Lift and Shift Always On SQL Server Failover Cluster Instance (SQL FCI) to Azure VMs
Today, we are announcing two new features enabling lift and shift of Always On SQL server Failover Cluster instances (SQL FCI) from on-premises to Azure Virtual Machines: Distributed Network Name (DNN) for SQL FCI and Azure Shared Disks for SQL FCI.Announcing Performance Optimized Storage Configuration for SQL Server on Azure VMs with SQL VM RP
Today, we are excited to announce Performance Optimized Storage Configuration capabilities for the VM’s registered with SQL VM RP. This feature automates storage configuration according to performance best practices for SQL Server on Azure virtual machines through Azure Portal or Azure Quick start Templates when creating a SQL VM. Automated performance best practices include separating Data and Log files, cache configuration for premium disks hosting data and log files, support for Temp DB on local disk, support for Ultra disks to host data, log or Temp DB files and database engine only images. In this article, we will discuss each automated performance best practice in detail.SQL Server on Azure VM - Now with 30% better price-performance on the new Ebdsv5 VM series!
The new Ebdsv5 VM series in preview starting today offers the highest I/O throughput to core ratio in Azure and is ideal for SQL Server workloads and other I/O-heavy workloads like Oracle, Teradata, and SAS. Once the Ebdsv5 series is generally available we expect it to be the flagship Azure VM for SQL Server workloads.Benefit from Resource Provider registration when self-installing SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machine
If you choose to self-install SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines instead of choosing a preconfigured pay-as-you-go or bring-your-own-license from the Azure Marketplace, there are two reasons why you should register your SQL VM with our Resource Provider today: Compliance – satisfy the Microsoft Product Terms requiring you to indicate to Microsoft when using Azure Hybrid Benefit. Feature benefits – unlock auto-patching, auto-backup, monitoring, and manageability capabilities, as well as licensing flexibility, when registering with SQL virtual machines with Resource Provider. Previously, these were only available to SQL VM images from the Azure Marketplace.Announcement: New Features and changes to SQL IaaS Agent Extension
SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines is powered by the SQL IaaS Agent extension which provides many features that make managing your SQL Server easy. This blog will discuss new features and changes we’ve recently released in this extension. Retiring Modes: SQL IaaS Agent extension traditionally used to have two modes, Lightweight and Full mode. In the Lightweight mode, customers were able to do license management, whereas the Full mode offers all the other manageability features. This differentiation of modes made it tough for customers to adopt the manageability features that the SQL IaaS agent extension offers. To address this, starting today there will be no management modes for SQL IaaS agent extension. Going forward, customers register with the SQL IaaS Agent extension and enable the required features they would like for their SQL Server on Azure virtual machines. Based on the features selected, the SQL IaaS agent extension would assume only the permissions required on the SQL Server to enable those features. If no features are enabled, there will be no Windows services installed. Upon enabling a specific feature, the extension will create Windows services to perform the tasks required by the feature. Licensing mode changes do not require any Windows services and can be managed from the SQL VM (virtual machines) portal immediately after the SQL IaaS Agent extension is enabled. Announcing General Availability of AAD authentication for SQL Server on Azure VMs: AAD authentication is one of the most important features that is introduced in SQL Server 2022. Enabling this feature is easy when you run your workload on Azure VMs. Customers simply need to follow 3 steps to get this enabled. Choose the managed identity they would like to use to enable AAD authentication. Both system and user-managed identities are supported. Make sure the selected managed identity has the necessary permissions in AAD. Please follow the instructions mentioned here to give the required permission. Click on Apply to enable AAD authentication. With GA, Azure also will check whether required permissions were assigned to the managed identity selected before going ahead and starting the deployment, hence customers do not have to wait for the deployment to complete to validate whether the specified managed identity has the correct permissions. Auto upgrade of the SQL IaaS Agent extension: SQL IaaS agent extension adds new features and improvements over time and customers currently get these features through lazy upgrades. A lazy upgrade occurs whenever a customer interacts with SQL VM portal or through CLI. Customers often want to keep extensions in all their VMs on the same version. This new auto upgrade option will keep all the SQL VMs on the same version of extension by upgrading extension to the latest version every month. This is now a default feature for all the new VMs being deployed in Azure. VMs that are already deployed can take advantage of this by going to the SQL VM portal and going to SQL IaaS Agent Extension Settings page.SQL Server on Azure VMs - the best price-performance gets even better!
