This document provides an overview of implementing high availability for Windows Server and SQL Server on AWS. It discusses deploying Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) across Availability Zones and configuring SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Groups. The solution uses Active Directory Domain Services, security groups, WSFC clustering, and AlwaysOn to provide redundancy and automatic failover. A sample CloudFormation template is also provided to automate deployment of the necessary AWS infrastructure.

1. Implementing Windows and SQL Server
for High Availability on AWS
Presented by Matt Tavis
Content by Mike Pfeiffer
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2. What We Will Cover
• This is an overview of a High Availability solution built
with Windows Server and SQL Server running on
Amazon EC2
• This example uses the AlwaysOn Availability Groups
feature of SQL Enterprise Edition 2012 or 2014
• There are other ways to build HA solutions with SQL
Server, and one example is to use the new Multi-AZ
feature of Amazon Relational Database Services (RDS)
– http://aws.amazon.com/rds/sqlserver/
– http://aws.amazon.com/rds/multi-az/
– http://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-rds-for-sql-server-with-multi-az/

3. Before You Get Started
This is an advanced topic. If you are new to AWS, please visit
the “Getting Started with AWS” section of the documentation.
You should also be familiar with the following topics:
• Amazon EC2
• Amazon VPC
• Windows Server 2012
• Windows Server Active Directory and DNS
• Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC)
• SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Groups
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4. Introduction
The goal of a high availability configuration is to protect from failure of a single instance.
This guide discusses architectural considerations and configuration steps when launching
the necessary AWS services to run WSFC across different subnets and Availability Zones,
and also provides instructions for installing and configuring WSFC and an AlwaysOn
Availability Group. We also provide you a sample AWS CloudFormation template to help
deploy the necessary infrastructure predictably and repeatedly.
Implementing a WSFC cluster and AlwaysOn Availability Group in the AWS cloud is not
different from deploying on-premises as long as two requirements are met:
• Deploy the cluster nodes inside a VPC
• Put WSFC cluster nodes in separate subnets
• This presentation gives an overview of the process to create the example solution. It does
not outline each step. For the detailed overview, please consult the whitepaper available
here: http://aws.amazon.com/microsoft/whitepapers/
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5. Microsoft Platform on AWS
• Partnership to support running Windows
Server-based workloads on AWS
• Windows Server, SQL Server on AWS today
– Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) jointly
developed by Microsoft and AWS
• SharePoint Server and other Microsoft
server products can be licensed to run on
AWS
Two licensing models:
•Windows Server
•SQL Server Standard
Pay-as-you-go – AMI
pricing includes
software
•SQL Server Enterprise
•SharePoint Server
•Other Microsoft Windows Server products
BYOL – use existing
licenses on AWS
General info on AWS and License Mobility for a variety of MS server products:
http://aws.amazon.com/windows/mslicensemobility/
Detail on AWS and License Mobility with SQL Server:
http://aws.amazon.com/windows/mslicensemobility/sql/
Microsoft “License Mobility through Software Assurance” gives Microsoft Volume Licensing
customers the flexibility to deploy Windows server applications with active Microsoft Software
Assurance on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
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6. Summary – What You Will Learn
Part 1 Implement Active Directory
Domain Services
Part 2 Launch and Configure the Server
Infrastructure
Part 3 Configure a SQL Server 2012 or
2014 AlwaysOn Availability Group
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7. Summary – What You Will Build
One Amazon VPC
One public route
One Internet Gateway
Security Groups
to control the secure flow of traffic between
the instances deployed in the Amazon VPC
•8 private subnets and 2 public subnets
•2 private routes
•2 Windows Server 2012–based Remote Desktop Gateway instances
•2 Linux–based NAT instances to enable administrative ingress and
egress
•4 Elastic IP Addresses associated with the NAT and RDGW instances
•2 Windows Server 2012–based instances to host the Active Directory
•2 Windows Server 2012–based instances to host the WSFC Node and
SQL Server 2012 or 2014 instances
Per Availability Zone
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8. 8

