This session focused on how to manage a virtualized SQL workload with system center. By using VMM, Operations Manager, and other SC components, you can automate, monitor, and easily deploy new SQL instances in a cookie cutter manner. This session applies to you whether you use VMware or Hyper-V hypervisors. Much of the session was live demos, so I don’t have extensive notes from the session. But it was a good eye opening experience on how well the System Center stack plays together, and can orchestrate your datacenter.
Benefits of Virtualizing SQL with System Center
- Performance and scalability
- Flexible storage and availablity
- Depoyment and management
- Portability of development workloads
- On demand platform provisioning
- Lower costs
Pitfalls of Virtualizing SQL
- SQL server VM sprawl – Huge problem! Create an approval process.
- Licensing challenges
- Additional layer of monitoring
System Center 2012 Benefits
- Deploy SQL server using SCVMM on Hyper-V or VMware
- Provide self-service capabilities using SC Service Manager
- Manage SQL server automations using SC Orchestrator
- Manage SQL server operations using SC Operations Manager
- Self-service backup and restore of SQL services using SC Data Protection Manager
SCVMM and SQL Server
- Ability to deploy SQL server VMs on Hyper-V and VMware
- Ability to create a SQL server profile to standarize VM templates and configuration
- Ensures a SQL server is deployed every time exactly as you want, every single time
- You can provide a SQL .ini configuration file for a standardized deployment config
- You can mix and match SQL profiles with different operating systems
SQL Server Task Automation
- Use SC Orchestrator (SCORCH)
- Standardizes automated task management
- Create a process in SCORCH which can be performed in a workflow manner
- Enables end to end automation
- Eg. Create a SQL backup, or database snapshot. With Service Manager you could provide user self service for SQL activities.
- Complex tasks may take a day or two to configure in ORCH, but many tasks can be done in 1 hour or less of work
SQL Server Monitoring
- Monitor SQL synthetic transactions and perspectives
- Monitor SQL queries using application performance monitoring
- Manage SQL server using distributed application
- Ability to trend SQL database response times