As we reflect on the past year and look toward what’s to come in 2023, we thought it would be a great time to call attention to all the innovations in the price-performance area for SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines that came out this past year, and to announce we are starting the new year with a bang in the form of an all-new price-performance study from GigaOm!Intro - SQL Server Transparent Data Encryption and Extensible Key Management Using Azure Key Vault
Part - Intro of a 4-part blog series: Setting up Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) and EKM (Extensible Key Management) to use Azure Key Vault (AKV) can be a complex process which has been made even more challenging due to limited documentation, cryptic instructions and multiple steps using 4 different products: SQL Server Connector for Microsoft Azure Key Vault (aka: SQL Server Connector) Azure Active Directory (aka: AAD) Azure Key Vault (aka: AKV) SQL Server (SQL Server 2008 or later) However, this blog will attempt to make it easy to setup TDE and EKM using Azure Key Vault via either the Azure Portal or PowerShell and of course SQL Server (TSQL).Announcement: Upcoming Changes to SQL Server on Linux Virtual Machine (VM) Provisioning in Azure
We’re making an important update to how customers provision SQL Server on Linux virtual machines (VMs) in Azure. What’s Changing? Starting soon, Linux-based SQL Server Virtual Machine (VM) images published by Microsoft will be removed from the Azure Marketplace. As a result, these SQL Server on Linux images will no longer be visible in the Azure SQL hub during VM provisioning, nor accessible via CLI, Azure Portal, or PowerShell scripts. This change is part of our broader effort to simplify and modernise the provisioning experience for SQL Server Linux on Azure. Why Are We Making This Change? We’re transitioning away from image-based provisioning to a script-based model that offers greater flexibility, automation, and control. This fresh approach will allow customers to: Choose their preferred supported Linux distribution (RHEL, SLES or Ubuntu (Pro)) Select SQL Server version and edition Configure licensing options Customise deployment parameters through scripts and ability to add VM extensions. This shift ensures a more consistent and extensible experience across all supported platforms. When Will This Happen? The deprecation of Linux VM images will begin shortly and will be completed over the next couple of months. During this transition, customers may notice the SQL Server on Linux based Azure marketplace image listings may not be available. What Should You Do? For the Azure Virtual Machines deployed using the SQL on Linux Azure marketplace images in the past they'd continue to work, but if you’re planning to deploy new SQL Server on Linux based Azure Virtual Machines, please follow the below steps: Manual installation is recommended during this transition period. Start by creating a Linux Virtual Machine using the Azure Portal, CLI, or PowerShell. Once the VM is provisioned, follow the official SQL Server installation documentation to complete the setup. VM Creation Guidance: You can refer to this guide for step-by-step instructions on creating an Azure Linux-based virtual machine: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/linux/quick-create-portal Choosing a Linux Distribution: Feel free to select the distribution that best fits your requirements. For a list of endorsed Linux distributions on Azure, see: Linux distributions endorsed on Azure - Azure Virtual Machines | Microsoft Learn Please note, SQL Server is officially supported only on the following Linux distributions. Based on the distribution you choose, refer to the corresponding documentation for SQL Server installation guidance: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) Ubuntu For more details on supported distributions refer to: SQL Server 2025 - Supported Linux distributions SQL Server 2022 - Supported Linux distributions A new script-based provisioning experience is coming soon - stay tuned for announcements. We’ll continue to share updates through the Azure portal, documentation, and this blog.
