Teach on Udemy

Turn what you know into an opportunity and reach millions around the world.

Learn More

Your cart is empty.

Keep shopping

SQL Server 2025: Build Always On HA & DR Solutions

Name: SQL Server 2025: Build Always On HA & DR Solutions
Rating: 4.5 (15 reviews)

Learn how to create and test SQL Server 2025 Always On for HA, DR, read-only routing, and smart backups

Created byAgus Kurniawan

Last updated 6/2025

English

What you'll learn

Learn the core components, benefits, and design patterns of SQL Server Always On Availability Groups.
Step-by-step setup of Windows Failover Cluster and AG on SQL Server with listener and multiple replicas.
Build real-world scenarios with AG across subnets and domains for high availability and disaster recovery.
Monitor AG health, tune performance, and perform seamless automatic and manual failovers.
Implement AG security best practices, backup from secondary replicas, and restore in NORECOVERY/STANDBY mode.

Course content

5 sections • 45 lectures • 4h 48m total length

Course overview2:49
Learn how to implement Always on availability groups in SQL Server 2025 to achieve high availability and disaster recovery, configure failover, listener, availability group settings, backup replicas, and monitoring.
Introduction SQL Server 2025 for High Availability7:41
Discover how SQL Server 2025 delivers high availability with Always On Availability Group, enabling faster failover, cross-platform support, smarter read-only routing, and easier security and monitoring.
Always On AG Overview: Concepts and Components5:55
Explore always on availability groups in SQL Server 2025, including primary and secondary replicas, listeners, and synchronous vs asynchronous failover for high availability and disaster recovery.
AG vs FCI vs Log Shipping: Choosing the Right HA5:45
Compare SQL Server 2025 high availability options—AG, FCI, and log shipping. Decide the best fit by asking about downtime, data loss, shared storage, and cloud versus on-prem requirements.

Preparing the lab environment1:40
Set up a lab environment for configuring SQL Server Always On availability group using VMware Workspace Pro, with domain controllers, Active Directory, two networks, and SQL Server 2025 Developer Edition.
Planning Lab Design: VMs, Network, AD, DNS3:16
Plan and validate a VMware-based SQL Server 2025 always-on availability groups lab, using domain controllers and private interconnects for an enterprise-grade high-availability setup with failover testing.
Setup a virtual network for our testbed3:33
Set up a virtual network in VMware Workstation using the virtual network editor, create a test bed network with a subnet, and enable host communication for Windows Server 2025 demo.
Install Windows Server 2025 and create a linked clone on VMWare4:30
Download and install Windows Server 2025 on VMware, rename the virtual machine, shut it down, and create linked clones named node zero one and node zero two for post-installation prep.
Post installation after created a linked clone for all VMs8:48
Perform post-installation steps after creating linked clones for all VMs, including sysprep to reset machine ID and hostname, and configure testbed networks, memory, adapters, and ip/hostname changes.
Change hostname and set static IP address15:17
Set static IPs and rename the domain controller and nodes zero one and zero two; verify hostname and IP, configure DNS and Windows Defender firewall inbound and outbound rules.
Setup Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)6:36
Set up active directory domain services on a server, promote it to a domain controller for a new forest and domain, configure DNS, and access the Active Directory tools.
Join domain for all servers (VMs)4:39
Join both VMs to the domain controller, configure host names and credentials, restart, verify domain membership, then install SQL Server and set up an Always On high availability group.
Setup and validate Windows Server Failover Cluster12:05
Configure a two-node Windows failover cluster on node zero one and node zero two, validating the environment, installing the feature, and setting a virtual hostname with a static IP.
Create a domain user for SQL Server Service1:51
Create a domain user in Active Directory for the SQL Server 2025 service, set it as non-admin, never-expire account, and use it on node zero one and node zero two.
Install SQL Server 202511:59
Install SQL Server 2025 preview across two nodes, selecting the database engine service in enterprise developer edition, configure mixed authentication and admin access, verify installation, and prepare network settings.
Configure Network and Firewall for SQL Server 20254:43
Enable tcp/ip in sql server 2025 configuration manager and restart the service. Open port 1433 in Windows Defender Firewall with inbound and outbound rules for all profiles.
Install SQL Server Management Studio6:13
Install SQL Server Management Studio 21 on both nodes, connect locally or to the other node via Windows authentication, and verify cross-node access to support the cluster.
Create and deploy database samples2:42
Install and deploy a Microsoft SQL Server sample database from GitHub, restore AdventureWorks OLTP on node zero one, and enable always on between node zero one and node zero two.
Enable Always On High Availability for all SQL Server 20252:43
Enable always on for SQL Server 2025 by activating in SQL Server Configuration Manager on Windows Server failover cluster nodes, restart services, and verify availability group is active in SSMS.
Create First Availability Group (AG)8:25
Create the first always on availability group using node zero one as primary and node zero two as secondary, enable full backups, open port 5022, and verify synchronization.
Create AG Listener and access database via AG Listener4:46
Create a group listener for availability group zero one on the primary node, configure ip 10.1.0.x and hostname listener zero one on port 1433, enabling app connections via the listener.
Test Failover in SQL Server Always On Availability Group (AG)7:30
Perform manual and automatic failover tests in a SQL Server Always On Availability Group, switching primary roles between node zero one and node zero two, and verifying listener connectivity.
Create new database and add it into AG Cluster3:03
Configure synchronous mode in the availability group with automatic failover and reliable readable secondary, then create test01 with a test_log table, perform a full backup, and enable automatic seeding.
Configure and test Synchronous/Asynchronous Modes8:41
Explore synchronous versus asynchronous commit modes in always on configurations, test automatic versus manual failover, and observe how primary and secondary replicas update data across nodes.
Enforce to resume on the unsynchronized databases2:49
Learn to enforce resume on unsynchronized databases by selecting the primary node, applying a resume to the target database, refreshing, and verifying the state returns to synchronized.
Configure and test Read-Only Routing8:04
Configure read-only routing for an Always On cluster, set routing URL and endpoints, then verify connections to primary and secondary via the AG listener and test application intent read only.

