Book Image

SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines

By : Joey D'Antoni, Louis Davidson, Allan Hirt, John Martin, Anthony Nocentino, Tim Radney, Randolph West
Book Image

SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines

By: Joey D'Antoni, Louis Davidson, Allan Hirt, John Martin, Anthony Nocentino, Tim Radney, Randolph West

Overview of this book

Deploying SQL Server on Azure virtual machines allows you to work on full versions of SQL Server in the cloud without having to maintain on-premises hardware. The book begins by introducing you to the SQL portfolio in Azure and takes you through SQL Server IaaS scenarios, before explaining the factors that you need to consider while choosing an OS for SQL Server in Azure VMs. As you progress through the book, you'll explore different VM options and deployment choices for IaaS and understand platform availability, migration tools, and best practices in Azure. In later chapters, you'll learn how to configure storage to achieve optimized performance. Finally, you'll get to grips with the concept of Azure Hybrid Benefit and find out how you can use it to maximize the value of your existing on-premises SQL Server. By the end of this book, you'll be proficient in administering SQL Server on Microsoft Azure and leveraging the tools required for its deployment.
Table of Contents (10 chapters)
8
Index

Deployment choices for IaaS

This section will cover the different ways in which you can deploy a VM in Azure, along with considerations and best practices that are applicable no matter which method is used, as well as briefly talk about licensing SQL Server in Azure.

Deployment methods

There are three options for deploying a VM in Azure for use with SQL Server:

  • Choose a pre-built template, also known as an image, with SQL Server already installed.
  • Choose a template with the OS but without SQL Server installed, which will be done after the VM is built.
  • Build a custom image using a virtual hard drive and upload it to Azure.

No matter which of the three deployment methods you choose, you can deploy using Cloud Shell (Bash or PowerShell)6, also known as the Azure command-line interface (CLI), Azure portal7, Azure Resource Manager templates8 that are written in JSON, and the Azure PowerShell module9. Builds can be automated and incorporated into DevOps processes...