Database Reference
In-Depth Information
request. SRM also offers the ability to reprotect and reverse replication once a plan has
been executed.
Why is this important for SQL Servers? As discussed in the “vSphere Replication”
section, some SQL Servers have a “restore from backup tape” recovery plan. In
addition, just because my database is available at the remote site, it does not mean my
application is available or working. SRM provides the ability to bring up your
infrastructure in a reliable and predictable manner. For example, when initiated, SRM
will boot critical application servers, such as Active Directory Domain Servers, DNS
servers, DHCP servers, and so on. Once these servers are up and responding, SRM will
move on to either booting or verifying key infrastructure servers, such as database
servers, are up and operational before moving on to starting application-level servers,
web servers, and finally virtual desktops for the end users. This is just one example of
the capabilities of SRM. SRM is a powerful tool that should be evaluated as part of
your disaster recovery plan.
VMware vCloud Hybrid Service
vCloud Hybrid Service, or vCHS, is an offering from VMware that extends your on-
premise vSphere infrastructure into the Cloud. vCHS bridges the divide between on-
prem and off-prem cloud services. vCHS is built on vSphere, so there is tight
integration between your infrastructure and the vCHS infrastructure. No need to convert
your virtual machines to adhere to a cloud provider's infrastructure.
What is the use case for SQL Server virtual machines? As we move toward the mobile
cloud era, vCHS provides the ability to extend your on-prem data center into the cloud.
This provides a location for a portion or the entire application stack. One example is
you can use vCHS to power on additional SQL Server virtual machines for end of
quarter processing and only pay for the compute used. vCHS can house running SQL
Servers that are participating in SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Group replication.
vCHS also offers a disaster recovery solution based on vSphere Replication. As the
mobile cloud era evolves and you are asked to evaluate options, we highly recommend
evaluation of vCHS.
Microsoft Windows and SQL Server High Availability
Now what we have covered the availability features present within the vSphere
platform and how these benefit a SQL Server installation, we will move on to
discussing capabilities that exist within Windows and SQL Server. We will discuss
these features and how they provide high availability and disaster recovery options for
your virtualized SQL Server deployments. It is important that many of the vSphere high
availability options can be used alongside functionality provided by Microsoft. Often
individuals make this a “this versus that” conversation versus a “best of both worlds”
