Deploying SQL Server With Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine Balakrishnan Shankar, Microsoft Based on actual customer experiences Based on actual customer experiences Credits to Bob Ward and Keith Elmore Credits to Bob Ward and Keith Elmore

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Introduction 3 | Objectives Understand our cloud database offerings Understand deployment options for Azure VM Configure for optimal performance and connectivity How to deploy AlwaysOn Availability Groups in the Cloud Learn hybrid cloud scenarios Take Aways Deploying an Azure VM with SQL Server can be fast Some configuration required for optimal performance Think “SQL Box in a VM” in the Cloud

Introduction 4 | Just do It! Do you know Cloud? How to provision SQL Server in Azure VM What’s Next? Configuration for Success Validating your deployment Review AlwaysOn Availability Groups Deployment Watch out for these Futures for Azure VM

Demo  Just do It!  Let’s spin up a SQL VM in Azure  Review SQL Gallery Images You can get a 1 month free trial free trial with $200 credit 5 |

We host your virtual machines on our hardware We provide services such as VM failover and redundant storage You have complete control and ownership to manage your VM and SQL Server You own your SQL HA solution using “box” technologies Infrastructure as a Service (IAAS) – SQL Server Do you know the Cloud? DB YouMicrosoft VM Infrastructure as a Service (IAAS) 6 |

We abstract the VM and “physical” aspects of SQL Server Build a database very quickly Don’t worry about instance, physical files, and storagePerformance predictability, auto HA, geo-replication Platform as a Service (PAAS) – Azure SQL Database We host your database Do you know the Cloud? DB YouMicrosoft VM Platform as a Service (PAAS) 7 |

SQL Server in Azure VM - Provisioning Azure Powershell cmdletscmdlets Azure Powershell cmdletscmdlets Use the Azure Management Portal Gallery images Provision Windows VM – SQL Setup on your own Bring your own VM sysprep a VM, install SQL, and upload the image to Azure storage pay as you go license No setup required your license 8 |

VM Sizes table herehere table herehere Don’t use for Prod SQL Workload A & D Series VM Intel® Xeon® processor E5 v3 family. Larger sizes (G5: 32 cores, 448Gb RAM, 6.5TB Local SSD) The G Series VM Recommended for SQL Prod Work Load Local SSD storage Premium Storage Portal Optimizes VM for SQL Workload D v2 & DS Series VM Local SSD Storage Premium Storage Intel® Xeon® processor E5 v3 family. GS Series VM Made wrong choice? Change it Made wrong choice? Change it 9 | Read this blog postpost Read this blog postpost

Choices to Make Administrator account Use ARM Deployment Model – except for… Use existing resources from Classic Model DNS Label name Can be different than VM name. This is the “network name” Virtual Network Review Virtual Network Overview to help create Azure Virtual networkVirtual Network Overview Storage Account Use Premium StoragePremium Storage Max 50 Gigabits Per Second Inbound + Outbound 35 TB Disk Capacity Max IOPs for an account is 80,000 Availability Set Separate VMs from same fault and update domainfault and update domain Required for AlwaysOn AG NSG Default enables only RDP port 10 |

What’s Next? – Configuration for Success Connect with Remote DesktopMake storage decisions IOPs limit per disk Bytes/sec bandwidth restrictions existrestrictions At Minimum use 2 Premium P30 Disk Storage Pool for more Throughput Do not use System Drive Enable Read caching for Premium Disk 64K NTFS Allocation Unit Size Enable Instant file initializationEnable Locked PagesTurn off Geo-Replication “Portal Optimizes” this for you “Portal Optimizes” this for you DS and GS Series only. StepsSteps DS and GS Series only. StepsSteps Doesn’t guarantee write ordering The checklistchecklist 11 |

Connectivity Configuration Did you create a Public Network Interface/IP ? Did you configure NSG to Allow SQL Port 1433 Enable SQL Authentication Unless you connect with Virtual Network and domain authentication Firewall considerations on Azure Just like box make exception for port 1433 in your VM Internal load balancing supported 12 |

Validating the deployment Verify connectivity and network latencyVerify your IOPSTools to use Perfmon Standard “SQL” tools Portal dashboard Portal alerts OperationIOPS Index4-6k checkpoint1-2k Read-ahead CHECKDB WITH PHYSICAL_ONLY 1k 13 |

