Connect your data multiverse with Azure Arc Data Services

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Companies continue to seek ways to accomplish hybrid cloud for data management and analytics. Azure Arc–enabled data services allow on-premises SQL Server to be managed through the Azure portal.

Sometimes it feels like you need to be a bit like the Dr. Strange character to navigate the explosion of new technologies around containers, Kubernetes, and hybrid cloud. But we’re rolling out a new offering to help make this multiverse a little less maddening. The team here completed compliance testing of their first Azure Arc validated service. The new service –  Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server on HPE Apollo 4200 – is the company’s foray into this new Azure Arc-enabled services market.

This solution space is set to serve a significant number of traditional SQL Server customers as you explore ways to keep your important business data safely on-premises – and benefit from new cloud-based services and management. (BTW Microsoft has recognized HPE as a featured partner. Here’s a link to the official Microsoft Azure Arc partner page.)

Traveling through dimensions to the portal

In this case, we’re interested specifically in the dimensions of this solution that will connect your on-prem data safely to the Azure Portal. Our new Azure Arc-enabled solution is based on our Azure Stack HCI on HPE Apollo 4200 solution stack. This hybrid cloud infrastructure solution itself has been recently updated to support the HPE Apollo 4200 Gen10 Plus systems, and has a number of validated configurations listed in the official Microsoft catalog.

Above the infrastructure, we selected Azure Kubernetes Service or “AKS” which is Microsoft’s distribution of Kubernetes for the container layer. This is where we’ve spent the bulk of our time so far in testing and ensuring compliance. Our expectation is that this choice should minimize potential container interop issues within this validated service stack, and our goal here was to help simplify and speed initial solution adoption. But, FYI, we’re already engaged to broaden our K8S support, including OpenShift.

Above that, the solution runs SQL Managed Instance, a version of SQL Server that runs on-prem within a Hybrid cloud setting. It’s identical to the SQL Server engine you’re familiar with, but is connected with Azure to provide an always up-to-date platform as a service.

Mastering the mystic arts of Azure Arc

Azure Arc is a set of technologies from Microsoft that better allow on-prem resources to be managed through the Azure portal.  Azure Arc comes in a few flavors, optimized for running Windows apps, Kubernetes environments, or databases.  For our service we focused on the later, using Azure Arc-enabled Data Services. Along with enabling this valuable hybrid computing experience, it embeds specific Azure security and data management services most relevant to SQL Server databases.

Though there are other ways to enable hybrid cloud computing between HPE infrastructure and the Azure cloud, Azure Arc-enabled data services integrates the environments at the application layer, providing a seamless bridge for SQL Server, connecting securely managed on-prem databases with genuine Azure-based services, all manageable within a single view on the Azure portal.

I can wholeheartedly recommend this recent webinar on Azure Arc: Along with a great introduction to the products and technology, it also mentioned participating partners, including HPE. The Azure Hybrid, Multicloud, and Edge Day digital event is still available on-demand here.

Examining the multiple universes of Azure Arc across HPE

The Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server on HPE Apollo 4200 service is now an officially validated offering which has completed Microsoft testing to ensure conformance of the software and hardware stack running with Azure Arc. This testing is specific to the Azure Arc enabled Data Services software, which supports SQL Server (Managed Instance) along with PostgreSQL.  A testing matrix is maintained on the components of the service (hardware and Azure Arc software) and the current and last two versions of the Kubernetes.

Regarding the testing itself for the Kubernetes service, the tests were run and passed for various versions to ensure support from the K8s perspective. In addition to that, data services conformance testing further helps safeguard successful operations.

At the same time, other organizations across HPE are working in parallel establishing compliant Azure Arc services that use different infrastructure and even different container management, in order to serve a breadth of customer segments.

Together, all of the HPE solutions for Azure Arc-enabled data services will deliver reliable performance and high availability to enable hybrid cloud computing.

Make a quantum leap to hybrid cloud computing today

Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server on HPE Apollo 4200 provides a portal into running SQL Server on-premises while getting the full value of Azure cloud management and related services for software updates, data protection and environment monitoring.  If you are building Kubernetes and container expertise within your organization, then leverage that investment to safely bring your SQL Server databases into the Cloud era.  Get more info on the new Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server built on the Azure Stack HCI on HPE Apollo 4200 Gen10 Plus solution by contacting your HPE Account rep or authorized reseller today.