Concepts
Installing a Failover Cluster Instance (FCI) on Azure virtual machines can provide high availability and disaster recovery solutions for your Microsoft Azure SQL environment. With an FCI configured as an Always On availability group, you can ensure that your databases remain accessible and operational even during hardware or software failures.
Steps to Configure Always On FCI on Azure Virtual Machines:
- Provision Azure virtual machines for the cluster: Start by creating two or more Azure virtual machines. These virtual machines should be part of the same Azure virtual network (VNet) and reside in the same region. Ensure that each virtual machine meets the necessary hardware and software requirements for SQL Server FCI.
- Install SQL Server on the virtual machines: Connect to each virtual machine and install the desired version of SQL Server. During the installation process, ensure that you choose the “New SQL Server failover cluster installation” option. This will install the necessary components to configure the FCI later.
- Configure the Windows Server failover clustering: Open the Failover Cluster Manager on one of the virtual machines and create a new cluster. Follow the wizard to add all virtual machines to the cluster. Make sure that the cluster validation passes successfully to ensure a stable cluster environment.
- Configure shared storage: Azure does not support traditional shared storage options like Fibre Channel or iSCSI. Instead, you can use Azure Shared Disks or Azure Blob Storage as a Shared Volume Set (SVS) solution. Configure the shared storage option according to your preference and attach it to all virtual machines in the cluster.
- Configure the SQL Server FCI: Launch the SQL Server Installation Center on one of the virtual machines. Choose the “Add node to a SQL Server failover cluster” option and follow the wizard to join the virtual machine to the existing cluster. Repeat this step for all other virtual machines in the cluster.
- Configure the Always On availability group: Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and connect to the SQL Server FCI. Right-click on the “Availability Groups” node and select “New Availability Group Wizard.” Follow the wizard to create a new availability group, add the desired databases, and configure the necessary settings.
- Test the failover scenario: Validate the failover scenario by initiating a failover from the primary replica to the secondary replica. Monitor the behavior of the databases and application connectivity during the failover process. Ensure that the failover completes successfully and the databases remain accessible.
By implementing an Always On FCI with Azure virtual machines, you can achieve high availability and disaster recovery for your Azure SQL environment. It’s essential to periodically test the failover process to ensure the resilience of your solution. Azure provides additional features like automated backups, geo-replication, and monitoring to enhance the availability of your SQL databases further.
Keep in mind that specific steps may vary depending on the version of SQL Server you are using and the specific Azure services you choose for shared storage. Always refer to the official Microsoft documentation for the most up-to-date instructions and best practices to configure Always On FCI in Azure virtual machines.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
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Which of the following deployment options are supported for configuring Always On Failover Cluster Instances on Azure virtual machines?
- a) Standalone deployment
- b) Availability Set deployment
- c) Virtual machine scale set deployment
- d) All of the above
Correct answer: d) All of the above
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True or False: Always On Failover Cluster Instances on Azure virtual machines require shared storage for hosting databases.
Correct answer: False
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When configuring Always On Failover Cluster Instances on Azure virtual machines, what is the recommended number of virtual machines for the cluster?
- a) At least 1
- b) At least 2
- c) At least 3
- d) At least 4
Correct answer: b) At least 2
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Which of the following load balancer types can be used for front-ending an Always On Failover Cluster Instances deployment on Azure?
- a) Azure Traffic Manager
- b) Azure Load Balancer
- c) Azure Application Gateway
- d) All of the above
Correct answer: d) All of the above
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True or False: When configuring Always On Failover Cluster Instances on Azure virtual machines, each virtual machine must reside in a different Azure region.
Correct answer: False
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What is the recommended operating system version for virtual machines hosting Always On Failover Cluster Instances on Azure?
- a) Windows Server 2008 R2
- b) Windows Server 2012
- c) Windows Server 2016
- d) Windows Server 2019
Correct answer: d) Windows Server 2019
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When configuring Always On Failover Cluster Instances on Azure virtual machines, what type of storage account is recommended for storing data and log files?
- a) General-purpose v1 storage account
- b) General-purpose v2 storage account
- c) Blob storage account
- d) Premium storage account
Correct answer: d) Premium storage account
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True or False: When configuring Always On Failover Cluster Instances on Azure virtual machines, the virtual machines must be part of an Azure Virtual Network.
Correct answer: True
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Which of the following network configurations can be used for Always On Failover Cluster Instances on Azure virtual machines?
- a) Internal load balancer with a public IP address
- b) External load balancer with a public IP address
- c) Internal load balancer without a public IP address
- d) External load balancer without a public IP address
Correct answer: c) Internal load balancer without a public IP address
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True or False: When configuring Always On Failover Cluster Instances on Azure virtual machines, the virtual machines must have static IP addresses.
Correct answer: False
Great blog post! It helped me understand how to set up Always On Failover Cluster Instances on Azure VMs.
I followed the steps, but I’m getting an error when creating the failover cluster. Any advice?
Make sure all your virtual machines are in the same Azure region and VNet. Sometimes that’s a common mistake.
Can anyone explain the best practices for setting up storage for Always On FCI in Azure?
You should consider using Azure Premium Storage for performance. Ensure you have shared storage through Azure shared disks.
How about the licensing cost in Azure for Always On FCI?
It can be costly, but you can optimize by choosing the right VM size and leveraging reserved instances.
Thanks for the post, it was really informative.
I’m confused about configuring the Load Balancer for Always On. Any tips?
Ensure you set up both the frontend IP and health probe correctly, and don’t forget to allow traffic on the required ports.
Appreciate the detailed instructions. They were very helpful!
What are the key differences between Always On FCI and Availability Groups?
Always On FCI requires shared storage and provides protection at the instance level while AG operates at the database level and does not require shared storage.