Storage Foundation and High Availability Solutions 8.0.1 HA and DR Solutions Guide for Microsoft SQL Server - Windows

Last Published:
Product(s): InfoScale & Storage Foundation (8.0.1)
Platform: Windows
  1. Section I. Getting started with Storage Foundation and High Availability Solutions for SQL Server
    1. Introducing SFW HA and the VCS agents for SQL Server
      1.  
        About the Veritas InfoScale solutions for monitoring SQL Server
      2.  
        How application availability is achieved in a physical environment
      3. How is application availability achieved in a VMware virtual environment
        1.  
          How the VMwareDisks agent communicates with the vCenter Server instead of the ESX/ESXi host
        2.  
          Typical VCS cluster configuration in a virtual environment
      4.  
        Managing storage using VMware virtual disks
      5. How VCS monitors storage components
        1.  
          Shared storage - if you use NetApp filers
        2.  
          Shared storage - if you use SFW to manage cluster dynamic disk groups
        3.  
          Shared storage - if you use Windows LDM to manage shared disks
        4.  
          Non-shared storage - if you use SFW to manage dynamic disk groups
        5.  
          Non-shared storage - if you use Windows LDM to manage local disks
        6.  
          Non-shared storage - if you use VMware storage
      6.  
        What must be protected in an SQL Server environment
      7.  
        About the VCS agents for SQL Server
      8.  
        About the VCS agent for SQL Server Database Engine
      9.  
        About the VCS agent for SQL Server FILESTREAM
      10.  
        About the VCS GenericService agent for SQL Server Agent service and Analysis service
      11.  
        About the agent for MSDTC service
      12.  
        About the monitoring options
      13.  
        Typical SQL Server configuration in a VCS cluster
      14.  
        Typical SQL Server disaster recovery configuration
      15.  
        SQL Server sample dependency graph
      16.  
        MSDTC sample dependency graph
    2. Deployment scenarios for SQL Server
      1.  
        Workflows in the Solutions Configuration Center
      2. Reviewing the active-passive HA configuration
        1.  
          Sample Active-Passive configuration
      3.  
        Reviewing the prerequisites for a standalone SQL Server
      4. Reviewing a standalone SQL Server configuration
        1.  
          Sample standalone SQL Server configuration
      5.  
        Reviewing the MSDTC configuration
      6.  
        VCS campus cluster configuration
      7. Reviewing the campus cluster configuration
        1.  
          Campus cluster failover using the ForceImport attribute
        2.  
          Reinstating faulted hardware in a campus cluster
      8.  
        VCS Replicated Data Cluster configuration
      9. Reviewing the Replicated Data Cluster configuration
        1.  
          Sample replicated data cluster configuration
      10. About setting up a Replicated Data Cluster configuration
        1.  
          About setting up replication
        2.  
          About configuring and migrating the service group
      11. Disaster recovery configuration
        1.  
          DR configuration tasks: Primary site
        2.  
          DR configuration tasks: Secondary site
        3.  
          Supported disaster recovery configurations for service group dependencies
      12. Reviewing the disaster recovery configuration
        1.  
          Sample disaster recovery configuration
      13. Notes and recommendations for cluster and application configuration
        1.  
          IPv6 support
        2.  
          IP address requirements for an Active-Passive configuration
        3.  
          IP address requirements for a disaster recovery configuration
      14.  
        Configuring the storage hardware and network
      15. Configuring disk groups and volumes for SQL Server
        1.  
          About disk groups and volumes
        2.  
          Prerequisites for configuring disk groups and volumes
        3.  
          Considerations for a fast failover configuration
        4.  
          Considerations for converting existing shared storage to cluster disk groups and volumes
        5.  
          Considerations when creating disks and volumes for campus clusters
        6.  
          Considerations for volumes for a Volume Replicator configuration
        7.  
          Considerations for disk groups and volumes for multiple instances
        8.  
          Sample disk group and volume configuration
        9.  
          MSDTC sample disk group and volume configuration
        10.  
          Viewing the available disk storage
        11.  
          Creating a dynamic disk group
        12.  
          Adding disks to campus cluster sites
        13.  
          Creating volumes for high availability clusters
        14.  
          Creating volumes for campus clusters
      16. About managing disk groups and volumes
        1.  
          Importing a disk group and mounting a volume
        2.  
          Unmounting a volume and deporting a disk group
        3.  
          Adding drive letters to mount the volumes
      17. Configuring the cluster using the Cluster Configuration Wizard
        1.  
          Configuring notification
        2.  
          Configuring Wide-Area Connector process for global clusters
        3.  
          Adding nodes to a cluster
    3. Installing SQL Server
      1.  
        About installing and configuring SQL Server
      2.  
        About installing multiple SQL Server instances
      3.  
        Verifying that the SQL Server databases and logs are moved to shared storage
      4.  
        About installing SQL Server for high availability configuration
      5.  
        About installing SQL Server on the first system
      6.  
        About installing SQL Server on additional systems
      7.  
        Creating a SQL Server user-defined database
      8. Completing configuration steps in SQL Server
        1.  
          Moving the tempdb database if using Volume Replicator for disaster recovery
        2.  
          Assigning ports for multiple SQL Server instances
        3.  
          Enabling IPv6 support for the SQL Server Analysis Service
  2. Section II. Configuring SQL Server in a physical environment
    1. Configuring SQL Server for failover
      1.  
