AlwayOn in SQL 2012 with no clustering windows

  • Hello

    I want to install sql 2012 in a non-cluster windows servers, then set up Always-on between these 2 servers. Every article mentions Windows Clustering, and we dont have clustering for now.

    Can I set up Always On, in a NON_CLUSTER environment?

    Also where I can find instructions step-by-step installations of SQL Server 2012 and most importantly ALWAYS-ON.

    Appreciate your help.

    Pablo

    🙂

  • Availability Groups require a Windows Failover Cluster:

    http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff878487.aspx#SystemReqsForAOAG

    As far as a step by step guide, take a look at this:

    http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2011/07/how-set-up-sql-server-denali-availability-groups/[/url]

    What are you aiming to accomplish with Availability Groups?

  • If you are looking to do this in a PRODUCTION environment, I REALLY REALLY REALLY encourage you to rethink your notions. Or at least get some professional guidance in determining why/if you need it at all, planning, implementation, monitoring, etc. You have very little hope of being successful with this based on the questions you asked here. It is a COMPLEX subsystem with LOTS of caveats, provisos, limitations, gotchas, etc.!!!

    Best,
    Kevin G. Boles
    SQL Server Consultant
    SQL MVP 2007-2012
    TheSQLGuru on googles mail service

  • Jim, thank you for your reply, the step by step link is a great help.

    But, at this point lets not talk about Availability Groups, just one server in Miami and the other in Atlanta, both with SQL 2012, now questions:

    1.- Can I set up Always-On in both servers?. and have 1 or 2 databases with Always-on?

    2.- Does Always on uses the "endpoints" as Mirroring?

    Kevin, also thanks for responding, but can you also address the 2 above questions please?.

    At this point, I am installing SQL 2012 on 2 different windows servers (NO CLUSTERING involved here), just plain and simple.

    Of course later on we might go to CLustering...

    Appreciate yout help.

    Pablo

  • Pablo Campanini-336244 (8/28/2014)


    Jim, thank you for your reply, the step by step link is a great help.

    But, at this point lets not talk about Availability Groups, just one server in Miami and the other in Atlanta, both with SQL 2012, now questions:

    1.- Can I set up Always-On in both servers?. and have 1 or 2 databases with Always-on?

    2.- Does Always on uses the "endpoints" as Mirroring?

    Kevin, also thanks for responding, but can you also address the 2 above questions please?.

    At this point, I am installing SQL 2012 on 2 different windows servers (NO CLUSTERING involved here), just plain and simple.

    Of course later on we might go to CLustering...

    Appreciate yout help.

    Pablo

    No, sorry, I won't bother answering your questions. From what I read in your posts you aren't doing a Windows Server Failover Cluster so you cannot setup Always On. Your geo-location stuff raises another whole can of worms related to domain, subnet, latency/throughput, etc.

    Best,
    Kevin G. Boles
    SQL Server Consultant
    SQL MVP 2007-2012
    TheSQLGuru on googles mail service

  • Pablo Campanini-336244 (8/28/2014)


    1.- Can I set up Always-On in both servers?. and have 1 or 2 databases with Always-on?

    No, requires a Windows Server Failover Cluster

    Pablo Campanini-336244 (8/28/2014)


    2.- Does Always on uses the "endpoints" as Mirroring?

    Yes, AlwaysOn uses the traditional database mirroring endpoints for instance to instance communication. However, the WSFC handles the AlwaysOn cluster resource and moves\updates it as necessary, usually on failover.

    Pablo Campanini-336244 (8/28/2014)


    Kevin, also thanks for responding, but can you also address the 2 above questions please?.

    At this point, I am installing SQL 2012 on 2 different windows servers (NO CLUSTERING involved here), just plain and simple.

    Your only options at this point are mirroring, log shipping, replication

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

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

  • Thank you everybody for your help.

    I found by trying, that AlwaysOn can only be configured on a Failover Cluster Instances.

    Thanks again

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