Ensuring high availability (HA) for critical SQL Server deployments is essential for seamless business operations, and AVASOFT provides an optimized solution by leveraging Failover Cluster Instances (FCI) on Azure Virtual Machines (VMs). Utilizing Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC), our solution ensures continuous availability through redundancy at the server-instance level, maintaining uptime even if one of the cluster nodes becomes unavailable.
AVASOFT’s expertise allows businesses to seamlessly migrate and set up SQL Server failover clusters on Azure, ensuring enhanced scalability, reduced downtime, and robust disaster recovery capabilities. Our solution brings the high-availability benefits of on-premises SQL Server instances to the Azure cloud, enabling seamless transitions and ongoing efficiency.
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How AVASOFT’s Failover Cluster Solution Works
An FCI is essentially a single SQL Server instance installed across multiple WSFC nodes. These nodes may be on the same subnet or distributed across multiple subnets, appearing as a single instance to applications and users. If the active node fails, the FCI automatically shifts to another available node, maintaining uninterrupted service.
AVASOFT facilitates businesses in adopting this setup on Azure, enabling a lift-and-shift of existing on-premises FCI solutions to the cloud. With Azure Migrate, organizations can seamlessly transfer their failover clusters to Azure, minimizing downtime and complexity.
Key Components of SQL Server FCI on Azure VMs
1. Cluster Quorum
AVASOFT’s approach to configuring cluster quorum for SQL Server on Azure VMs supports various options, including:
- Disk Witness
- Cloud Witness
- File Share Witness
Our experts recommend and set up the optimal quorum configuration to ensure high availability and fault tolerance for your specific environment.
2. Shared Storage Options
AVASOFT offers multiple storage solutions for deploying SQL Server FCI on Azure VMs, helping clients choose based on their performance, cost, and reliability needs:
- a. Azure Shared Disks
- Supports Premium SSDs and Ultra Disks
- Allows applications to migrate to Azure without re-architecting the high-availability setup
- Enables placing VMs in different availability zones for improved resilience
- AVASOFT’s expertise: We configure Azure shared disks to ensure seamless, high-performance storage, supporting SQL features like FILESTREAM and Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC).
- b. Storage Spaces Direct (S2D)
- Provides a virtual SAN with high performance and redundancy
- Utilizes local storage across Azure VMs, creating a highly performant shared storage pool
- AVASOFT’s expertise: We set up S2D with efficient data replication, ensuring your workloads run smoothly with minimized latency.
- c. Premium File Shares
- Fully managed, SSD-backed storage with low latency
- Flexible resizing and scaling without downtime
- AVASOFT’s expertise: Our team configures premium file shares for seamless integration, suitable for applications spread across availability zones.
- d. Azure Elastic SAN (Preview)
- Network-attached storage for flexible and scalable solutions
- Supports SCSI Persistent Reservations (SCSI PR), enabling migration of existing clustered applications
- AVASOFT’s expertise: We help clients pilot and integrate Azure Elastic SAN to consolidate storage, ensuring cost-effectiveness and high availability.
3. Connectivity Configuration
To ensure optimal performance and failover efficiency, AVASOFT helps businesses deploy SQL Server VMs across multiple subnets within a single virtual network. This setup eliminates the need for Azure Load Balancers or distributed network names (DNN), reducing complexity and cost.
Where a single subnet is required, we can configure a Virtual Network Name (VNN) along with a Load Balancer or DNN to route traffic to the FCI. We prioritize using DNN, as it enhances failover speed and reduces management overhead.
Benefits of AVASOFT’s SQL Server FCI Solutions
- 1. Enhanced Uptime: Our solutions ensure that critical applications experience minimal to zero downtime during failovers.
- 2. Seamless Migration: AVASOFT facilitates a smooth transition of your on-premises FCI to Azure, preserving existing configurations and ensuring high availability.
- 3. Cost-Efficiency: Through strategic configuration of resources and storage, we help reduce costs without compromising performance.
- 4. Scalability: Our expertise allows businesses to scale resources as needed, supporting future growth without infrastructure overhauls.
- 5. End-to-End Support: From initial setup to ongoing monitoring, AVASOFT ensures that your SQL Server FCI on Azure VMs runs optimally and securely.
Why Choose AVASOFT?
As a Microsoft Integration Partner, AVASOFT brings years of experience in configuring and managing high-availability solutions for SQL Server on Azure. Our team of specialists ensures that your critical SQL Server workloads remain highly available, secure, and performant on the Azure cloud, helping your business stay resilient and competitive.
Ready to enhance your SQL Server availability on Azure? Reach out to AVASOFT for a tailored solution that ensures business continuity and optimized performance.
