mission critical Archives - Page 2 of 3

November 12, 2013

Chicago Mission Critical SQL Server Class – Grab Your Seat Today!

Hello everyone. Now that I’m back from Australia after two very successful weeks in Melbourne and Sydney delivering my Mission Critical class, I am putting the final bow on preparation for the Chicago class (December 9 – 12, 2013) at the Microsoft Technology Center. I’m very excited to bring this class back to the US (it has been nearly 18 months outside of quite a few private deliveries), and it will be the first US public class with the labs. Seats are limited, so grab yours today. Do not miss out on your last chance in 2013 to take this class! The next scheduled delivery is in London in 2014.

Need incentives? In each class we give away:

5 individual licenses of SQL Sentry’s Power Suite – a $2300 value
An electronic copy of my new book Mission Critical SQL Server (after it is published) with a free 1-year subscription to updated content (an $85 value)

The labs cater to those at all levels whether you are a novice or have plenty of experience. This is not your average course.

July 11, 2013

Allan’s Mission Critical SQL Server Book Ordering Information and FAQ

(Updated 12/31/2016 – see this blog post)

Mission Critical SQL Server is available for preorder here. Below you’ll find all of the information you need about it. And if this doesn’t answer your questions, post a comment or contact us.

1. Why am I publishing the book on my own this time?

This is not because I had a falling out with Apress; we’re on good terms. We just didn’t agree on the vision for the content. I wanted a larger no-compromises book more like my Pro SQL Server 2005 High Availability one; they did not. It’s really that simple. With all of the changes in Windows and SQL Server just through their 2012 versions (as well as SQL Server 2014), this is not going to be anything approximating a 300 page book; that’s too tiny and would be too incomplete. You guys benefit from my being unwilling to compromise here, but I get to drive myself nuts in the process being the perfectionist I am. After this book I may do another for Apress again if this book doesn’t beat me!

2. What versions of Windows and SQL Server are covered in the First Edition?

See the product description on the store for details.

3. What electronic format(s) will Mission Critical SQL Server be available in?

Initially, the eBook and all associated content will be in the ubiquitous Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) format. Most platforms have programs that can read this for free even if your preferred platform isn’t Windows. I hope to offer it in other formats like Kindle/Mobi, ePub, and maybe iBook in the future.

4. Will there be digital rights management (DRM) on the PDF file(s)?

This is a sticky wicket. DRM makes life hard and I respect people do not want it. Passwords make it difficult to put on reading devices. Non-DRMed files make it easier to consume. At the same time, I also don’t want to see my content thrown up for free on some torrent site, nor do I want people to be able to easily republish it. Each copy will essentially be watermarked for who buys it and restrictions as laid out in Mission Critical SQL Server Store and Content Terms apply.

5. Will I only be able to buy Mission Critical SQL Server at http://sqlha.contentshelf.com/shop?

For now, yes. I hope to offer the book elsewhere over time. As noted in #2, the goal is to convert the content to other popular formats such as ePub and Kindle/Mobi – maybe even iBooks. That would need to happen before I can offer the content elsewhere. With the number of graphic elements in the book, that may prove to be both challenging and expensive. If you are wanting another format, contact us. The more evidence I have, the more likely it will be to happen. Converting it to other formats will be costly, so if there is not enough interest, I may not be able to do it. I am being realistic here.

6. I live in <insert country here>. Can I buy the book?

Yes. As long as you can check out, it’s a digital download making it easy to get to you. All prices are in US Dollars.

7. I live in <insert country here> and do not read or speak English well. Will you be offering non-English versions of the book?

There are no plans for the book to be translated to other languages.

8. Will there be a physical/print version of the book?

I would love to be able to offer one. Once the book is complete and I know a page count, I may reconsider a print version if it is possible and the cost will not be astronomical. Stay tuned.

9. What is an updated content subscription and why are you offering one?

Books are like snapshots: they are a moment frozen in time. Updating them is difficult and usually there is a long time between releases. A lot can change in a few months, a year, two years.What I’ve decided to do to combat that is to offer a subscription where you will get all the updated content as it is finished. For example, once SQL Sever 2016 and Windows Server 2016 are released, those updates could be incorporated before doing a major edition of the book which would be a year or two out. This gets you newer content quicker – if you want it.

