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Manage Microsoft SQL Server instances in BlueXP workload factory

Contributors netapp-rlithman

Manage Microsoft SQL Server instances to monitor instance and database status, resource utilization, protection, and storage performance in BlueXP workload factory for Databases.

Databases can only manage Microsoft SQL Server instances with FSx for ONTAP file system storage.

Microsoft SQL Server instance management

Microsoft SQL Server instance management includes the following tasks:

  • Manage a host instance

  • View a managed instance

  • View databases

  • Unmanage a host instance

To complete any of these tasks, you must detect one or more host instances.

Manage a host instance

Manage a detected or unmanaged Microsoft SQL Server instances for a host.

To manage a host instance in a private network with no external connectivity, the following endpoints need to be available in the VPC with association to the subnets where SQL servers are present. Ensure the interface endpoints allow port 443 in the attached Security Group.

  • S3 Gateway/endpoint

  • ssm

  • ssmmessages

  • fsx

Before you begin

Complete the following prerequisites before you begin:

  • You must have a detected instance in the host that is available for management.

  • PowerShell7 is required to manage the database instance. Install PowerShell7 manually by referring to Microsoft PowerShell documentation for Windows.

  • All manage operations are run by the AWS System Manager Agent using NT Authority\SYSTEM user privilege. Provide the following permissions for NT Authority\SYSTEM user in the database server:

    • “ALTER SETTINGS”

    • “CONTROL SERVER”

    • “ALTER ANY DATABASE”

    • “VIEW ANY DEFINITION”

    • “CONNECT ANY DATABASE”

    • “CREATE ANY DATABASE”

Steps
  1. Log in using one of the console experiences.

  2. In the Databases tile, select Go to Databases Inventory.

  3. In Databases, select the Inventory tab.

  4. Click Manage in the row of the host to manage.

  5. Select one or more host instances to manage.

  6. Click Manage.

The operation fails when the Microsoft SQL Server is missing certain PowerShell modules and management scripts. Workload factory triggers a prepare resource job to install missing modules and scripts which you can view in the Job monitoring tab. When the job completes, retry to manage the host instance.

View a managed instance

You can view a managed instance by following these steps.

Steps
  1. Log in using one of the console experiences.

  2. In the Databases tile, select Go to Databases Inventory.

  3. In Databases, select the Inventory tab.

  4. Click the dropdown arrow to expand the row of the host to view its managed instances.

    The host expands and the host instances appear.

  5. Click the three dots menu of the instance to view and then select View instance.

Result

The overview of the instance appears in the Inventory tab.

View databases

You can view the databases managed by the managed instance by following these steps.

Steps
  1. Log in using one of the console experiences.

  2. In the Databases tile, select Go to Databases Inventory.

  3. In Databases, select the Inventory tab.

  4. Click the dropdown arrow to expand the row of the host to view its databases.

    The host expands and the host instances appear.

  5. Click the three dots menu of the instance containing the databases to view.

  6. Select View databases.

Result

The list of databases in the instance appears in the Inventory tab.

Unmanage a host instance

Unmanage a host instance by following these steps.

Steps
  1. Log in using one of the console experiences.

  2. In the Databases tile, select Go to Databases Inventory.

  3. In Databases, select the Inventory tab.

  4. Click the dropdown arrow to expand the row of the host instance to unmanage.

    The host expands and the host instances appear.

  5. Click the three dots menu of the instance to unmanage.

  6. Select Unmanage.

Result

The host instance is now unmanaged.