        Tasks for configuring a new server for high availability
      2.  
        Tasks for configuring an existing server for high availability
      3. About configuring the SQL Server service group
        1.  
          Service group requirements for Active-Active configurations
        2.  
          Prerequisites for configuring the SQL Server service group
        3.  
          Creating the SQL Server service group
      4. Configuring the service group in a non-shared storage environment
        1.  
          Assigning privileges to the existing SQL Server databases and logs
        2.  
          Enabling fast failover for disk groups (optional)
      5.  
        Verifying the SQL Server cluster configuration
      6.  
        About the modifications required for tagged VLAN or teamed network
      7.  
        Tasks for configuring MSDTC for high availability
      8. Configuring an MSDTC Server service group
        1.  
          Prerequisites for MSDTC configuration
        2.  
          Creating an MSDTC Server service group
      9.  
        About configuring the MSDTC client for SQL Server
      10.  
        About the VCS Application Manager utility
      11.  
        Viewing DTC transaction information
      12.  
        Modifying a SQL Server service group to add VMDg and MountV resources
      13.  
        Determining additional steps needed
    2. Configuring campus clusters for SQL Server
      1.  
        Tasks for configuring campus clusters
      2.  
        Modifying the IP resource in the SQL Server service group
      3.  
        Verifying the campus cluster: Switching the service group
      4.  
        Setting the ForceImport attribute to 1 after a site failure
    3. Configuring Replicated Data Clusters for SQL Server
      1.  
        Tasks for configuring Replicated Data Clusters
      2.  
        Creating the primary system zone for the application service group
      3.  
        Creating a parallel environment in the secondary zone
      4.  
        Setting up security for Volume Replicator
      5. Setting up the Replicated Data Sets (RDS)
        1.  
          Prerequisites for setting up the RDS for the primary and secondary zones
        2.  
          Creating the Replicated Data Sets with the wizard
      6. Configuring a RVG service group for replication
        1.  
          Creating the RVG service group
        2. Configuring the resources in the RVG service group for RDC replication
          1.  
            Configuring the IP and NIC resources
          2. Configuring the VMDg or VMNSDg resources for the disk groups
            1.  
              Modifying the DGGuid attribute for the new disk group resource in the RVG service group
            2.  
              Configuring the VMDg or VMNSDg resources for the disk group for the user-defined database
            3.  
              Adding the Volume Replicator RVG resources for the disk groups
            4.  
              Linking the Volume Replicator RVG resources to establish dependencies
            5.  
              Deleting the VMDg or VMNSDg resource from the SQL Server service group
        3. Configuring the RVG Primary resources
          1.  
            Creating the RVG Primary resources
          2.  
            Linking the RVG Primary resources to establish dependencies
          3.  
            Bringing the RVG Primary resources online
        4.  
          Configuring the primary system zone for the RVG service group
      7.  
        Setting a dependency between the service groups
      8. Adding the nodes from the secondary zone to the RDC
        1.  
          Adding the nodes from the secondary zone to the RVG service group
        2.  
          Configuring secondary zone nodes in the RVG service group
        3.  
          Configuring the RVG service group NIC resource for fail over (VMNSDg only)
        4.  
          Configuring the RVG service group IP resource for failover
        5.  
          Configuring the RVG service group VMNSDg resources for fail over
        6.  
          Adding nodes from the secondary zone to the SQL Server service group
        7.  
          Configuring the zones in the SQL Server service group
        8.  
          Configuring the application service group IP resource for fail over (VMNSDg only)
        9.  
          Configuring the application service group NIC resource for fail over (VMNSDg only)
      9. Verifying the RDC configuration
        1.  
          Bringing the service group online
        2.  
          Switching online nodes
      10.  
        Additional instructions for GCO disaster recovery
    4. Configuring disaster recovery for SQL Server
      1.  
        Tasks for configuring disaster recovery for SQL Server
      2.  
        Tasks for setting up DR in a non-shared storage environment
      3.  
        Guidelines for installing Veritas InfoScale Enterprise and configuring the cluster on the secondary site
      4.  
        Verifying your primary site configuration
      5. Setting up your replication environment
        1. Requirements for EMC SRDF array-based hardware replication
          1.  
            Software requirements for configuring EMC SRDF
          2.  
            Replication requirements for EMC SRDF
        2. Requirements for Hitachi TrueCopy array-based hardware replication
          1.  
            Software requirements for Hitachi TrueCopy
          2.  
            Replication requirements for Hitachi TrueCopy
      6.  
        Assigning user privileges (secure clusters only)
      7. About configuring disaster recovery with the DR wizard
        1.  
          Configuring disaster recovery with the DR wizard
      8.  
        Cloning the storage on the secondary site using the DR wizard (Volume Replicator replication option)
      9.  
        Creating temporary storage on the secondary site using the DR wizard (array-based replication)
      10.  
        Installing and configuring SQL Server on the secondary site
      11.  
        Cloning the service group configuration from the primary site to the secondary site
      12.  
        Configuring the SQL Server service group in a non-shared storage environment
      13. Configuring replication and global clustering
        1.  
          Configuring Volume Replicator replication and global clustering
        2. Configuring EMC SRDF replication and global clustering
          1.  
            Optional settings for EMC SRDF
