Cluster Server 8.0 Implementation Guide for Microsoft SQL Server - Windows

Last Published:
Product(s): InfoScale & Storage Foundation (8.0)
Platform: Windows
  1. Section I. Introducing Veritas InfoScale solutions for application high availability
    1. Understanding the InfoScale solutions for application high availability
      1.  
        About the Veritas InfoScale solutions for monitoring SQL Server
      2. About the VCS agents for SQL Server
        1.  
          About the VCS agent for SQL Server Database Engine
        2.  
          About the VCS agent for SQL Server FILESTREAM
        3.  
          About the VCS GenericService agent for SQL Server Agent service and Analysis service
        4.  
          About the agent for MSDTC service
        5.  
          About the monitoring options
      3. How VCS monitors storage components
        1.  
          Shared storage - if you use NetApp filers
        2.  
          Shared storage - if you use SFW to manage cluster dynamic disk groups
        3.  
          Shared storage - if you use Windows LDM to manage shared disks
        4.  
          Non-shared storage - if you use SFW to manage dynamic disk groups
        5.  
          Non-shared storage - if you use Windows LDM to manage local disks
        6.  
          Non-shared storage - if you use VMware storage
      4. How application availability is achieved in a physical environment
        1.  
          Typical SQL Server cluster configuration using shared storage
        2.  
          Typical SQL Server disaster recovery cluster configuration
        3.  
          SQL Server sample dependency graph
        4.  
          MSDTC sample dependency graph
      5. How is application availability achieved in a VMware virtual environment
        1.  
          How the VMwareDisks agent communicates with the vCenter Server instead of the ESX/ESXi host
        2.  
          Typical VCS cluster configuration in a virtual environment
    2. Managing storage and installing the VCS agents
      1. Managing storage using NetApp filer
        1.  
          Connecting virtual disks to the cluster node
        2.  
          Disconnecting virtual disks from the cluster nodes
      2. Managing storage using Windows Logical Disk Manager
        1.  
          Reserving disks (if you use Windows LDM)
        2.  
          Creating volumes (if you use Windows LDM)
        3.  
          Mounting volumes (if you use Windows LDM)
        4.  
          Unassigning a drive letter
        5.  
          Releasing disks (if you use Windows LDM)
      3.  
        Managing storage using VMware virtual disks
      4.  
        About installing the VCS agents
    3. Installing SQL Server
      1.  
        About installing SQL Server for a high availability (HA) configuration
      2.  
        Configuring Microsoft iSCSI initiator
      3.  
        About installing SQL Server on the first system
      4.  
        About installing SQL Server on additional systems
      5.  
        Assigning ports for multiple SQL Server instances
      6.  
        Enabling IPv6 support for the SQL Server Analysis Service
  2. Section II. Configuring SQL Server in a physical environment
    1. Overview
      1.  
        About configuring SQL Server in physical environment
    2. Configuring the VCS cluster
      1.  
        Configuring the cluster using the Cluster Configuration Wizard
      2.  
        Configuring notification
      3.  
        Configuring Wide-Area Connector process for global clusters
    3. Configuring the SQL Server service group
      1.  
        About configuring the SQL Server service group
      2.  
        Before configuring the SQL Server service group
      3. Configuring a SQL Server service group using the wizard
        1.  
          Configuring detail monitoring for a SQL Server instance
        2.  
          Assigning privileges to the existing SQL Server databases and logs
      4.  
        Configuring the service group in a non-shared storage environment
      5.  
        Running SnapManager for SQL Server
      6.  
        About the modifications required for tagged VLAN or teamed network
      7. Making SQL Server user-defined databases highly available
        1.  
          Create volumes or LUNs for SQL Server user-defined databases
        2.  
          Creating SQL Server databases
        3.  
          Adding storage agent resources to the SQL service group
      8. Verifying the service group configuration
        1.  
          Bringing the service group online
        2.  
          Taking the service group offline
        3.  
          Switching the service group
      9. Administering a SQL Server service group
        1.  
          Modifying a SQL service group configuration
        2.  
          Deleting a SQL service group
    4. Configuring an MSDTC service group
      1.  
        About configuring the MSDTC service group
      2.  
        Typical MSDTC service group configuration using shared storage
      3.  
        Before configuring the MSDTC service group
      4.  
        Creating an MSDTC service group
      5.  
        About configuring an MSDTC client
      6.  
        Configuring an MSDTC client
      7.  
        Verifying the installation
    5. Configuring the standalone SQL Server
      1. Typical high availability configuration for a standalone SQL Server setup
        1.  
          Sample configuration
      2. Configuring a standalone SQL Server for high availablility
        1.  
          Moving the existing SQL Server data files and user databases
    6. Configuring an Active/Active cluster
      1. About running SQL Server in an active-active clustered environment
        1.  
          Sample configuration
      2.  
        Setting up the Active/Active cluster
    7. Configuring a disaster recovery setup
      1. Setting up the disaster recovery cluster
        1.  
          Why implement a disaster recovery solution
        2.  
          Understanding replication
        3.  
          What needs to be protected in a SQL Server environment
      2. Configuring a disaster recovery set up for SQL Server
        1.  
          Configuring replication using NetApp SnapMirror
        2.  
          Configuring SnapMirror resources at the primary site
      3. Configuring the Global Cluster Option for wide-area failover
        1.  
          Prerequisites
        2.  
          Linking clusters: Adding a remote cluster to a local cluster
        3.  
          Converting a local service group to a global service group
        4.  
          Bringing a global service group online
      4. Administering global service groups
        1.  
          Taking a remote global service group offline
        2.  
          Switching a remote service group
        3.  
          Deleting a remote cluster
  3. Section III. Configuring SQL Server in a VMware environment
    1. Configuring application monitoring using the Veritas High Availability solution
      1.  
        Deploying the Veritas High Availability solution for configuring application monitoring
      2. Notes and recommendations
        1. Assigning privileges for non-administrator ESX/ESXi user account
          1.  
            Creating a role
          2.  
            Integrating with Active Directory or local authentication
          3.  
            Creating a new user
          4.  
            Adding a user to the role
      3. Configuring application monitoring
        1.  
          Configuring the VCS cluster
        2.  
          Configuring the application
      4.  
        Modifying the ESXDetails attribute
    2. Administering application monitoring
      1.  
        About the various interfaces available for performing application monitoring tasks
      2. Administering application monitoring using the Veritas High Availability tab
        1.  
          Understanding the Veritas High Availability tab work area
        2.  
          To view the status of configured applications
        3.  
          To configure or unconfigure application monitoring
        4.  
          To start or stop applications
        5.  
          To suspend or resume application monitoring
        6.  
          To switch an application to another system
        7.  
          To add or remove a failover system
        8.  
          To clear Fault state
        9.  
          To resolve a held-up operation
        10.  
          To determine application state
        11.  
          To remove all monitoring configurations
        12.  
          To remove VCS cluster configurations
      3.  
        Administering application monitoring settings
      4. Administering application availability using Veritas High Availability dashboard
        1. Understanding the dashboard work area
          1.  
            Aggregate status bar
          2.  
            ESX cluster/host table
          3.  
            Taskbar
          4.  
            Filters menu
          5.  
            Application table
        2.  
          Monitoring applications across a data center
        3.  
          Monitoring applications across an ESX cluster
        4.  
          Searching for application instances by using filters
        5.  
          Selecting multiple applications for batch operations
        6.  
          Starting an application using the dashboard
        7.  
          Stopping an application by using the dashboard
        8.  
          Entering an application into maintenance mode
        9.  
          Bringing an application out of maintenance mode
        10.  
          Switching an application
  4. Section IV. Appendixes
    1. Appendix A. Troubleshooting
      1.  
        VCS logging
      2.  
        VCS Cluster Configuration Wizard (VCW) logs
      3.  
        VCWsilent logs
      4.  
        NetApp agents error messages
      5. Error and warning messages from VCS agent for SQL Server
        1.  
          Messages from the VCS agent for SQL Server Database Engine
        2.  
          Messages from the VCS agent for SQL Server FILESTREAM
        3.  
          Messages from the VCS agent for SQL Server Agent service and Analysis service
        4.  
          SQL Server Analysis service (MSOLAP) service fails to come online with "invalid context of address" error
        5.  
          Messages from the VCS agent for MSDTC
      6. Troubleshooting application monitoring configuration issues
        1.  
          Running the 'hastop - all' command detaches virtual disks
        2.  
          Validation may fail when you add a failover system
        3.  
          Adding a failover system may fail if you configure a cluster with communication links over UDP
      7. Troubleshooting Veritas High Availability view issues
        1.  
          Veritas High Availability tab not visible from a cluster node
        2.  
          Veritas High Availability tab does not display the application monitoring status
        3.  
          Veritas High Availabilitytab may freeze due to special characters in application display name
        4.  
          Veritas High Availability view may fail to load or refresh
        5.  
          Operating system commands to unmount resource may fail
    2. Appendix B. Using the virtual MMC viewer
      1.  
        About using the virtual MMC viewer
      2.  
        Viewing DTC transaction information

