SQL 2005 Mirroring

[espi3030]

Here is my setup, I have a VM running Windows 2003 Server as my VC Server (Primary). I am trying to setup two additional VM's for mirroring (1) Mirror and (1) Witness, we have set everything correctly but keep running into the following error:

Database mirroring connection error 4 'An error occurred while receiving data:'10054(An existing connection was foricbly closed by the remote host)'.'for '<servername>

We have spent two days now troubleshooting, reading logs, researching throughout the web not very much help out there.

I know this is probably a better question to ask in a MS site, but I have done that to no avail. I ask it here to see if anyone has done this successfully in VMware, or if anyone has the time to attempt it and post results. Really what am asking is, is this even possible in ESX? Thank you for your time.

[jeffsak]

We're actually considering a similar setup, we currently have a SQL2005 environment (2) partner servers connected to each other via a crossover cable (private IPs) and (1) witness server.

From what we understand, the VM ESX servers have the "v-motion" feature will supposedly can perform a failover to another VM server (same name/ip). This "could" negate the need for a mirroring environment - on paper, that is. Have yet to implement this.

I didn't notice how old this thread was (last July 2008?). Would you happen to have any proof-of-concept on the possibility of using v-motion (if you happened to go this way)?

[kjb007]

Typically, you'd use mirroring when you have a critical database, which needs quicker recovery than that a sql cluster provides. Since you are dealing totally over IP with mirroring, then you shouldn't have any issues with either host being part of a DRS cluster. WIth SQL failover cluster, you have to use shared SAN LUNs as RDM's, which excludes you from using vmotion and being part of DRS.

Now, vmotion does not protect you against an OS/application failure. It will just balance the load of the physical hosts on which your vm resides. If you want application redundancy, you will have to use the failover/recovery/ha features of the os or application, which you're doing with sql mirroring.

-KjB

[jeffsak]

Thanks for the insight. Seems like we have a lot more research to do before going with a VM infrastructure for our SQL2k5 databases.