Also, since the release cadence is changing for the Microsoft server products, traditional publishing just may not be possible for specific versions. By the time you’re done writing it, it’s obsolete. I want to have a good foundation to build upon and just extend it. Hope that makes sense.

10. How long does a subscription last?

It’s a yearly subscription which you will manually have to resubscribe to.

UPDATE 5/21/2015: If you preordered the book with an update subscription prior to May 31, 2015, look for an e-mail from me soon. Post-May 31, it will be only one year from the date that this edition of the book is published. So if it is officially released, say, on 10/1/15, your subscription would end on 9/30/16 if not renewed.

11. How much is a subscription renewal?

It’s $25/year. And as pointed out in the previous question’s answer, you elect to renew or not. My goal is to provide high value content so that you want to.

12. Do I need to buy the book again when you publish a new edition and I already have an updated content subscription?

If you have an active subscription, no. The goal is to only have you buy one major edition of the book and then you get updates as they happen. Information changes over time, and I’m trying to be agile and deliver you content ASAP and not have to wait years between releases. If you only want to consume major versions, just buy the new edition of the eBook when it is published. Simple.

13. If I buy the book from anywhere else but your store, can I get a updated content subscription?

No. If I do convert the book to other formats and offer it for sale elsewhere such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., those stores will only get the major edition (i.e. First Edition, Second Edition, etc.). I have to give myself some sort of exclusive, right? I may change my mind on this once the book is available elsewhere and offer something. Time will tell, but do not hold your breath.

14. Can I get access to pre-release content like other publishers offer?

Yes. It’s not free, but it is pretty cheap considering you’ll get to see things months in advance. Two of the bundles offer this option. There is currently pre-release content with more coming. Remember that the pre-release content has not been reviewed or edited, so it’s going to be raw and could contain errors.

15. Why are things priced the way they are?

I can tell you from authoring books in the past I make pennies on the proverbial dollar taking into account all the work and hours I put into the final product. This time, since I’m self-publishing, I make even less PLUS I’ve got very real, very tangible costs I need to deal with such as editing as well as costs for hosting and selling the book (including fees associated with subscriptions). I am not rich. I can’t operate at a substantial loss. I also know that I can’t charge $100+ for an eBook. I’ve priced the main eBook competitively with other similarly priced books even though it will be larger than most of them. I think it represents good value for the price you’ll pay.

16. Do you offer discounts or coupons?

I run specials, so check the store.

17. Can I use the PDF(s) I get from you directly on any device I own?

Absolutely! See our Mission Critical SQL Server Store and Content Terms for more detail. There’s a reason I chose this format.

18. Can I buy multiple copies of the for multiple people such as a class, seminar, DBA department, etc.?

19. Can I share the PDF(s) of the content with people I know? They’re really nice people and need some information on these subjects. I vouch for them.

NO! The copy you purchase is only licensed for the person buying the book (hence the watermark). I didn’t put DRM or passwords on it. Respect me and ensure that everyone buys their own copy. And if you upload the content to some nefarious site, I’ll see the watermark. It’s things like this that would make me never do this again. I know I can’t stop it 100%, but you hurt me more than you help me.

20. What if I am unsure if I want to buy it? Will you have some sort of a sample for me to look at?

I am planning on providing this as things get finished and posted; nothing is ready yet. If you have read any of my other books or writings, though, you have an idea of what you’re in for. 🙂

[Updated 5/21/15] 21. It’s May 2015. Is the book done?
See this blog post for more details.

January 24, 2013

Mission Critical SQL Server 2012: A Book Update

Can you believe it’s been almost four years since the publication of Pro SQL Server 2008 Failover Clustering (Apress; Print | Kindle | PDF) and six since Pro SQL Server 2005 High Availability (Apress; Print | Kindle | PDF)? I can’t. I want to thank everyone who has purchased it and contacted me (coming up to me at a conferecec, e-mailing, etc.) or written a positive review of them, especially the 2008 book. It’s very humbling as well as gratifying to know that all that time spent is worth it. Technical books are not vanity projects nor do you get rich – these are not New York Times bestsellers, which makes them hard propositions for publishers to begin with.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d write follow up. With all of the changes in SQL Server 2012, doing just a book based on FCIs wouldn’t do, so it would need to be bigger. If it was going to be bigger, I wanted to do it more like the 2005 book and tell the whole story but that would be even bigger than just covering features. I first visited possibly writing a book in 2011 when I took a stab at an outline and submitted it to Apress. We went through 6 revisions and at the end of the day, it was just not what they wanted (which was something smaller like my 2008 book). I didn’t want to compromise the vision and integrity of the book. Don’t send them hate mail; they are in the business of making money and my books as noted are not NYT bestsellers. Over time they sell well. It was then I started looking into self publishing. I also would love to be able to be agile and correct things (like some stuff I either dislike or now is wrong – like the DTC thing which I blog about here).

