SQL Clustering options with 2012 standard Ed

Question

i need help to find the best solution (if one exists..) to build a sql cluster using two servers and two sql Standard Edition licenses (2012 or 2014 or 2016). No shared storage is available No need for an active/active configuration

I did try searching and reading but still cant understand how to do that, i'm clearly not a dba

thanks for your help! RL

• Nic: Are you talking a Failover Cluster Instance of SQL Server, or a Windows Server Failover Cluster on which you will install SQL Server and implement basic Availability Groups (SQL 2016)? And what version of Windows?

Answer 1

On a standard SQL Server license on SQL Server 2016 you can setup AlwaysOn Availability Groups on two hosts without the need for shared storage.

On SQL Server 2014 and 2012 the only high availability option you have with a standard license is to create Alwayson Failover Cluster Instances which depend on you using shared storage.

So using the standard edition the only option you have is to run SQL Server 2016 with AlwaysOn Availability Groups. Remember that a FCI or AG will only set you back a single SQL license if the secondary server is not queried. The setup is not that complicated but a bit out of scope, you can start here

• RadioLontra: Ok, thanks for your replies. If i understand, with no shared storage available, i can setup two windows 2012 servers in failover clustering, and install on top of them SQL server with AOAG. This way i'll need a single SQL license until the primary SQL server works. If this server is shut down and secondary goes up, still one license is needed or i need another? And, by the way, is a load balancing configuration allowed with this AOAG? Two SQL licenses Standard edition would be ok with this configuration? Thanks a lot for your help!
• Spörri: No load balancing, just failover, there are limits on how long you can run the secondary server without having to activate the license
• RadioLontra: Ok, one last question. If i had to use SQL 2014 Standard, where availability group is not an option, i could still use mirroring to have high availability without shared storage, correct? I know mirroring is going to be deprecated, but these are the cards i'm playing with and SQL 2016 seems to be not compatible with the application it should serve..
• Spörri: correct. Mirroring is still there..