, edition, patch level, and Failover Clustering feature state.
- Domain or workgroup-cluster requirements and node identity.
- Network reachability, adapter configuration, and firewall rules.
- Storage visibility, reservations, drivers, firmware, and validation results.
References
- Microsoft: validating failover-cluster hardware and configuration
- Microsoft: supported cluster creation workflow
- Microsoft: support policy and validation requirements
Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.