I have been on the fence but did utilmately commit to doing something. My inner writer couldn’t not (I know, double negative) do a book. But it would be a lot of work, especially on my own and with the scope I was looking at, a printed book was no guarantee mainly for cost and size reasons. Timing is everything, and with a topic like mission critical, you need lessons learned so having something out by RTM of SQL Server 2012 wasn’t necessary. The perfect time is usually 12 – 18 months after RTM (which is where we are now). Fast forward to fall. SQL Server 2012 SP1 is released and Windows Server 2012 RTMs, which means that I can write one book and cover everything including all supported OSes (and their variants like Server Core) as well as the patching story. RTM-based book wouldn’t have that. Because I was busy and on the road most of last fall, I shelved things for a bit.

Over the past few weeks I have finally felt inspired again to pick this project back up. I put together a revised outline. I had some people look it over and boy was I over ambitious. Apress was right in a way; that book would not only NOT be digestible, but it’d never get done. I want to tell the whole story, but I’m also not stupid. Here’s where I am:

Based on the outline comments, I have enough content for three (or four) books. That is the approach I am going to take: split things up into chunks. Right now I’m only committing to the first book, which is the HA technologies and related topics (let’s call that Volume I). Volumes II and II may get written, but let me get through I first!
Breaking this up allows more agility to get content out quicker and be more focused. As a reader, you will arguably be less overwhelmed, too!
It will definitely be available as ePub and mobi (for Kindle).
I may be able to offer a print version (even if on demand) if the size is manageable and cost isn’t bad. Or, if any tech book publishers are interested in picking the book up, contact me.
I have no formal ETA on Volume I, II, or III. I would like to get Volume I out by TechEd in North America which is about 6 months from now, but no promises.
I will not announce a release date or give anything like pre-order information until I am at a point where I know I can give a real date.

That is the update. It’s all good news. I hope you’re as excited as I am and the final product will live up to my previous efforts which have been well received.

<PSA>

I appreciate people who have e-mailed me that my 2008 book is out there on sites which shall not be named. Sigh. As you may guess, I do not get rich off of writing. If I calculated the time spent in getting it out the door, I’d lose money. You can’t keep people from doing what they do, but all I ask is that you should try to support authors by buying books. I know times are tough out there and whether it is $29.99 or $69.99, that can be a lot of money to some. That doesn’t make downloading it for free right. It just inhibits people like me from writing future books.

</PSA>

June 28, 2012

Maintaining Quorum During Windows Patching and Updating

I’ve been working with a customer to deploy their new Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1-based failover cluster that will have bot SQL Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2012 instances. One thing I always talk about in my classes as well as the presentations I focus on patching is this: you must maintain quorum during the patching and updating cycle. Quorum is one of the most important considerations in general for your clustered deployments (whether you’re implementing traditional failover clustering instances or availability groups), and it’s something that quite frankly, I find there’s a real lack of knowledge out there. It’s so important it’s most likely getting a whole chapter in my upcoming book Mission Critical SQL Server 2012.

I have talked to customers that have had SQL Server outages because their Windows guys when patching the underlying nodes for the Windows Server failover cluster (WSFC) rebooted too many at once, so there were not enough voters us, thus bringing the WSFC (and SQL) down when it wasn’t expected. This is NOT a scenario you want. While in theory it’s easy to control and keep track of when things reboot, this little gremlin in Figure 1 pops up after a little while reminding you it needs to be done:

Figure 1. Reboot needed warning

That’s all well and good, but the unskilled administrator who happens to see that message if they have to log onto the server may think nothing of it and just click Restart now. Yikes! The value of the reminder can be altered as shown in Figure 2, but you still need to worry about the reboot being done.