How Applications Connect to AG Listener3:59
Connect applications to the SQL Server 2025 availability group through the listener, which automatically routes to the current primary during failover and supports read-only routing, application intents, and multi-subnet failover.
Read-Write and Read-Only Routing from ASP.NET Core18:56
Develop an ASP.NET Core app that connects to an always-on SQL Server listener using read-write and read-only routing, with code-first migrations and failover testing.

Source Codes0:01
Dashboard and Reports on SQL Server Always On3:13
Explore dashboards and reports for SQL Server Always On availability groups, including latency data from primary and secondary replicas. Learn to access reports and use open source or commercial tools.
AG Listener Health and connectivity check8:32
Monitor AG Health using Dynamic Management Views (DMVs)5:36
Learn to monitor always on availability group health with dynamic management views, verify replica roles and synchronization, and analyze redo, latency, and health dashboards for proactive issue detection.
Set up database mail for SQL Agent8:50
Set up a SQL Server agent alert for failover using database mail with an SMTP server, test a mail profile on the domain controller, and verify Always On availability group.
Email alerts for AG Failover Using SQL Agent and Database Mail6:41
Learn to configure email alerts for automatic failover in SQL Server 2025 Always On by using SQL Server Agent and Database Mail, including operator setup, alerts, and testing.
PowerShell-based AG Monitoring and Health Check Report3:47
PowerShell connects to all SQL Server nodes in an Always On availability group, retrieves a health metric, exports results to a CSV report, and emails it via SMTP for monitoring.

