This weekend I gave a presentation on SQL Server on Linux (and some Docker) at SQL Saturday #721, in Raleigh, North Carolina – and WOW what a great event! I have spoken at several SQL Saturdays in the past, including Mexico City – but this marks the first one that I have done where I knew absolutely nobody in the city prior to speaking. Everyone was extremely welcoming, and I had an excellent time! Lots of brilliant individuals, speakers and volunteers alike, graciously giving up their weekend to make the SQL world a better place. Pretty amazing, if you ask me.
My topic for this weekend was “Linux fundamentals for the SQL Server DBA”. In this session, I aimed to arm SQL Server DBA’s with the tools and resources they may need in order to support SQL Server running on the Linux operating system. This includes a brief history of Linux (for context), common Linux commands with a comparison chart to traditional DOS/Power Shell commands they might be using now, installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, installation and setup of SQL Server 2017 on Linux, and some basic tuning of the OS and SQL Server for better performance. I also provided a few pages of references, including direct links to Microsoft documentation, for finding more information on their own. An hour long session can provide a TON of information, but we have to cover information so quickly sometimes that it leads to information overload. I always try to provide the extra references so that people know how and where to find more information on whatever we cover, should they so-choose. Before and after my presentation, I spent time at the SQL Clinic to help provide technical help to anyone who needed it.
I am currently working on a longer version of this course, that also includes more on Docker Containers. I truly believe at some point OS’s on the data center/cloud side of things will essentially become irrelevant, and container technology will be the enabler of this revolution.
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