MS SQL Clustering and Failover

I have a 2 node Microsoft 2000 cluster with a shared storage device. I
want to create automatic failover for MS SQL 2000 server. I can do
that wit the following options:

1. Active/Pasive (one instance installed)
2. Active/Active (More then one instance/virtual sql servers
installed)

I have a question about option 2.

Is it possible to have more then one instance/virtual SQL server,
service only one database for example loadbalancing. ?, or when you
create multiple instances/virtual SQL servers, does that mean you have
multiple databases ? If not why does a Virtual SQL server has to be
taken over by a cluster node that didnt fail. Then you can actually
use option 1. Please advise!

The documentation is not very clear on this issues.

Regards,
Nico de Grootn.groot@.sneenterprise.com (Nico de Groot) wrote in message news:<e705c127.0307100056.7d09cd03@.posting.google.com>...
> I have a 2 node Microsoft 2000 cluster with a shared storage device. I
> want to create automatic failover for MS SQL 2000 server. I can do
> that wit the following options:
> 1. Active/Pasive (one instance installed)
> 2. Active/Active (More then one instance/virtual sql servers
> installed)
> I have a question about option 2.
> Is it possible to have more then one instance/virtual SQL server,
> service only one database for example loadbalancing. ?, or when you
> create multiple instances/virtual SQL servers, does that mean you have
> multiple databases ? If not why does a Virtual SQL server has to be
> taken over by a cluster node that didnt fail. Then you can actually
> use option 1. Please advise!
> The documentation is not very clear on this issues.
> Regards,
> Nico de Groot

I suggest you ask this in microsoft.public.sqlserver.clustering for a
more detailed answer. My knowledge of clustering is limited, but I do
know that Windows clustering is for failover only, not for load
balancing. (There is a load balancing component in Windows Server
200x, but only for web services.)

Simon