Source Codes0:01
Understanding preferred backup replica4:28
Understand how to designate a preferred backup replica in SQL Server 2025 Always On, assign backup priorities (0–100), and run log or copy-only backups on secondaries, with primary fallback.
Backup a Database from the Primary Replica5:11
Back up a database on the primary replica of a SQL Server Always On availability group, using full, differential, and log backups with appropriate folder permissions.
Backup a Database from the Secondary Replica5:20
Back up a database from a secondary replica in SQL Server 2025, using copy-only and log backups, with no full or differential backups on secondary.
Automate AG-Aware Backups with SQL Server Agent12:32
Automate availability group aware backups with SQL Server Agent by running backups only on the preferred replica using copy-only backups on secondary servers.
Restore Database and Rejoin to Availability Group (AG)7:30
Back up the primary database, restore on a secondary with no recovery, remove and rejoin to the availability group, then verify synchronization.
Restore AG Database to a Standalone SQL Server Instance for Recovery or Audit8:19
Restore an Always On availability group database to a standalone SQL Server instance for offline recovery, auditing, and forensic analysis by backing up, copying, restoring, and verifying data.
Handle and Shrink Log File Growth in SQL Server Always On AG3:39
Monitor and shrink the transaction log in SQL Server Always On AG by managing log space and uncommitted transactions.
Monitor Log File Growth and AG Synchronization5:11
Monitor log file growth and availability, and track Always On synchronization using T-SQL and system views, with automatic monitoring via SQL Server Agent.
Combine Log Shipping and Always On AG (Disaster Recovery Scenario)21:06
Combine always on availability groups and log shipping across data centers to implement disaster recovery, configuring primary and secondary servers, backups, copy-and-restore, and monitoring.

Requirements

Basic knowledge of SQL Server administration
Familiarity with Windows Server and Active Directory
Basic networking concepts

Description

Are you ready to take your SQL Server skills to the next level?
Do you want to build systems that never go down, protect your data from disasters, and support enterprise-grade workloads 24/7?

Welcome to SQL Server 2025: Build Always On HA & DR Solutions — a hands-on, step-by-step course designed to teach you how to plan, deploy, and manage Always On Availability Groups (AGs) using the latest features of SQL Server 2025.

This course is created for DBAs, DevOps engineers, system administrators, and IT professionals who want to master high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) using Microsoft’s Always On technology — whether on-premises, in the cloud, or hybrid environments.

What You’ll Learn

In this course, you will learn to:

Understand HA and DR concepts in SQL Server 2025
Build and configure Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC)
Deploy Always On Availability Groups from scratch
Set up and manage the AG Listener for client connections
Configure read-only routing for reporting and BI workloads
Offload backups using Preferred Backup Replica
Perform failover testing: automatic, manual, and forced
Monitor and troubleshoot AG health
Integrate real-world ASP.NET Core apps with AG Listener
Apply best practices for performance and uptime

100% Hands-On with Real Labs

This course is not just theory. You’ll build your own lab environment using virtual machines and simulate real-world HA/DR use cases.

We guide you through every step — from cluster setup to full availability group testing. Whether you're creating an AG with two replicas or deploying to a multi-subnet environment, this course shows you how it works in practice.

No scripts without context. No fluff. Just practical demos you can repeat and apply at work.

Who Is This Course For?

This course is ideal for:

SQL Server DBAs who want to expand into high availability
System admins building robust infrastructure for critical systems
Cloud engineers deploying SQL Server with HA in Azure or hybrid setups
Software developers integrating database failover in their apps
Students preparing for SQL Server certification or job interviews

Whether you are new to Always On or want to upgrade your skills with SQL Server 2025, this course is your complete HA/DR training kit.

SQL Server 2025 introduces new features that make Always On more powerful and easier to manage — including clusterless AG, enhanced failover handling, and better monitoring tools.

Learning these skills now puts you ahead of the curve — and in high demand for enterprise roles that require zero downtime, multi-site protection, and resilient architecture.

You’ll be able to confidently design, deploy, and maintain highly available SQL Server 2025 environments — and support failover, recovery, and backup strategies like a pro.

Join today and start building the skills every SQL Server professional must have.

Who this course is for:

Database Administrators (DBAs)
Cloud & On-prem System Engineers
IT Architects and Consultants

SQL Server 2025: Build Always On HA & DR Solutions

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction to SQL Server 2025 Always On4 lectures • 22min

Essential SQL Server 2025 Always On High Availability Solution - Up and Running22 lectures • 2hr 14min

Application Connectivity - .NET Core2 lectures • 23min

Monitoring7 lectures • 37min

Backup and Restore10 lectures • 1hr 13min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: