SQL Saturday #70 – Columbia, SC
If you are in the Columbia, SC area this Saturday come check out SQL Saturday #70. There are plenty of great speakers, but yet somehow I also got invited to speak! J
SQL Server Denali and HADRON
Microsoft’s latest version of SQL, code named Denali, is currently in CTP. One of the most anticipated feature is something called HADRON. Basically, it is has been described as mirroring 2.0. The best features of HADRON as I can see compared to mirroring as it is in 2005/2008 are as follows:
- You can query the mirror (now known as a replica)
- You can have more than one replica
- Database are grouped into availability groups to ensure related databases always fail over together
- Support for replicating more than 10 databases
If you want a great preview, check out fellow MVP Brent Ozar’s post, SQL Server Denali Rocks!
From reading Brent’s post I gather Microsoft only plans to include this in the Enterprise version of SQL. That is too bad for the many customers running SQL Server Standard as traditionally there is a significant price jump to go from Standard to Enterprise. However, that is good news for the 3rd party replication vendors out there who are providing similar functionality today on SQL 2005/2008 on Standard and Enterprise Editions.
While it is not an exact duplicate of HADRON, a multisite cluster using SteelEye DataKeeper Cluster Edition for SQL Server gives you a great solution for HA/DR without requiring shared storage. So while we wait for Denali and all the application vendors to start supporting Denali you might want to have a look at what SteelEye DataKeeper Cluster Edition can do for you today!
Hyper-V Multi-Site Demo at Tech-Ed 2010 New Orleans
If you are at Tech-Ed in New Orleans this week make sure you stop by the Windows Server Failover Cluster booth in the Technology Learning Center and have a look at the multi-site Hyper-V cluster demo using SteelEye DataKeeper Cluster Edition as the replication engine. I’ll also be in the booth to answer any questions you may have. SteelEye also has a booth at the show if you would like to discuss becoming a partner or customer!
Advanced Availability and Disaster Recovery for Hyper-V at TechDays Germany
I recently returned from a 10 day trip to Germany where I attended CeBIT and also presented at TechDays in Hannover and Essen with Microsoft Technical Evangelists Michael Korp and Ralf Schnell . The trip was very productive and the sessions were very well attended. My portion of the session focused on Advanced Availability for Hyper-V, specifically multi-site clusters, data replication and automated disaster recovery. Have a look at the video here.
Stability update for Windows Server 2008 R2 Failover Print Clusters
If you have a print server failover cluster on Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft recommends you install this update immediately.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976571
Read this great Blog post from Symon Perriman, Program Manager for Microsoft’s Clustering and High Availability Team for more details.
http://blogs.msdn.com/clustering/archive/2010/01/22/9951795.aspx
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows Server Virtualization, Configuration
It is official, I passed exam 70-652 today and I am now a MCTS: Windows Server Virtualization, Configuration. It was 11 years ago that I sat for my first NT 4 exam and now about a dozen exams later I am just now embarking on updating my credentials to the latest and greatest, once again. I think certifications are a good thing, but certainly don’t replace real world experience and good Google skills when it comes to diagnosing a problem or planning a new project. I’ll keep you posted on my progress; hopefully I’ll be able to complete MCITP: Enterprise Administrator before my kids get out of school in June so I can enjoy the summer.
Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008 Multi-Site Cluster for Disaster Recovery
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Microsoft End-to-End Cross-Site Disaster Recovery Solution
Microsoft has recently updated their Virtualization Continuity page with some good information…
Cross-Site Disaster Recovery Solutions
Implementing a reliable, rapid-recovery strategy can be time-consuming to implement and expensive to manage. Because of the complexity and cost, many companies simply don’t have comprehensive business continuity plans to protect their data and ensure application availability.
Virtualization has been a game changer for many companies. With virtualization based Site Recovery solutions, you can ensure higher availability and business continuity options. Windows Server provides support for a wide range of industry leading, shared storage solutions to deliver Quick and Live Migration. Combined with partner cross-site data management and replication technologies, Microsoft is offering complete Site Recovery solutions.
In summary, Microsoft Site Recovery solutions provide these key benefits:
- Bullet proof application and data availability across a range of applications
- Site-wide disaster recovery that can help you gain immediate and long-term operational and capital benefits
- Automated fail-over and fail back based on clustering and data resynchronization delivering superior application and data availability, for planned and unplanned downtime
Also, they have recently published a white paper entitled “Microsoft End-to-End Cross-Site Disaster Recovery Solutions“. This is a must read for anyone deploying SteelEye DataKeeper in a Cross-Site Disaster Recovery configuration.
Replicate and Protect – my interview with Virtual Strategy Magazine
Check out this podcast where Carryl Roy from Virtual Strategy Magazine interviews me about virtualization availability.
http://www.virtual-strategy.com/VSM-Podcasts/20091209-SteelEye.html
DHCP cluster without shared storage and/or across data centers
Look for a Step-by-Step article on how to configure a DHCP across data centers and/or without shared storage in the very near future using Windows Server Failover Clustering and SteelEye DataKeeper Cluster Edition. In the meantime, check out this video that demonstrates a DHCP cluster that uses a replicated DHCP database instead of a shared disk in the cluster.
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