A few weeks ago, I was trying to figure out why my Korg X50 music workstation was not sending MIDI data to my MacBook Pro. While the Korg X50 has its own sound library and can function without the MacBook, the use of software made it easy for me to do audio recordings. But what used to be a simple audio setup – Korg X50 to speakers with audio cables – has now become a more complicated one. I now need to plug the Korg X50 to a powered USB hub via a USB cable and the USB hub connected to the MacBook as it is connected to an external speaker. So many cables to deal with.

But you know what’s terrifying? This whole setup misbehaving right in the middle of a song as I’m playing in front of a live audience. People can immediately sense if something is going wrong.

It’s the same feeling when you’re dealing with a SQL Server cluster or Availability Group outage. When you get that phone call at 3 o’clock in the morning that your mission-critical databases went offline. When the CTO has joined the troubleshooting call. The clock is ticking. You don’t even have time to fix yourself a cup of coffee.

Troubleshooting a complex mission-critical system is challenging – even terrifying. I know how it feels. I’ve been there myself.

Don’t get me wrong. I love solving problems and troubleshooting issues. What I don’t like is the feeling of anxiety not knowing what’s going on. That’s why I created a simple, easy-to-follow workflow process that makes troubleshooting a SQL Server cluster or Availability Group outage a bit easier. Because the sooner I can fix the issue, the sooner I can get back to sleep.

This is a video recording of a presentation that I did for the GroupBy Virtual Conference. I share my simple, easy-to-follow workflow process for troubleshooting SQL Server cluster or Availability Group outages. Because when an outage strikes, the last thing you want is to become another case of the 500-mile email.

Additional Resources

• Exploring The Windows Server Failover Cluster Dependency Report
• Reviewing the SQL Server Error Logs to Find the Two Most Common Keywords That Can Cause Availability Issues
• Reviewing the Windows Event Logs to Find Hints That Can Cause Availability Issues
• Generating the Windows Server Failover Cluster Debug Logs
• Making Sense of the Windows Server Failover Cluster Debug Logs For Mere Mortals
• Training: SQL Server Always On Availability Group: The Senior DBA’s Ultimate Field Guide

Schedule a Call