I'm involved in more than one planning effort to use WFA to control SnapManager for SQL operations on multiple Windows SQL Server systems where the customer is already a heavy SnapManager for SQL. Use cases range from a) just setting up and controlling local snapshot backups b) integrating/adding SnapMirror/Vault relationships with the servers and b) creating and presenting dev-test clones.
I was going to ask here if any others have done similar things with with WFA but I find no mentions of SMSQL or SM-SQL here. In considering the underlying design choices I see several options and would be interested in hearing the pros and cons of each from others with more experience in these topics:
- Use SnapManager for SQL's PowerShell cmdlets which allow a -remoteComputerName (?) option to perform a function on a remote system running SM-SQL. This would seem to require that SMSQL be installed on the WFA server itself. Can SM-SQL be installed on a Windows system that does not necessarily have MS-SQL installed on it?
- Another choice would be to use remote Windows functions such as the Invoke-Command cmdlet discussed elsewhere in this community. The idea would be to use it invoke SM-SQL cmdlets on the remote systems running MS-SQL and SM-SQL. This would eliminate the need for SM-SQL on the the WFA server but may have other disadvantages.
- Implement SnapCreator along side SM-SQL and use the SnapCreator Pack. I have the most questions about this since it raises several unknowns for me. For example: can SnapCreator and SM-SQL co-exist (happily or begrudgingly) on the same M-SQL server? Does SnapCreator allow the creation of clones and making them available to others hosts similar what SM-SQL can do?
- different option(s)?
I'm hoping these questions solicit discussion and opinions on tradeoffs and opinions on which might be the better choice in different situations.
Dave
