Monitoring a SQL Server Cluster with Database and Infrastructure Cartridges (4310622)

Monitoring a SQL Server Cluster with Database and Infrastructure Cartridges

How should a SQL Server Cluster be configured with Database and Infrastructure Cartridges?

An Infrastructure agent should be created for the physical hostname when an IC agent does not already exist for the SQL Server cluster unless

• OS monitoring is disabled
• the hidden agent status properties setting to auto create the IC agent is disabled

 

When monitoring a SQL Server cluster, a single SQL Server agent is used together with WindowsAgents for each node. The SQL Server agent uses only the cluster virtual name specified in the cluster configuration and in DNS, while the WindowsAgent uses each node's physical hostname.

The cluster virtual hostname and instance typically be determined with a simple query on the SQL cluster: SELECT CONVERT(sysname, SERVERPROPERTY('servername'))

The query result should list either the simple cluster virtual name, example: "MSCluster01" or the full FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) registered in the DNS:  "MSCluster01.MyCompany.com". Ideally, specifying the FQDN is preferred as it usually prevents situations in large organizations or hosting environments which may have duplicate names across multiple domains. 

NOTE: The database cartridges share collection activity in which the WindowsAgent collects disk metrics and the SQL Server cartridge collects CPU and Memory metrics. Credential Mappings are created during the wizard deployment process, when adding OS Monitoring in the database agent's Agent Administration panel, or validating a SQL Server connection. These mappings allow the database agents to retrieve the metrics from the correct topology for rules processing, dashboard display and report creation.

1. Create a single SQL Server agent, using the wizard from the Database dashboard.
2. When required to specify a host name, enter the cluster virtual host name as above.
3. The SQL Server cartridges are designed to create a SQL Server agent for the instance virtual hostname. If OS monitoring is enabled, then a WindowsAgent is created for each physical hostname during the Database wizard deployment process, as well as the required Credential Mappings when complete. The installer with add a new WindowsAgent for the each node's physical hostname if a WindowsAgent does not already exist for the node.
   

In circumstances when an additional node has been added to by validating the SQL Server connection in the Connection Details panel.

1). From the Global View databases Dashboard, select the agent 
2) .Click Settings | Administration | Connection Details
3). Select the agent checkbox and click Validate Connectivity

This will create additional infrastructure agents required with the correct mappings.

Please note that creating a new Infrastructure agent is only expected if the underlying SQL Server is configured as Fail Over Cluster. It is not the same if it is an Always on Instance. For the latter, each instance is monitored separately and Infrastructure agent is supposed to be installed when the database agent was created and not during failover. The rationale is that unlike with failover clusters, the always on failover does not affect the whole instance - just some databases. In addition, each of the instances that pose as always on replicas, are monitored separately anyway so their underlying operating system is already known at the time of installing them so we don't need to wait for a failover to detect them.