        3. Configuring Hitachi TrueCopy replication and global clustering
          1.  
            Optional settings for HTC
        4.  
          Configuring global clustering only
      14.  
        Creating the replicated data sets (RDS) for Volume Replicator replication
      15.  
        Creating the Volume Replicator RVG service group for replication
      16. Configuring the global cluster option for wide-area failover
        1.  
          Linking clusters: Adding a remote cluster to a local cluster
        2.  
          Converting a local service group to a global service group
        3.  
          Bringing a global service group online
      17.  
        Verifying the disaster recovery configuration
      18.  
        Adding multiple DR sites (optional)
      19.  
        Recovery procedures for service group dependencies
      20.  
        Configuring DR manually without the DR wizard
    5. Testing fault readiness by running a fire drill
      1.  
        About disaster recovery fire drills
      2. About the Fire Drill Wizard
        1.  
          About Fire Drill Wizard general operations
        2. About Fire Drill Wizard operations in a Volume Replicator environment
          1.  
            Preparing the fire drill configuration
          2.  
            About running the fire drill
          3.  
            About restoring the fire drill configuration
          4.  
            About deleting the fire drill configuration
        3.  
          About Fire Drill Wizard operations in a Hitachi TrueCopy or EMC SRDF environment
      3.  
        About post-fire drill scripts
      4.  
        Tasks for configuring and running fire drills
      5. Prerequisites for a fire drill
        1.  
          Prerequisites for a fire drill in a Volume Replicator environment
        2.  
          Prerequisites for a fire drill in a Hitachi TrueCopy environment
        3.  
          Prerequisites for a fire drill in an EMC SRDF environment
      6. Preparing the fire drill configuration
        1.  
          System Selection panel details
        2.  
          Service Group Selection panel details
        3.  
          Secondary System Selection panel details
        4.  
          Fire Drill Service Group Settings panel details
        5.  
          Disk Selection panel details
        6.  
          Hitachi TrueCopy Path Information panel details
        7.  
          HTCSnap Resource Configuration panel details
        8.  
          SRDFSnap Resource Configuration panel details
        9.  
          Fire Drill Preparation panel details
      7.  
        Running a fire drill
      8.  
        Re-creating a fire drill configuration that has changed
      9.  
        Restoring the fire drill system to a prepared state
      10. Deleting the fire drill configuration
        1.  
          Fire Drill Deletion panel details
      11.  
        Considerations for switching over fire drill service groups
  3. Section III. Configuring SQL Server in a VMware environment
    1. Configuring application monitoring using the Veritas High Availability solution
      1.  
        Deploying the Veritas High Availability solution for configuring application monitoring
      2. Notes and recommendations
        1. Assigning privileges for non-administrator ESX/ESXi user account
          1.  
            Creating a role
          2.  
            Integrating with Active Directory or local authentication
          3.  
            Creating a new user
          4.  
            Adding a user to the role
      3. Configuring application monitoring
        1.  
          Configuring the VCS cluster
        2.  
          Configuring the application
      4.  
        Modifying the ESXDetails attribute
    2. Administering application monitoring
      1.  
        About the various interfaces available for performing application monitoring tasks
      2. Administering application monitoring using the Veritas High Availability tab
        1.  
          Understanding the Veritas High Availability tab work area
        2.  
          To view the status of configured applications
        3.  
          To configure or unconfigure application monitoring
        4.  
          To start or stop applications
        5.  
          To suspend or resume application monitoring
        6.  
          To switch an application to another system
        7.  
          To add or remove a failover system
        8.  
          To clear Fault state
        9.  
          To resolve a held-up operation
        10.  
          To determine application state
        11.  
          To remove all monitoring configurations
        12.  
          To remove VCS cluster configurations
      3.  
        Administering application monitoring settings
      4. Administering application availability using Veritas High Availability dashboard
        1. Understanding the dashboard work area
          1.  
            Aggregate status bar
          2.  
            ESX cluster/host table
          3.  
            Taskbar
          4.  
            Filters menu
          5.  
            Application table
        2. Accessing the dashboard
          1.  
            Prerequisites for accessing the dashboard
          2.  
            How to access the dashboard
          3.  
            Who can access the dashboard
        3.  
          Monitoring applications across a data center
        4.  
          Monitoring applications across an ESX cluster
        5.  
          Searching for application instances by using filters
        6.  
          Selecting multiple applications for batch operations
        7.  
          Starting an application using the dashboard
        8.  
          Stopping an application by using the dashboard
        9.  
          Entering an application into maintenance mode
        10.  
          Bringing an application out of maintenance mode
        11.  
          Switching an application
  4. Appendix A. Using Veritas AppProtect for vSphere
    1.  
      About Just In Time Availability
    2.  
      Prerequisites
    3.  
      Setting up a plan
    4.  
      Deleting a plan
    5.  
      Managing a plan
    6.  
      Viewing the history tab
    7.  
      Limitations of Just In Time Availability
    8.  
      Getting started with Just In Time Availability
    9.  
      Viewing the properties
    10.  
      Log files
    11.  
      Plan states
    12.  
      Troubleshooting Just In Time Availability

