Block Storage for SQL Server Workloads on Azure VMware Solution (AVS)

Storage capacity and performance are common considerations when virtualizing enterprise-class Microsoft SQL Server (SQL Server) workloads in Azure VMware Solution (AVS) infrastructure. This document presents a technical discussion of how these storage capacity and performance challenges can be efficiently solved through the cost-beneficial external storage option presented by the Lightbits software-defined storage solution in Azure.

The document is targeted at AVS and SQL Server Administrators looking for technical guidance on how to easily, reliably, and optimally augment storage capacity needs for their SQL Server instances in their AVS environments – while still providing the required level of performance. We provide a list of configuration options, architectural
guidelines, and operational considerations – as well as observations of the solution’s performance based on the standard practices documented in VMware’s published best practices for virtualizing SQL Server workloads on VMware vSphere-based platforms such as AVS.