1. SQL AlwaysOn Availability Groups
Configuration and Tips

3. Prerequisites Install Windows Failover Cluster on each node
Install SQL Server stand-alone instance on each node
SQL 2012 R2 or better
All nodes with EXACT same hardware configuration
All nodes patched to same level
Static IPs
1 for each node
1 for each listener
Nodes should be members of the same domain
Possible to create “domain independent” AG’s

4. Demo Turn On via SQL Configuration Manager
Ensure using domain-level service account for SQL Server
Configuration Availability Group via SQL Server Management Studio

5. Basic Availability Groups
Limited to two replicas
No Read access on secondary replicas
No backups / integrity checks on secondary replicas
Requires SQL 2016 CTP3+
ONE availability database
Cannot be upgraded to Advanced Availability Groups (Must drop and re- add)
Standard Edition only
Cannot be part of a distributed availability group (I.e. no group spanning)

6. Tips / Gotcha’s Use a domain-level SQL Server service account
Some Applications / Clients need to be cluster aware
Depends on driver
Might need to sync SQL login GUIDs
Instance users are not sync’d as part of AG’s
Put maintenance plans on ALL replicas
No guarantee which node will be primary / secondary
Don’t confuse with AlwaysOn Failover Cluster Instances (FCI)
Monitoring
Built-in
SQL Sentry (
Roll your own

7. Sources Basic Availability Group Limits Domain Independent AG’s
availability-groups-always-on-availability-groups?view=sql-server-2017
Domain Independent AG’s
independent-availability-groups?view=sql-server-2017
Sync Login GUIDs
Windows Server Failover Cluster
Brent Ozar

8. Jason Holden Gamer :: Coder :: DBA
Website
Phone
CODE (2633)