Explore how Xbox drives potency the usage of Windows Server and SQL Server on Azure

Would you love to steer clear of spending your weekends patching servers? The new Hotpatch function in Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition addresses this ache level—it could actually scale back many IT groups’ complications together with reboot screw ups and coordinating multitier workloads. It will increase productiveness and end-user uptime and will scale back the vulnerability window that might outcome if an replace is behind schedule.

To show how Hotpatching works, we’ve introduced in an instance from our very personal Xbox workforce. In this text you’ll find out how Microsoft has been the usage of Hotpatch with Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition to considerably scale back downtime for SQL Server databases operating on Windows Server Azure digital machines on a very powerful set of backend services and products for the Xbox community.

What is Hotpatch?

Hotpatch for Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition permits you to practice each and every month’s “patch Tuesday” safety updates, however does no longer require the server working device to restart two out of 3 months.

While Hotpatch has been to be had at the Server Core possibility of Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition for a while, it has simply turn into to be had in summer time 2023 for the extra broadly used Desktop Experience possibility. You can see a demo of it on this on-demand consultation from Ignite.

Here’s what’s nice about it:

• Higher availability and less restarts.
• Faster deployment of updates for the reason that programs are smaller, set up quicker, and feature more uncomplicated patch orchestration the usage of Azure Update Management.
• Better coverage as a result of the Hotpatch replace programs are scoped to Windows safety updates that set up quicker with out restarting.

 When you permit Hotpatch, a baseline Cumulative Update is implemented to the server. This replace does require a reboot. After this level, your workforce can replace simply, with fewer restarts, which will very much scale back any vulnerability window. Check out this unlock documentation for main points at the Hotpatch calendar.

How the Xbox community workforce makes use of Hotpatch

The Xbox community is dependent upon a number of vital backend services and products hosted in SQL Server databases operating on Windows Server Azure digital machines. There are 18 other services and products hosted on this way, with some services and products treated by means of two SQL Servers and others as much as 120 SQL Servers. Some of those workloads were in manufacturing for 15 years.

Of direction, while you’re operating backend services and products for a bunch of passionate avid gamers like Xbox community shoppers, it’s crucial to patch and repair services and products with as little downtime as conceivable.

Approximately 1,000 servers web hosting those services and products began their adventure on bodily {hardware} when the services and products have been first deployed, and greater than 15 years later, thru a means of rolling upgrades and migration, are actually operating in Azure hosted as infrastructure as a provider (IaaS) Virtual Machines (VMs). According to senior provider engineer Tim Dreyling, the workforce has discovered it “magnitudes easier to manage Windows Server on Azure VMs, over relying on data center support to address ‘machine’ issues.”

After migrating the backend Xbox community services and products from the sooner model of Windows Server 2022 Azure Edition to the model that supported Hotpatch, the workforce that supported those particular backend services and products went from an replace cycle each and every month that might take weeks of cautious orchestration to with the ability to practice Hotpatch updates throughout a fleet of just about 1,000 servers in lower than 48 hours two months out of each and every 3.

“As a database administrator (DBA) this is the biggest thing to increase our service reliability and uptime since SQL Server Availability Groups were introduced with SQL Server 2012,” says Tim.

Hotpatch with Windows Server 2022 Datacenter Azure Edition isn’t simply used with SQL Server with Xbox community backend services and products, however may be used on IaaS VMs operating Active Directory DS Domain Controllers and VMs web hosting internet services and products roles.

While your services and products may no longer have the complexity and scale of the Xbox community, we predict you’ll temporarily see the Hotpatch good thing about minimizing reboot downtimes whilst making sure the services and products you host are dependable, secure, and to be had.

Hotpatch is lately to be had on Azure Edition (see beneath for main points), however the workforce has extra inventions within the works, and lots of techniques to get right of entry to cloud innovation on your hybrid cloud surroundings by means of connecting your servers to Azure Arc.

In case you weren’t in a position to sign up for us at Ignite, you’ll be able to watch two Windows Server-focused classes on-demand. These talks quilt Hotpatching and the Xbox instance mentioned above, at the side of numerous new and upcoming options for our Windows Server and SQL Server shoppers:

1. Do More with Windows Server and SQL Server on Azure—Bob Ward, Principal Architect within the Azure Data workforce, and Jeff Woolsey Principal PM Manager in Windows Server, do a quick-fire consultation with descriptions of the newest inventions throughout those applied sciences.
2. What’s New in Windows Server v.Next—Elden Christensen, Principal Group PM Manager, joins Jeff Woolsey to provide an explanation for and demo the options that our engineering workforce is operating on for the following Windows Server.

If you’re all for being hands-on and attempting what’s coming subsequent for Windows Server, you’ll be able to get early get right of entry to to the newest options within the works by means of becoming a member of the Windows Insider program.

Learn extra about Windows Server and Hotpatch

• Try the newest variations of SQL Server and Windows Server 2022 on Azure.
• You can to find out extra about Hotpatch for Windows Server 2022 Datacenter: Azure Edition within the documentation and on this weblog submit.
• Download the picture right here to get the new version with Hotpatch (Azure account required).