BigFix HA Configuration: Cluster Server Database Requirements (Standard vs. Enterprise Edition)

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Hello BigFixers,

I am in the process of configuring High Availability (HA) for BigFix with a clustered server environment. I need some clarity on the database server requirements in this setup.

Specifically, do we need to use the Enterprise edition of the database server for clustering, or is the Standard edition sufficient? I understand there are differences in features between these editions, particularly around clustering and high availability, but I’d appreciate input from anyone who has implemented HA with clustered servers in their BigFix environment.

Any guidance or shared experiences would be helpful!

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Hi @shabircse,

Are you talking about using SQL Always-On Availability Groups on the back end (for the db) and a MS cluster server / failover cluster on the front end (for the root server)? You’ll need SQL Enterprise Edition for anything but “basic” availability groups (Editions and supported features - SQL Server 2017 | Microsoft Learn)

Something to watch out for: The root server has trouble doing the initial install to a SQL availabilility group. Install the (first) root server before making the sql availability group. Then after installing, shut it down, convert convert the database to an AG, and edit the root server’s ODBC connections to use the AG listener.

Some recommendations for the SQL cluster are in the BigFix capacity planning guide: https://help.hcl-software.com/bigfix/landing/Technical+Documents/Landing_page_shared/BigFix_Capacity_Planning.pdf

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Hi @hp3 ,

Thank you for your response and clarification.

If Basic Availability Groups (BAG) are supported on the Standard Edition the why do we need an enterprise edition. My main concern is ensuring that the setup meets all HA requirements for BigFix, particularly in terms of scalability and performance. Given the cost difference, it’s definitely important to consider whether the Enterprise Edition is truly necessary or if the Standard Edition, with BAG, will provide sufficient high availability.

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I’ve only used availability groups in EE but – given the description in the above link – don’t see any reason why a pair of BAGs (one for BFEnterprise, one for BESReporting) wouldn’t work just fine for failover. Definitely worth testing out.

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@hp3 @shabircse whether you use standard or enterprise edition is up to you. There are benefits to enterprise (online utilities, reads on the secondary, etc.) but core processing and capability will be fine either way. Net is just pick what works best for you.