Challenges with running SQL Server on Linux

Managing customer’s data and applications anywhere, we’ve got hands-on experience in installing, configuring, and running SQL Server on Linux. ABCloudz solution architects have hands-on experience with managing SQL Server on Linux and addressing the most common customer’s challenges.

Option

Challenge

Solution

Microsoft SQL Server on Linux Upgrades

Microsoft regularly releases updates of SQL Server, will I get them if I run SQL Server on Linux?

Yes, Microsoft releases the SQL Server on Linux updates to add the currently unsupported features to the product. So, you can update Microsoft SQL Server 2017 instances on Linux using existing package update/upgrade processes. So, with the Linux-native user experience, you can be sure that you’re always running the latest version of the Microsoft SQL Server on Linux.

SQL Server on Linux licensing

What about the licenses for the Microsoft SQL Server on Linux?

Buying a SQL Server license gives you the option to use it on Windows Server, Linux, or Docker. Regardless of where you run it — VM, Docker, physical, cloud, on-premises — the licensing model is the same; available features depend on which edition of SQL Server you use.

Moreover, you can move your existing enterprise licenses from Windows to Linux with no extra charge. Generally speaking, Microsoft didn’t apply any changes to the licensing model of SQL Server the release of the Linux edition.

Limitations and unsupported features

What are the SQL Server’s limitations when running on Linux, and which features are not supported?

Generally speaking, SQL Server on Linux provides a familiar experience to Windows users. You don’t need to worry as approximately 95 percent of the features you regularly use just work — anything app or coding related. Some features have partial support, for example, SQL Server Agent will not launch a Windows command prompt. Some of the SQL Server features are still in progress. And all of the BI tools, like reporting or integration services, are yet to be supported.

There are some features SQL Server on Linux will never support. For example, FileTable, where you have a win32 share to place files that show up in the engine. Discover the full list of features not currently supported on Linux on https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-release-notes.

Why consider Microsoft SQL Server on Linux?

Microsoft provides you with the Top 6 reasons companies make the move to SQL Server on Linux. Still not convinced? Here’s what ABCloudz has to say about this.

Performance
Microsoft SQL Server on Linux has hit the top of the popular TPC-H benchmark, leaving Windows-powered servers biting the dust. That’s not a surprise — SQL Server with its great functionality, performance, and scale can take advantage of the open-source Linux platform.
No differences at all
Microsoft has focused on providing a Linux-native user experience for SQL Server, starting with the very beginning — the installation and upgrade processes. You can use almost all the SQL Server functions, applications, statements, and even scripts, that you normally use on the Windows Server to manage your SQL Server on Linux database instance. You can leverage such Windows tools as SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), and PowerShell module (sqlps) to manage SQL Server on Linux from a Windows instance.

The Visual Studio Code extension for SQL Server can run on macOS, Linux, or Windows. And because the Linux and Windows versions of SQL Server use the same code base, existing applications, drivers, frameworks, and tools will connect to and operate with SQL Server on Linux without modification.
Price
Most business people can agree, this is the most important and profitable reason to run your SQL Server on Linux because it significantly drops the running price. Simply put, you don’t need to pay for your Windows Server license. And if you consider a move to the Azure cloud, you will save up to 40% on the hourly rate if you run Azure virtual machines on Linux with the exactly the same configuration opposed to running them on Windows Server.
Advanced features
And the last, but not least item in this list. SQL Server brings new cool features compared to open source databases like MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL running on Linux.

Getting started offers

How can you start running the SQL Server on Linux? There are several options. For example, you can upgrade your aging SQL Server 2008 databases to SQL Server 2017 or higher, moving them to the Linux OS. Or you may be looking for high availability options, considering SQL Server on Linux for secondary replicas. You can even want to migrate existing open-source databases running on Linux to SQL Server with no need to buy the Windows Server License.

At ABCloudz, we stay platform-agnostic. So, no matter where you run your current databases, we are ready to help you get the most out of running Microsoft SQL Server on Linux. We can offer you several ways to get started.

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SQL Server Database Upgrade

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