SQL Server on SUSE Linux from A-Z: Data platform, High Availability and Containers

Enterprises are leveraging SUSE Linux for their 7/24 mission-critical enterprise server platform, and SUSE Linux has become the standard for reliability and scalability. Today, more and more companies are considering Linux as their new operating system (OS) for Microsoft SQL Server, and in today’s enterprise, to be an effective database administrator, DBAs and Data Architects must possess great OS and DevOps skills, as well as the ability to implement high availability systems.

SUSE is a sponsor of the PASS community which supports these professionals (https://www.pass.org).  PASS, which is a global community of data professionals, supports data professionals throughout the world who use the Microsoft data platform products like SQL Server. The focus is to empower data professionals who leverage SQL Server database in the enterprise.  To enable this community, SUSE introduced SUSE Linux OS and SUSE Container as a Service Platform (CaaSP) for SQL Server database to the PASS community in a series of joint webinars with Microsoft.

 Some Key Messages from our PASS Community Webinar Series

• SUSE Linux as a data platform for Data Workloads

The IT landscape is constantly changing, and digital transformation also depends on data platform architectures and integrated solutions. When we think about the evolution of the data platform we see a continuum of capabilities which started with Relational Databases, then the emergence of data proliferation and consolidation into data warehouses, which gave rise to Analytics, which helps provide data abstraction through business applications. We now have generated such a significant data set, and have learned how to consume better, analyze, and process that data through Big Data and Analytics platforms. Enterprises must be open to adopting platforms that increase flexibility and provide a unified experience across multiple workloads and modalities. SUSE is committed to enabling customers, partners and communities to choose the best platform for their data. This includes providing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as multi modal OS. Customers can choose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server to deploy Big Data, Data Analytics, and fit for use, data solutions. SUSE creates the opportunity to consolidate the platform for a diverse portfolio of data solutions on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.

• Enable Containers for MS SQL Server Database with SUSE CaaSP

Over the last few months, the popularity of database containers has proliferated. There are now more than 10,000 SQL Server Docker database image pulls per month. Containers are no longer just proof of concept. They are now part of production implementation plans. SUSE Container as a Service (CaaS) platform is ready to support SQL Server to be a part of this wave. Deploying SQL Server in containers simplifies and speeds up deployments making it easier for application development, database DevOps, and deploying in production.  Running a single container is interesting, but to run containers in a production environment, you need something more significant. This is where Kubernetes comes in. So this is also where SUSE Kubernetes-based platform makes a difference. SUSE introduced Container as a Service Platform to PASS community and highlighted the automation and management capabilities available for DBAs to deploy database containers on SUSE CaaS Platform.

• Mission-critical high availability with SUSE HA Extension

Everyone deploying SQL Server has to account for all mission-critical SQL Server instances, and the databases within them that must be available when the business and end users need them. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with High Availability Extension provides mission-critical uptime, fast failover, improved manageability, and easy configuration for Always on Availability Groups (AG) for SQL Server High Availability setup on Azure.  SUSE provided practical knowledge to the PASS community around this topic in one of our webinars with Microsoft.

Would you like to learn more? Our PASS session recordings are now available for the following topics:

• Session 1: SQL Server on Linux: A Modern Data Platform

• Session 2: Enable Containers for MS SQL Server Database with SUSE Container as a Service Platform (CaaSP)
• Session 3: Linux Fundamental for DBAs
• Session 4: Architecting a High Availability Database Platform with SQL

To learn about our free SQL on Linux offer please visit https://www.suse.com/partners/alliance/microsoft/sql-server-on-linux/.