Breaking the Default: SQL Server High Availability on Windows and Linux

High availability isn’t optional for SQL Server, but your operating system choice can quietly shape complexity, flexibility, and cost. With SQL Server fully supported on both Windows and Linux, it’s no longer just a technical decision. It’s a strategic one.This session delivers a clear, side-by-side look at high availability for SQL Server on Windows versus Linux. We’ll compare how each platform approaches clustering, failover, and recovery, from Windows Failover Clustering and Always On Availability Groups to Linux-based availability group architectures and cluster managers.Instead of features, we’ll focus on real-world impact: how hard these solutions are to design and operate, how maintenance and patching differ, and what actually happens when failures occur. We’ll also highlight where platform choices can unlock efficiency and cost savings without sacrificing uptime or reliability.If you’re designing a new SQL Server environment or reevaluating an existing one, this session will help you cut through assumptions, avoid surprises, and choose a high-availability strategy that delivers both resilience and value.

Compare High Availability (HA) Architectures: Understand the structural differences between Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) and Linux-based cluster managers (like Pacemaker) when supporting Always On Availability Groups. Evaluate Operational Complexity: Identify the day-to-day management differences, specifically focusing on how patching, maintenance windows, and configuration workflows vary between the two operating systems. Analyze Failover and Recovery Dynamics: Gain insights into how each platform handles failure detection and the specific mechanics of automated recovery to ensure minimal downtime. Assess Total Cost and Efficiency: Determine how platform choice impacts licensing, resource overhead, and overall TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) without compromising on reliability. Inform Strategic Decision-Making: Provide a data-driven foundation for architects to choose the right environment for new deployments or migrations based on specific organizational needs rather than platform bias.