Cost-Effective HA/DR Solution for Antivirus System
Client Requirement
The client required a reliable, license- compliant disaster recovery (DR) solution to protect their antivirus system—without the use of cloud-based infrastructure or SQL Enterprise features.
Key Challenges
Highly restricted network and security constraints
Limited to SQL Server Standard Edition with CAL
No Enterprise HA/DR features available (e.g. multi-DB AGs)
No external or cloud DR infrastructure permitted
Proposed Hybrid Architecture
Primary Site: 2-node Always On AG with synchronous commit DR Site: Standby node with passive AG, activated only during DR Log Shipping: From primary site to DR site (asynchronous) Failover: Auto within site, manual to DR site with tail log restore
Technology Stack
SQL Server Standard Edition
Always on AG (2-node)
Log Shipping
Tail Log Restore for DR
Failover Strategy
Node Failure (Primary Site): Automatic failover within AG Full Site Failure: Manual failover to DR via log shipping DR Activation: Tail log recovery and bring DB online
Business Benefits
License Compliant – no Enterprise dependency
Cost-Effective – avoids expensive tooling
High Availability through Always On AG
Reliable DR through log shipping
Strategic Impact
Delivered enterprise-grade availability and disaster recovery within the tight constraints of security, licensing, and budget—without compromising reliability or maintainability.
Why KlusterFirst?
We specialize in uncovering deep-rooted performance bottlenecks and delivering high- impact, measurable improvements in large-scale database environments.