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

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3. Introduction Objectives Take Aways
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
3 |

4. Introduction 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

5. free trial with $200 credit
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 with $200 credit
5 |

6. Do you know the Cloud? You Microsoft Infrastructure as
Infrastructure as a Service (IAAS) – SQL Server
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
You
Microsoft
Infrastructure as
a Service (IAAS) VM DB
6 |

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

8. Azure Powershell cmdlets
SQL Server in Azure VM - Provisioning
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
Azure Powershell cmdlets
8 |

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

10. 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 network
Storage Account
Use Premium 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 domain
Required for AlwaysOn AG
NSG
Default enables only RDP port
10 |

11. What’s Next? – Configuration for Success
The checklist
Connect with Remote Desktop
Make storage decisions
IOPs limit per disk
Bytes/sec bandwidth restrictions exist
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 initialization
Enable Locked Pages
Turn off Geo-Replication
“Portal Optimizes”
this for you
DS and GS Series only. Steps
Doesn’t guarantee write ordering
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12. 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
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13. Validating the deployment
Verify connectivity and network latency
Verify your IOPS
Tools to use
Perfmon
Standard “SQL” tools
Portal dashboard
Portal alerts
Operation
IOPS
Index
4-6k
checkpoint
1-2k
Read-ahead
CHECKDB WITH PHYSICAL_ONLY 1k
13 |

14. SQL Automated Patching
SQL Iaas Extension
SQL Iaas Extension
Plugin installed with SQL Virtual Machine from Gallery
Provides Automated backup & Auto Patching
SQL Automated Backup
Enable/Manage the Managed Backup from Portal
SQL Backups to Azure Blob Storage
SQL Automated Patching
Patch Management for SQL VM from Portal
Incompatible with Windows Automatic Update
Patches installed which are marked “Important”
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15. Demo
Review Deployed Azure Virtual Machine
15 |

16. Internal load balancer
Deploying AlwaysOn AG
A very good
resource
3 scenarios
All in Azure in same data center
#1 + Secondary's across data centers
Hybrid – secondary on premise and in data centers
Do it yourself
This is a fairly lengthy process but well documented
Remember you need a DC in Azure and a Virtual Network
Automate with “AlwaysOn Template”
AG Listener supported for both “all in cloud” and hybrid
You cannot bring your own VM with AG already installed
async
Internal load balancer
to control access
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17. Futures for Azure VM FCI Support for SQL
AlwaysOn Template for Existing Domain
Microsoft Templates in GitHub (in progress)
Diagnostics with SQL Iaas Extension
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18. References Getting Started with SQL Server in Azure Virtual Machines
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
Performance Best Practices 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)
18 |

19. Review Objectives Take Aways 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 |

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

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

22. More Configuration Fun
Copy of data (backup files, bcp import files, …)
Look at this resource
Use the azcopy tool. See this resource
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 2012
Turn off unused services (SSAS, SSRS, …)
22 |

23. SQL Database Files in Azure Storage
Hybrid Cloud Scenarios
SQL 2012 and 2014
Backups to Azure
Backup path now a URL
VDI application communicates to Azure
Managed backups allow “auto backup to the cloud”
AG Secondary in Azure
Requires multi-subnet cluster and VPN connectivity
Make this async
SQL Database Files in Azure Storage
Database/Log file path supports URL
Uses HTTP REST API
Some limitations
Expectations with network latency
Check out ExpressRoute
SQL 2014
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24. Gotchas 24 | 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 article
Autoscale for Azure
Only for apps that don’t need I/O
Not supported for SQL Server
Max Limits for Azure
see here
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25. ARM Vs ASM (Classic ) Azure Resource Group (ARM)
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)