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SQL Server 2012 Failover Cluster-How to update ?

  • December 29, 2015 at 1:34 pm

    #323345

    I have a SQL Server 2012 Failover Cluster Instance i.e. Active-Active-Passive node.

    I need to update sql server cluster instance - service pack, patch and hotfixes NOT with Cluster-Aware Updating (CAU). No automatic update process at work.

    This is my first time, i have to update both windows and sql cluster update manual from windowsupdate-(Service Center)

    I appreciate and thank you for taking the time. 😎

  • December 29, 2015 at 2:23 pm

    #1848635

    I don't use Cluster-Aware Updating either. I have Windows 2012 R2 running SQL 2012 and I find the whole process to be pretty simple.

    Here's the process I use, referring to the currently-active node as A and the passive node as B.

    1. Take a full backup of all databases.

    2. Install the updates on server B. Do whatever restarts it demands.

    3. Use Failover Cluster Manager to fail over to node B, which then becomes active.

    4. Install the updates on server A. Do whatever restarts it demands.

    5. If you prefer to run on server A, fail over to node A, which then becomes active.

    I don't know if you'll find it useful or not, but Perry Whittle has a great stairway series about Always On and FCI at http://qa.sqlservercentral.com/stairway/112556/.

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  • December 30, 2015 at 9:22 am

    #1848776

    What Ed Wagner stated.

    Some other minor details

    Make sure you know which node SQL Server and MSDTC is running on... then apply the SP or CU on the inactive node, restart server if necessary (I always restart after applying any update myself), then fail over or restart the active node in your maintenance window to the node you applied the update to. Upon doing so the first 30 seconds to 2 minutes of SQL Server starting it will upgrade itself.. master, model, msdb or whatever will get upgraded. Once that completes users will be allowed to connect. Then, once all is fine you can apply that same update to the now inactive node.

    The beauty of the active/passive cluster is when applying these type of patches to SQL Server the outage is only about 2 minutes... (the time it takes for it to apply the scripts to SQL Server during failover to the upgraded node).

  • January 19, 2016 at 2:22 am

    #1852667

    Thank you Markus and Ed Wagner. I appreciate, thank you for taking the time.

    --closed

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