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How to configure High availability for SSRS on SQL Cluster 2012?
Hi, We are trying to determine how to provide SSRS for high availability since is not cluster aware. We have active/passive SQL Server 2012 cluster with Enterprise Edition where the other node is truly passive so only one active node is licensed. MS recommends scale-out deployment and if I understand well I will need additional servers with SQL Server (standard edition minimum on each) with SSRS installed and use shared database on cluster and use NLB - this is not an option for us. Is it possible to use only existing SQL cluster nodes and create HA Scale-Out Deployment of SSRS? Are there any possible reason not to go with this? Do we need to license the passive node? I don't need NLB in this case, right? I found this solution
http://www.tfsconsulting.com.au/how-to-configure-high-availability-sql-reporting-service-scale-out-deployment-clustering/ but I am not sure where it will my report request go (on which SSRS) and do I need passive node licensed in the any case as SSRS will run on both nodes (only one SSRS server is handling requests)? Just as clarification - we need high availability using current sql cluster and not load balancing capability. Thanks.
With enterprise edition you can join SSRS application tiers together. To meet this objective I would install and configure the application tier on both nodes and then join them together using one single database which resides on the cluster. Instead of using the nodes URL for accessing SSRS I have the end users and applications use the virtual name for the cluster.
Definitelly I would verify licensing for this as SSRS HA is not designed for the Active/Passive, but in fact only Active/Active and most probably you will have to purchase licenses also the secondary node.
I am not a Microsoft TSP for SQL Server. I will not attempt to play one on the internet either. My response to anyone asking about licencing would be to reach our to your TSP in charge of your software assurance account. With that said, I am not sure configuring SSRS in scale out mode if its only ever used from your active node in your WFCS would break the model of having a passive node assuming you are running a two node active/passive cluster. Once again, get an TSP for SQL Server to confirm for you.
I am pretty sure that we need license on passive node if SSRS is running on both nodes. In MS official documentation there is nothing explicit saying that the license is needed. Only the following sentence could mean that both nodes should be licensed: “Under the new Per Core licensing model, each server running SQL Server 2012 software or any of its components (such as Reporting Services or Integration Services) must be assigned an appropriate number of SQL Server 2012 core licenses.” I found the following solution (
http://ermahblerg.com/2012/11/08/cluster-ssrs-in-2008/) where SSRS is added to failover cluster resource group as generic service which probably means that it would failover with the cluster and run only on active node. What do you think? The second solution is here:
https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/forums/sqlserver/en-US/b9db5c98-1b36-47a4-927d-c03e536f7cb7/reporting-services-on-failover-cluster-nodes in the last comment. It uses RS scale-out deployment on failover cluster and Client Access Point logic. When a failover occurs, the MSSQL cluster service will move on the secondary node and when MSSQL instance start up by using .bat file which run the RS service will be called. This way the service on that node will be activate and all the incoming connection will be redirected by the Client Access Point onto the RS service running on this node. Any comments or ideas with these two solutions?
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