Why & How We Migrated Our SQL Server from a Virtual Machine to Dedicated Hardware

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In our ongoing journey of migrating from VMware to Hyper-V, a critical decision we faced was whether to keep our SQL server on a virtual machine or move it to dedicated hardware. After careful consideration, we chose to migrate our SQL server from a VM environment to a physical server.

This decision was driven by our company’s heavy reliance on SQL databases for core functionality and the performance advantages of running SQL on dedicated hardware. Here’s how we executed this migration efficiently and effectively, ensuring minimal downtime and maximum performance gains.

Why Move SQL Server to Dedicated Hardware?

While virtual machines offer flexibility and ease of management, they can sometimes introduce performance bottlenecks, especially for resource-intensive applications like SQL databases. Our company relies heavily on SQL databases for critical operations, making performance a top priority. By moving SQL to dedicated hardware, we aim to achieve:

Enhanced Performance: Dedicated servers allow SQL databases to utilize all available resources without the overhead of a hypervisor, leading to faster query processing and improved transaction throughput.

Reliability and Stability: Physical servers eliminate potential VM-related issues, such as resource contention and hypervisor-related outages, ensuring a more stable environment for our SQL databases.

Optimised Storage Configuration: Dedicated hardware provides more flexibility in configuring storage (such as RAID setups) tailored specifically for SQL workloads, improving I/O performance.

The How: Step-by-Step Migration Plan

The migration process was designed to be simple and efficient, utilising Veeam’s robust backup and recovery tools. Here’s a step-by-step overview of how we achieved a seamless transition:

1. Preparing the Backup:

Install Veeam Backup Agent: The first step was to install the Veeam backup agent on our existing SQL VM server. This tool allowed us to create a reliable backup of the entire VM, ensuring all data was captured accurately.

Backup the SQL VM Server: With the agent installed, we performed a full backup of the SQL VM server. This step was crucial in safeguarding our data before making any changes to the environment.

Create Veeam Recovery Media: We then created a Veeam recovery media, which would be used to boot the new physical hardware and initiate the restoration process.

2. Restoring to New Hardware:

Boot New Hardware with Recovery Media: The new physical server hardware was prepared and booted using the Veeam recovery media. This allowed us to restore the operating system from the VM backup directly onto the new hardware.

Complete the OS Restoration: Once the restoration to the new hardware was successfully completed, we performed a cleanup to remove any VM-related configurations and ensured all drivers were updated and installed for the new physical server. This entire process took less than an hour, thanks to thorough preparation and planning.

3. Configuring the New Server:

Configure RAID for Logs and Databases: Next, we set up the RAID configurations on the new server, optimizing it specifically for SQL logs and databases. This setup is critical for achieving the high performance and reliability required for our SQL operations.

Restore Databases Using Veeam Application Recovery (SQL): We utilized Veeam’s application recovery feature for SQL to restore all databases to the new server. This step required careful reconfiguration of SQL Server logs and database locations to match the new RAID volumes.

4. Finalizing the Migration:

– After restoring the databases to the new hardware, we verified that the SQL Server was fully functional, mirroring the environment and performance of the original VM server but now running on dedicated hardware.

The Outcome

By moving our SQL server from a virtual machine to dedicated hardware, we have achieved a more robust and performant environment for our SQL databases. The migration process was smooth and completed within the planned timeframe, showcasing the effectiveness of our strategy and the tools we used. Our SQL Server now benefits from dedicated resources, optimised storage, and enhanced stability, which is crucial for our business operations.

Looking Ahead

This migration is part of our broader strategy to optimise our IT infrastructure and align it with our business needs. Moving from VMware to Hyper-V, and now optimising our SQL environment on dedicated hardware, we continue to seek ways to enhance our technology stack to support our growth and operational efficiency.

In my next article, I will delve deeper into how we plan to optimise other critical systems in our transition from VMware to Hyper-V and the benefits we anticipate for our organisation.

Stay tuned!

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