Today, you can deploy SQL Server on Ubuntu based Azure virtual machines (VMs) in one of the three ways:
- Option 1: Use the pre-configured Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu Pro Azure marketplace image for the Azure virtual machine(VM) creation.
- Option 2: Deploy a Azure VM based on an Ubuntu Pro image and then manually install and configure the SQL Server.
- Option 3: Deploy an Ubuntu LTS image based Azure VM, then manually install and configure SQL Server.
In this blog, I'd like to spend some time discussing option 1, which is Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu Pro Azure marketplace images which were introduced in November 2021 last year. And, why should you consider this as the preferred alternative?
The first question to consider is: What additional capabilities are offered by Ubuntu Pro? To help you answer this question, I’d recommend you to read the below articles published by Canonical, which clearly document the advantages of Ubuntu Pro, such as FIPS & CC-EAL2 certification, open-source security, kernel live patch.
Now that you are aware of the benefits of Ubuntu Pro, option 3 is no longer among the preferred options as it does not use Ubuntu pro. As a result, we are left with two options: Option 1 and Option 2.
The most important aspect to consider for any production grade database workload is the supportability of the entire solution stack, and this is where option 1 of using pre-configured Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu Pro Azure marketplace images gives you an advantage, as the SQL Server Azure VMs deployed on Ubuntu Pro using the above image, are a fully 24/7 supported stack from both Microsoft and Canonical. You can basically open a support ticket through the Azure portal for assistance, and both the Microsoft and Canonical teams will work together to promptly provide you with the required support.
When you choose option 2, which is where you first deploy an Ubuntu Pro Azure VM and then manually deploy SQL Server, you still have gaps in your support coverage. Ubuntu Pro is designed to be a cost-effective way to increase the security of your Ubuntu estate and by default does not include any technical support. Technical support can be added to Ubuntu Pro with a private offer or separate support subscription from Canonical, but even so the support will be for the operating system (OS) and the database separately & independent of each other. In contrast, when using the pre-configured SQL Server on Ubuntu Pro marketplace image, you get 24/7 support for the entire stack by default.
Hence, the preferred deployment method for a production grade workload deployment for SQL Server on Ubuntu is to use the pre-configured Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu Pro Azure marketplace image for creating the SQL Server VMs in Azure.
So get started with your production workload deployments on SQL Server on Ubuntu Pro Azure VM using the SQL Server on Ubuntu Pro in Azure Gallery image!!