9. Part 1: Implement Active Directory Domain
Services
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10. Part 1: Implement Active Directory Domain Services
Implement Active Directory Domain Services
The underlying Active Directory architecture for this deployment is based on an existing reference
implementation provided by AWS: Implementing Active Directory Domain Services in the AWS Cloud.
This architecture provides a highly available Active Directory Domain Services infrastructure that supports
the following best practices.
• Domain Controllers should be placed in a minimum of two Availability Zones to provide high availability.
• Instances should be placed into individual server tiers.
• Domain Controllers and other non-internet facing servers should be placed in private subnets.
• Instances launched by CloudFormation templates will require internet access to connect to the AWS CloudFormation
endpoint during the bootstrapping process. To support this configuration, public subnets are used to host NAT instances for
outbound internet access. Remote Desktop Gateway is also deployed into the public subnets for remote administration.
Other components, such as reverse proxy servers can be placed into these public subnets, if needed.
Several critical components and considerations are covered in the Active Directory reference that
addresses Active Directory Site and Subnet design and how DNS and DHCP work inside an Amazon
VPC.
For more details on the underlying Active Directory and network design, see the reference architecture
outlined in Implementing Active Directory Domain Services in the AWS Cloud
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11. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server
Infrastructure
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12. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Part 2 in Steps
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•Set up SQL Server Enterprise Edition
•Create and Configure Security Groups
•Create WSFC Cluster
•Enable AlwaysOn High Availability

13. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Part 2 in Steps
13
•Set up SQL Server Enterprise Edition
•Create and Configure Security Groups
•Create WSFC Cluster
•Enable AlwaysOn High Availability

14. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Set Up SQL Server Enterprise Edition
High Availability and Disaster Recovery in the AWS Cloud
• Amazon EC2 provides ability to place instances in multiple
regions and Availability Zones
• By launching in separate AZs you can protect from the failure of
a single location
• WSFC provides features that complement the HA and DR
scenarios supported in the AWS Cloud
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15. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Set Up SQL Server Enterprise Edition
SQL Server Enterprise Edition
• AMIs are provided only for SQL Server Express and SQL Server
Web Edition
• To install SQL Server 2012 or 2014 Enterprise Edition on AWS you
can download the trial software from Microsoft
• The scripted deployment will download the trial version from the
Microsoft download site and add automatically to the instance at
dc1sqlinstall in the first AZ
• For a production deployment with volume licensing, use Software
Assurance to mobilize the license
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16. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Part 2 in Steps
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•Set up SQL Server Enterprise Edition
•Create and Configure Security Groups
•Create WSFC Cluster
•Enable AlwaysOn High Availability

17. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Create and Configure Security Groups
Security Groups and Firewalls
• Amazon EC2 instances must be associated with a Security Group
• You have control over ingress and egress, and can build granular rules that
are scoped by protocol, port number, and source or destination IP address or
subnet
• More guidance available in our Securing the Microsoft Platform on AWS
whitepaper at http://aws.amazon.com/microsoft/whitepapers/#security
• Security group rules will need to allow traffic for necessary services, and
SQL nodes will need to have ports opened to communicate with each other
• If you use the CloudFormation templates, a number of Security Groups and
rules will be created for you (details in Appendices)
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18. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Part 2 in Steps
18
•Set up SQL Server Enterprise Edition
•Create and Configure Security Groups
•Create WSFC Cluster
•Enable AlwaysOn High Availability

19. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Create WSFC Cluster
Storage on the WSFC Nodes
• The CloudFormation template will deploy the WSFC nodes using the r3.2xlarge
instance type by default
• Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) Provisioned IOPs volumes backed by
solid state drives are included in the reference architecture to provide performant
and durable storage
• Each WSFC node deploys 8
Amazon EBS volumes to create
three stripe set (Raid0) arrays
• SQL Server will utilize the disk
layout for databases and logs
in the locations shown at right
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20. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Create WSFC Cluster
IP Addressing on the WSFC Nodes
• Each node hosting SQL Server instances will have 3 IP
addresses assigned and addresses can be specified
– One IP address is used as Primary
address for the instance
– Second IP address acts as WSFC IP
resource
– Third IP address used to host the
AlwaysOn Availability Group listener
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21. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Create WSFC Cluster
Windows Server Failover Clustering
• The following PowerShell commands will build the WSFC Cluster
• Create an additional share to keep the cluster online in the event of
an individual server failure
• The CloudFormation template will create a folder that the Active
Directory computer account will have access to
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22. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Part 2 in Steps
•Set up SQL Server Enterprise Edition
•Create and Configure Security Groups
•Create WSFC cluster
•Enable AlwaysOn High Availability
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23. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Enable AlwaysOn High Availability
The CloudFormation template will enable AlwaysOn
• Done with a simple PowerShell command run on each node
• As you create an Availability Group, initial data synchronization will
be done using a file share dc1replica, created by the template
• Now you’ll be ready to create your databases and Availability Group
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24. Part 2: Launch and Configure the Server Infrastructure
Automated Deployment
Template helps you deploy the WSFC
Nodes into AWS architecture
• Deploys Active Directory Domain Services
infrastructure along with Windows Server
2012 or 2014 based instances as WSFC
nodes into their respective subnets
• Allows for customization of 40 defined
parameters
• You can modify these or use them as a
guide for creating your own set of
parameters
Launch Stack
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Template takes about
3 hours to complete
Template will cost about
$15 of AWS Service hours

25. Part 3: Configure a SQL Server AlwaysOn
Availability Group
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26. Part 3: Configure a SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Group
Create a Test Database or Attach an Existing Database
• Using SQL Server Management Studio,
connect to the first cluster node
• Connect a new database or attach a test
database
• Ensure the Recovery model on the
database is set to full
• Back up the database by right-clicking on the
database in SQL Management Studio and
select Tasks > Backup
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27. Part 3: Configure a SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Group
Create an Availability Group
• In Object Explorer launch the New
Availability Group wizard and follow it
according to the guide provided
• Run Windows PowerShell to adjust the
Listener Host Record TTL
• Connect via Remote Desktop Gateway
to the Primary Domain Controller
• Open Server Manager and Check DNS
to ensure all availability group Listeners’
IP addresses are listed
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28. Part 3: Configure a SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Group
Test Your WSFC Cluster and AlwaysOn Availability Group
The paper provides a step by step process to verify that
your first node is online, then stop that instance and check
that it fails over to the second node.

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30. Conclusion
Summary
In this presentation, we gave an overview of the steps to implement the necessary
infrastructure in the AWS cloud to set up and configure Windows Server Failover Clustering
and SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability Groups. The resulting sample implementation
supports the following scenarios:
• Protect from failure of a single instance
• Provide automatic failover between the cluster nodes
• Protect from failure of the instance placed in the secondary Availability Zone and
automatically failover to the primary one
We recommend you consult the Microsoft documentation and customize some of the steps
described in this guide to deploy a solution that best meets your HA and DR needs.
Testing
Before putting the solution into production, you should test your deployment and familiarize
yourself with the clusters behavior during a high availability automatic failover or a disaster
recovery event. There is a full testing process outlined in the whitepaper.
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31. Additional Resources
Web Pages
Microsoft on AWS
http://aws.amazon.com/microsoft/
Windows on AWS (includes pricing)
http://aws.amazon.com/windows/
Reference Deployment Quickstart
http://aws.amazon.com/quickstart/
quickstart@amazon.com
AWS Windows and .NET Developer Center (with sdk)
http://aws.amazon.com/net/
Amazon EC2 Windows Guide
http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/WindowsGuide/
Microsoft Licensing
http://aws.amazon.com/windows/mslicensemobility/
Covers Exchange, SharePoint, SQL, Lync, SCOM, and Dynamics.
See page for specific details, including which versions are covered.
Whitepapers
Implementing Active Directory Domain Services on AWS
Remote Desktop Gateway Reference Architecture
Exchange on AWS Implementation & Planning Guide
SharePoint Server on AWS Reference Architecture
more at http://aws.amazon.com/microsoft/whitepapers
Contact Us
https://aws.amazon.com/microsoft/contact-us/
If you have either business or technical questions about running
Microsoft software on AWS, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
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32. Calling all Developers, Architects, & Technical Leaders
for the cloud computing event of the year
Learn more and register at
reinvent.awsevents.com

33. Implementing Windows and SQL Server
for High Availability on AWS
Thank You
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