SQL Iaas Extension Plugin installed with SQL Virtual Machine from Gallery Provides Automated backup & Auto Patching SQL Iaas Extension Enable/Manage the Managed Backup from Portal SQL Backups to Azure Blob Storage SQL Automated Backup Patch Management for SQL VM from Portal Incompatible with Windows Automatic Update Patches installed which are marked “Important” SQL Automated Patching 14 |

Demo  Review Deployed Azure Virtual Machine 15 |

Deploying AlwaysOn AG  3 scenarios  All in Azure in same data center  #1 + Secondary's across data centersdata centers  Hybrid – secondary on premise and in data centers  Do it yourself  This is a fairly lengthy process but well documenteddocumented  Remember you need a DC in Azure and a Virtual Network  Automate with “AlwaysOn Template”AlwaysOn Template  AG Listener supported for both “all in cloud” and hybridListener  You cannot bring your own VM with AG already installed A very good resource async Internal load balancer to control access 16 |

Futures for Azure VM FCI Support for SQL AlwaysOn Template for Existing Domain Microsoft Templates in GitHub (in progress) Diagnostics with SQL Iaas Extension 17 |

References  Getting Started with SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machines Getting Started with SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machines  Provisioning a SQL Server Virtual Machine on Azure Provisioning a SQL Server Virtual Machine on Azure  How to create a SQL Server virtual machine in Azure using the existing on-premises SQL Server virtual machine How to create a SQL Server virtual machine in Azure using the existing on-premises SQL Server virtual machine  Performance Best Practices for SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machines Performance Best Practices for SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machines  High Availability and Disaster Recovery for SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machines High Availability and Disaster Recovery for SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machines  Tutorial: AlwaysOn Availability Groups in Azure (GUI) Tutorial: AlwaysOn Availability Groups in Azure (GUI) 18 |

Review Objectives Understand our cloud database offerings Understand deployment options for Azure VM Configure for optimal performance and connectivity How to deploy AlwaysOn Availability Groups in the Cloud Learn hybrid cloud scenarios Take Aways Deploying an Azure VM with SQL Server can be fast Some configuration required for optimal performance Think “SQL Box in a VM” in the Cloud 19 |

Appendix Bring your Own VM More Configuration Fun Hybrid Cloud Scenarios Gotchas ARM vs ASM (Classic) 20 |

Bring your Own VM No portal Support Through PowerShell 21 | Full SQL install or sysprep SQL install Install and sysprep Windows in Hyper-V Upload your “image” Provision multiple new VMs with this image

More Configuration Fun  Copy of data (backup files, bcp import files, …)  Look at this resourceresource  Use the azcopy tool. See this resourceresource  Backup database  Backup to Azure blog storage separately from your disks  SQL Supports Backup to URL  Use Premium Disk if you have bandwidth  Consider RG I/O and –k for any I/O throttling  Apply fix for tempdb eager writes if SQL 2012fix  Turn off unused services (SSAS, SSRS, …) 22 |

Hybrid Cloud Scenarios Backup path now a URL VDI application communicates to Azure Managed backups allow “auto backup to the cloud” Backups to Azure Requires multi-subnet cluster and VPN connectivityVPN connectivity Make this async AG Secondary in Azure Database/Log file path supports URL Uses HTTP REST API Some limitations Expectations with network latency SQL Database Files in Azure Storage SQL 2012 and 2014 SQL 2014 Check out ExpressRouteExpressRoute 23 |

Gotchas I/O Performance Expectations Use Premium Storage Batching transactions are more important Set autogrow correctly Licensing Can’t transfer your own license for gallery images Requires Passive node to be Licensed Upgrade Can’t upgrade a Std SKU gallery image to EE SKU Support Restrictions Stay up to date with this KB articlearticle Autoscale for Azure Only for apps that don’t need I/O Not supported for SQL Server Max Limits for Azure see herehere 24 |

ARM Vs ASM (Classic) Provides dependencies between resources Provides Role Based Access to resources Provides templates to define deployment Virtual Machine requires Virtual network Azure Resource Group (ARM) Not completely compatible with ARM Does not require Virtual Network Virtual Machine requires Cloud Service Resource Group created by Classic is not same as ARM RG Virtual machine deployed cannot be part of ARM based Virtual Network Azure Service Manager (Classic) 25 |