Lecture: High Availability and Disaster Recovery with Windows Failover Cluster

Introduction

Topic: High Availability and Disaster Recovery - Windows Failover Cluster
Sessions: Over the next few sessions, we will cover Windows Failover Cluster in-depth
Importance: Transitioning from standalone SQL to SQL on clusters
Key Points: Advantages, disadvantages, configuration, additional considerations, unaware services, troubleshooting, Azure services

Duration: Next 3 to 4 sessions
Schedule: Daily sessions on cluster concepts, nightly sessions on additional tools (Visual Studio, SSIS packages)
Participation: Students (batches 37, 38, and 39) to stay engaged for the next 15 to 20 days
Resources: Discussion group provided for queries and job assistance
Goals: Maximize student's understanding and readiness for industry practices
Reminder: Emphasis on preparation for interviews, including posting questions and discussing experiences in the group

Success Story: One student got placed in IBM
Motivation: Continuous effort and staying active in sessions will lead to success
Job Market Insight: The market is improving; be ready for calls and interviews

Completed: Log Shipping, Mirroring, Replication (except troubleshooting)
Upcoming: Troubleshooting, SSIS packages, always on availability group
Tasks: Focus on replication, log shipping, mirroring, and complete end-to-end troubleshooting of SSISDB
Sequence: Covering clusters first, followed by availability groups

Learning Path: Step-by-step creation and management of Windows Failover Cluster and SQL on Cluster
Concepts: Difference between standalone and clustered SQL instances, instance-level vs. database-level features
Usage: Windows Failover Clusters applicable to multiple services, including SQL
Technical Terms: Nodes, services, shared storage, failover, and troubleshooting

Nodes and Failover: Discussion on nodes, active vs. passive, and failover mechanisms
Clusters: Types of clusters - active-active and active-passive
Cluster Services: Managing cluster object configurations, policies, failover operations
Network Configuration: Public/Private IPs, heartbeat communication
Storage: Shared storage (Sandisks) vs. local disks, potential issues, and Microsoft’s evolution to AlwaysOn availability group

Lab Environment: Creation of VMs, deployment of virtual networks, configuring subnets
Firewalls and Ports: Disabling firewalls, enabling necessary ports (like 3389, 5050 for SQL-related ports)
Active Directory: Setting up domain controller, DNS server, and ISCSI Target server
Cluster Preparation: Installation of required features on nodes (dotnet framework and failover cluster manager)
Domain Configuration: Promoting server to domain controller, adding VMs to the domain

Resource Group: Creation and subnet configuration
Virtual Machines: Deployed 3 VMs (one acting as domain controller, sandbox, etc.), installed necessary features and roles
Firewall Settings: Disabled firewalls and enabled ports on all VMs
Domain Promotion: Promoted server to domain controller, configured DNS settings
Cluster Features: Installed active directory, DNS server, ISCSI Target server, and failover cluster on DC; dotnet framework and failover cluster manager on other nodes

Storage Configuration: Creating shared storage for cluster
Cluster Configuration: Configuring cluster, quorum settings, and active/passive or active/active setup
SQL Server Installation: Deploying SQL Server in the clustered environment

Participation: Active involvement in the sessions and discussion group is crucial
Upcoming Sessions: Deep dive into practical lab setup, hands-on with storage and cluster configurations
Practice Tips: Regularly stop VMs to minimize cost, save configurations to maintain continuity in practice