Assigning privileges to the existing SQL Server databases and logs

Note:

The following steps are required only if you have configured the SQL cluster account while creating the SQL Server service group earlier.

While installing SQL Server, if the user account specified for the SQL Server services is not a member of the local administrators group, then the SQL services and databases may not be accessible after a service group failover. For such a case, you configure the SQL cluster account while creating the SQL Server service group.

The SQL cluster account gets full control privileges to all the new databases and log files that are created after the service group is configured.

However, if databases were created before the service group is configured, you have to manually assign the SQL cluster account with full control privileges to the existing databases and log files associated with the instances in the service group.

To assign privileges to the existing SQL databases and logs

  1. On the node where the SQL Server service group is online, navigate to the following directory from Windows explorer:

    <Datarootdirectory>\<SQLinstancename>\MSSQL\

    The directory contains various directories including DATA, FTData, JOBS, Log, repldata.

    Here, <Datarootdirectory> is the path that you specified while installing SQL Server.

  2. Assign the SQL Cluster account with full control privileges to the following directories:

    • DATA

    • Log

  3. Navigate inside the DATA folder and then assign the SQL cluster account with full control privileges to the following files in that directory:

    • tempdb.mdf

    • templog.ldf

  4. Repeat these steps for all the instances that are configured in the SQL Server service group.

    This ensures the existing SQL databases are accessible after a service group failover.