Which of the following is a critical requirement for managing a failover cluster in Windows?

Managing a failover cluster in Windows requires the use of Active Directory because it provides essential services such as authentication and resource management. For the clusters to effectively communicate and maintain their operations during failover scenarios, they must integrate with Active Directory, which allows for the registration and management of resources.

In a failover cluster, nodes often need to access shared configurations, and Active Directory plays a critical role in this ecosystem, ensuring that each node can authenticate itself and locate resources within the network. Clusters also utilize security mechanisms provided by Active Directory to ensure that only authorized nodes can join or interact with the cluster.

While the other options have their importance in broader networking and infrastructure management, they do not specifically address the operational requirements for managing a Windows failover cluster. Static IP addressing is useful, but not a core requirement. Structured cabling pertains to physical network organization rather than logical management. File sharing is beneficial for resource availability but does not replace the foundational management provided by Active Directory in cluster environments.