Hey everyone! I've recently taken over IT management and noticed that our production SQL Server 2019 is installed directly on Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2019 (Version 1809). I'm feeling a bit uncertain about this setup since it seems like it might not be officially supported. Can anyone shed some light on whether this configuration is okay or if I should make changes? Any guidance would be super helpful!
3 Answers
If your SQL Server is running directly on that Hyper-V OS, that’s quite the feat! Hyper-V can be quite flexible, and I've seen folks do some pretty impressive things with it. Just bear in mind that while it may seem like a cost-saving hack, you want to make sure it’s actually compliant with licensing requirements.
Honestly, I’d reconsider running SQL directly on the Hyper-V server. Generally, a hypervisor should just be for VMs, and while it might technically work, it feels like a risky move. Better safe than sorry!
Yeah, it seems a bit sketchy to me too. There's definitely some risk there.
This setup technically is supported. However, there’s a lot of discussion around it. The key thing to remember is that Hyper-V Server is a bare hypervisor and not the same as Windows Server, so you might run into limitations. Check out the requirements on Microsoft’s site for confirmation, but many admit it’s unconventional to run SQL this way.
Where did you find that info? I'm fairly certain the only supported use for Hyper-V is for running VMs. It’s not listed as a supported OS for SQL.
I’m curious about the licensing side of things. Does that really help save on costs? I thought you had to license as soon as it’s not just a bare Hyper-V.