1. SQL-Server 2012
Always On

2. SQL Server “SQL-Server 2012” Highlights
High Availability
Scalability & Performance
Security & Manageability
Beyond Relational
Web &
Breadth
Business Intelligence
EIM
SQL Server AlwaysOn
Up to 15K Partitions/Table
User-Defined Server Roles
Microsoft Project “Juneau”
PHP Driver
Unified Semantic Model
SSIS Server
Reliable, Integrated Failover Detection
Column Store Index, “Apollo”
Contained Database Authentication
Win32 Access
to Database files
Local DB
Runtime
Crescent
Data Quality
Application Centric Failover
Distributed Replay
FileTable
UTF-16
In-memory BI for corporate
Fast FILESTEAM
Enhanced MDS
Multiple Secondaries
Fast Full-Text Search
Audit Enhancements
Semantic Search Platform
Paging for result sets
Alerting
MDS add-in for Excel
Readable
Secondaries
Fast Spatial Performance
Management Pack for High Availability
Full Globe Spatial Support
JDBC 4.0 driver
Sysprep for AS
Slide Objective
Highlight major changes in the platform:
There are new high availability solutions.
Performance was a major focus.
Reducing cost and increasing flexibility were also major goals.
Speaker Script
We have looked at just some of the changes coming in SQL Server “SQL-Server 2012.” As you can see, Microsoft has focused on making SQL Server the best database for mission-critical workloads with high availability improvements. Taking the current global economic situation, Microsoft has added features that let you do more with your existing investments in hardware, software, and training. Another focus has been to introduce holistic features that prevent the need for additional software or solutions. The end result is that SQL Server “SQL-Server 2012” can help you run your business better, giving you increased visibility into all the data that you collect so that you can turn into actionable knowledge.
Online
Operations
DBC & OLTP Appliances/RAs
Backup Secondaries
DAC Enhancements
Support for ARM processors
PowerPivot Enhancements
HA for StreamInsight
Default Schema for Windows Group
ODBC for Linux
Reporting as SharePoint Shared Service
Windows Server Core Support
Active Directory w/ SharePoint for SSRS
Hybrid Applications with SQL Azure

3. What is Always On Availability Group
Recommended HA for database availability
Best features of Mirroring
Non Shared Storage
Fast Failover
Automatic Page Repair
Support for High Latency Networks
Plus new features
Failover Group of databases
Multiple secondary replicas
Readable secondary replicas
Virtual names for fast failover
More flexible failover policy
Integration with traditional Failover Clustering

4. AlwaysOn Availability Groups
AlwaysOn Availability Groups is a new feature that provides availability for application database(s).
Provides protection from planned and unplanned downtime
Flexible
Integrated
Efficient
Multi-database failover
Multiple secondaries
Total of 4 secondaries
2 synchronous secondaries
1 automatic failover pair
Synchronous and asynchronous
data movement
Built in compression and encryption
Automatic and manual Failover
Flexible failover policy
Automatic Page Repair
Application failover using virtual name
Configuration Wizard
Dashboard
System Center Integration
Rich diagnostic infrastructure
File-stream replication
Replication publisher failover
Active Secondary
Readable Secondary
Backup from Secondary
Automation using power- shell
With AlwaysOn we are introducing a new capability called Availability group. Availability Group provides HA and DR for application databases.
Availability Group provides you with a rich set of options that provide flexibility in configuration
- Talk through options
Apart from these options AG also gives you improved efficiency and integrated experience.

5. Case Study – Dell DVD Store Enterprises
Need to accept 24 x 7 transactions
For High Availability
Zero down time and data loss (automatic)
SLA to cover storage failure
“I see web site unavailable and you are fired”
“Reporting”
Near real time. No more than 1 minute behind
With minimal impact on live transactions
Disaster Recovery
Have second data centre. No more than 30 mins down time and 5 minutes data loss
Upgrade
Any upgrade needs to be with no down time or data loss

6. Typical HA/DR/Reporting Architecture
DR Site

7. SQL-Server 2012 Always On Reports Backup Reports Backup Réplica
SAN
éplica
Réplica
Reports
Backup

8. Installation Always On relies on WSFC
Always On is NOT a clustered install of SQL
Does not need Shared Disk
Windows 2008 Server+ EE needed
Need to Enable HadrService
Via configuration manager
Or via PowerShell
Some Patches and QFE Needed
KB KB  

9. Migrating to Always On / SQL-Server 2012
Any normal migration is possible:
Backup / Restore
Attach / Detach
Mirroring
Log Shipping
Replication
Might need some post migration tasks
Compatibility
Use of new features such as Containment

10. Quorum Changes Required for automatic failover
Built in feature of WSFC
Replaces the concept of “witness” to avoid split brain
Two recommended Steps
1. Select nodes to vote
2. Select the Quorum Type
If Odd number use “Node Majority”
If even number use “Node Majority plus File Share Witness”
Requires QFE KB KB  to enable Voting
May need to adjust quorum after failover outside automatic target

11. Secondary Replica Features
Failover
Backup \ DBCC
Reporting Queries
AlwaysOn AutoStat
Automatic Page Repair

12. Secondary Replica – Active Log Sync
DB1
DB1
Log Capture
Network
Log Recieve
Log Pool
Commit
Redo Thread
Log Cache
Log Cache
Redo Pages
Log Flush
Log Harden
Page Updated
DB1 Log
DB1 Data
Acknowledge Commit
DB1 Log
DB1 Data
Secondary read is behind primary
Log is first hardened and then applied
Redo thread is asynchronous and runs in the background
Latency (typically seconds) can be larger for log intensive operations like bulk import or index create/rebuild
Sync Replica minimizes latency due to network issues

13. Availability Groups and Failover Cluster Instance
Availability Groups integrates
seamlessly with AlwaysOn
Failover Cluster Instance
Failover Cluster Instance used
for local high availability
Availability Groups provide ability to failover to a disaster recovery site
Automatic failover of the availability group is disallowed when one of the replicas is an FCI

14. AlwaysOn Resources
“SQL-Server 2012” AlwaysOn Resource Center:
Documentation
MSDN forums
Microsoft Connect
AlwaysOn Blog