Administering application monitoring settings

The Veritas High Availability tab lets you define and modify settings that control application monitoring with Cluster Server (VCS). You can define the settings on a per application basis. The settings apply to all systems in a VCS cluster, where that particular application is configured for monitoring.

The following settings are available:

  • App.StartStopTimeout: When you click the Start Application or Stop Application, or Switch Application links in the Veritas High Availability tab, VCS initiates an application start or stop, respectively. This option defines the number of seconds that VCS must wait for the application to start or stop, after initiating the operation. You can set a value between 0 and 300 seconds for this attribute; the default value is 30 seconds.

    If the application does not respond in the stipulated time, the tab displays an alert. The alert states that the operation may take some more time to complete and that you must check the status after some time. A delay in the application response does not indicate that the application or its dependent component has faulted. Parameters such as workload, system performance, and network bandwidth may affect the application response. VCS continues to wait for the application response even after the timeout interval elapses.

    If the application fails to start or stop, VCS takes the necessary action depending on the other configured remedial actions.

  • App.RestartAttempts: This setting defines the number of times that VCS must try to restart a failed application. The value of App.RestartAttempts may vary between 0 and 5; the default value is 0. If an application fails to start within the specified number of attempts, VCS fails over the application to a configured failover system.

  • App.DisplayName: This setting lets you specify an easy-to-use display name for a configured application. For example, Payroll Application. VCS may internally use a different application name to uniquely identify the application. However, the internal string, for example OraSG2, may not be intuitive to understand, or easy to recognize while navigating the application table.

    Moreover, once configured, you cannot edit the application name, while you can modify the application display name as required. Note that the Veritas High Availability tab displays both the application display name and the application name.