Upgrade of OS from Windows 2012 R2 to Windows 2016 and SQL 2014 to SQL 2017

  • I wish to do an in-place upgrade of our current production environment.  This will not be rushed as I need to minimise downtime.
    We currently have a 2 node cluster, both running Windows 2012 R2 and SQL Server 2014.  Both the OS and SQL are patched to the relevant latest version.

    I have found this and it is worth a read
    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/failover-clustering/cluster-operating-system-rolling-upgrade

    I think very broadly the steps are:
    1.    Drain one node (node B) as described in the link above and clean install Win 2016 on it.
    2.    Join windows cluster on node A
    3.    Install SQL 2014 on node B, joining cluster on node A
    4.    Patch SQL to SP2 CU13
    5.    Fail over node A to node B
    6.    Clean install Win 2016 on node A
    7.    Join windows cluster on node B
    8.    Install SQL 2014 on node A, joining cluster on node B
    9.    Patch SQL to SP2 CU13
    10.    Enable Win 2016 cluster feature, the ‘Point of no return’
    11.    Do in-place upgrade of SQL to version 2017 at the cluster level (Both nodes at once?)
    12.    Test.

    Has anyone any experience of this?  Or any thoughts on my broad approach above?

    Dave J


    http://glossopian.co.uk/
    "I don't know what I don't know."

  • David Jackson - Friday, October 12, 2018 9:49 AM

    I wish to do an in-place upgrade of our current production environment.  This will not be rushed as I need to minimise downtime.
    We currently have a 2 node cluster, both running Windows 2012 R2 and SQL Server 2014.  Both the OS and SQL are patched to the relevant latest version.

    I have found this and it is worth a read
    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/failover-clustering/cluster-operating-system-rolling-upgrade

    I think very broadly the steps are:
    1.    Drain one node (node B) as described in the link above and clean install Win 2016 on it.
    2.    Join windows cluster on node A
    3.    Install SQL 2014 on node B, joining cluster on node A
    4.    Patch SQL to SP2 CU13
    5.    Fail over node A to node B
    6.    Clean install Win 2016 on node A
    7.    Join windows cluster on node B
    8.    Install SQL 2014 on node A, joining cluster on node B
    9.    Patch SQL to SP2 CU13
    10.    Enable Win 2016 cluster feature, the ‘Point of no return’
    11.    Do in-place upgrade of SQL to version 2017 at the cluster level (Both nodes at once?)
    12.    Test.

    Has anyone any experience of this?  Or any thoughts on my broad approach above?

    Dave J

    3 and 4 and 8 and 9 can be done as one step, no need to list them separate.
    Although MS have made it easier to rolling upgrade the sql server and its host OS i'm never a fan of it
    Your steps have a clean install of the OS but still an in place upgrade of sql which seems a little pointless.
    Either clean install the lot or rolling upgrade the lot.
    Your steps do seem sound otherwise if that's what you're asking

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Ya can't make an omelette without breaking just a few eggs" 😉

  • Perry Whittle - Tuesday, October 23, 2018 5:02 AM
    3 and 4 and 8 and 9 can be done as one step, no need to list them separate.
    Although MS have made it easier to rolling upgrade the sql server and its host OS i'm never a fan of it
    Your steps have a clean install of the OS but still an in place upgrade of sql which seems a little pointless.
    Either clean install the lot or rolling upgrade the lot.
    Your steps do seem sound otherwise if that's what you're asking 

    I'm doing a clean install of the OS as it appears to be the MS recommendation.
    The reason for the in place update of SQL is to maintain availability, which is I'm afraid a business requirement.
    But thanks for the input, I was beginning to think everyone was avoiding me 🙂

    Dave


    http://glossopian.co.uk/
    "I don't know what I don't know."

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