Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2000 High Availability

Chapter 13. Highly Available Upgrades

Upgrades present a challenge that all organizations face at some point. Upgrades fall into different categories, such as upgrading versions of Microsoft SQL Server, server consolidation, applying a SQL Server or Microsoft Windows service pack or hotfix, or applying third-party patches for the software you run in your environment. The challenge with upgrades is not so much the upgrade process itself—that is fairly mechanical—it is ensuring that you minimize downtime and the impact on users. If you have specific service level agreements (SLAs) in place, you understand the complexities of maintaining a highly available environment when you need to apply changes to your production environment. This chapter guides ...