Figure 2. Changing the reminder value

There’s another dark underbelly I’ve seen these dialog boxes associated with: automatic updating of Windows via Windows Update. That is a much scarier situation because that means your servers could be updating 24×7 on their own, and some of those updates may even force reboots. Check your settings! I still see production servers at client sites that have automatic updating enabled. If they are, you need to have a serious discussion with your server admins as to why this is being done. Automatic updating is not in line with mission critical. Yes, it’s important to have a patch management strategy that keeps you up-to-date, but doing it smartly is the key. Not blindly.

February 15, 2012

Stop Automatically Updating Production Servers

Everything old is new again – well, not really. Many of the core concepts I teach or talk about be it in a session or onsite as part of knowledge transfer on a consulting engagement haven’t changed over the years. Implementations may change, but ultimately, the things that drive them do not. If you care about such arcane concepts like uptime, availability, and mission critical, you understand that downtime is bad. Very bad. Yet I still see and talk to quite a few customers who like to cause themselves unnecessary pain. I mean, it’s perfectly legal here in the USA to own a gun and shoot yourself in the foot, but why would you? It makes no sense.

Move Forward, Not Backward

A big part of staying mission critical is patching your servers – be it an application, the OS, hardware drivers, BIOS … you get the idea. You want to stay supported and up to date. The farther behind you are, the tougher it is to catch up or make the next major upgrade (say, SQL Server 2008 to SQL Server 2012) because you are not at the right minimum level. But that’s not the focus here – the focus is on those more regular patches that get installed such as security updates, browser updates, and so on. Those are the thorns in the proverbial rose bush.

Most companies have outage windows to apply updates and perform other maintenance to servers regardless of OS and other choices. That makes sense and is definitely needed – 100% uptime is largely a fallacy. (Sorry to burst your bubble if you really believed it was possible.) But whether it’s a security patch or a “routine”, more infrequent service pack, care must be taken.

Summertime … And The Updates Are Easy

George Gershwin is probably rolling in his grave, but I parody with the deepest respect. Microsoft has made it painfully easy (emphasis on painful) to update your servers. If you’re connected to the interwebz, you can set the handy, dandy Windows Update feature to download updates automatically. Even better – you can even have Windows automatically install them for you, too. What’s next? A tiled interface that makes Windows harder to use and makes your Server look like Windows Phone? Nah, something that silly could never never happen in a million years. Oh wait …

All kidding and sarcasm aside, look at your production servers: are they set to automatically update? If so, you are NOT mission critical. You may think you are, but you’re not. You’ll never convince me otherwise. Why?

Mission critical is a mindset. Part of that mindset is caring about things like SLAs, RTOs, and RPOs. Allowing servers to spontaneously download and update themselves – possibly requiring a reboot or worse causing one without you even asking – is 180 degrees from that mindset. You might as well just remove any redundancy and leave your chances to fate, who is a cruel mistress. You NEVER want to see this should you have to log into a production server:
Updating for the sake of updating is never the right approach. File under “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”. Key tenets of mission critical are predictability, consistency, and stability. Servers, especially those participating in a clustered configuration (Windows and/or SQL Server), should be evaluated before applying an update to see if they actually need them. Some do NOT apply, and others may be specific to a configuration (such as a cluster). All patches should be tested prior to going on a production box, and some should be given more weight than others. For example, a fix that touches, say, TCP/IP would be one I would test the heck out of since servers don’t rely on networking or anything. 🙂
To add to #2, I’m going to stick on the consistency point for a moment: servers, especially ones considered mission critical, should all be configured the same. You don’t want varying patch levels and such. That spells trouble with a capital T. (Thank you, Meredith Wilson … I’m on a musical roll tonight!)
If you are going to do anything automatic, just download the updates but for heaven’s sake, don’t let the server automatically apply them. That would be a huge step forward.

The Bottom Line

Look, I realize many of you struggle on a daily basis with your servers and doing this one thing – automatic updates – seemingly makes your lives easier by taking a big task off your proverbial plate. In reality, it may be making it harder. And I also know that in smaller shops especially, you don’t always have the time or (wo)manpower to evaluate each patch/update. I get it. There’s a happy medium somewhere. Don’t turn short term gain into long term pain. There’s no easy or right answer here per se. You have to update. Do what’s best for you, but realize you may blow anything relating to uptime and reliability in the process.

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