here is the scenario - there is a small set (200gb around) of data that I HAVE to keep available. Those are basically shared VHD images that serve as master images for a lot of our VM's - they then run in differential discs off those. The whole set is "mostly read only". In more detail: A file that IS there and IS used will NEVER change. I may delete files (when absolutely not in use) and add new files, but a file that is there once gets read protection set and that it is until it is retired.

Obviously, I need as much uptime as possible. SO FAR we run that by having this directory local on every Hyper-V server. Now I think moving this into our storage fabric. Due to the "it HAS to be there" I pretty much want a share nothing architecture.

DFS would be perfect for this - a file never changes, so replication would work nicely. Folders could be replicated to a number of servers, all would reference them from there. Now, that hyper-V supports SMB that could be a good idea to isolate these on a number of servers - we try to move into a scenario where the storage is more centralized.

Server 2012 supports always on shares, but it seems that this only works with a clustered disc behind. Is there any way around this for read only file stores? All documentation points to stuff like a shared JBOD - but that would leave me open for file system corruption. I really plan to go quite separately here, vertically - 2 servers, both with SSD only for this, both with their own 2000W separate USV, both with enough bandwidth to handle everything thrown at them (note to everyone tinking this is 10G - this would be SLOW and EXPENSIVE compared to a nice Infiniband backbone). The real crux is that this is an edge case obviously - as the files are read only once in use.