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Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert · Microsoft
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Select the appropriate option to complete the statement. Click Check Answer below to see the marked solution.
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Prepare for the migration by: → Adding a secondary replica to AG1Perform the migration by using: → A distributed availability group Why this is the best (and officially recommended) approach for minimal downtime: Add a secondary replica to AG1 (on VM1) ----- You first join the SQL Server 2019 instance on VM1 (Linux) as a new secondary replica into the existing AG1. This is supported because SQL Server 2017+ allows cross-version replicas when the cloud replica is newer (2019 > 2017). The database DB1 is automatically seeded to VM1 with no downtime. Create a Distributed Availability Group ---- After the secondary on VM1 is fully synchronized, you create a distributed availability group that links the original on-premises AG1 (primary) with a new secondary AG on VM1. Then you perform a manual failover to the distributed AG (i.e., make VM1 the global primary). This failover is near-instantaneous (seconds), achieving minimal downtime.
Written by other learners. Comments can disagree with the marked answer — check the official documentation when in doubt.
Why the other options are wrong or inferior: --Creating an Always On availability group on VM1 You would have to seed manually (backup/restore or manual seeding) → long downtime --Upgrading the on-premises SQL Server instances Not relevant to migrating to Azure VM --Azure Migrate Works for entire VMs, not for individual databases with zero/minimal downtime --Log shipping Requires breaking replication, long cutover time, significant downtime
Correct answer:Prepare for the migration by: → Adding a secondary replica to AG1Perform the migration by using: → A distributed availability group Why this is the best (and officially recommended) approach for minimal downtime: Add a secondary replica to AG1 (on VM1) ----- You first join the SQL Server 2019 instance on VM1 (Linux) as a new secondary replica into the existing AG1. This is supported because SQL Server 2017+ allows cross-version replicas when the cloud replica is newer (2019 > 2017). The database DB1 is automatically seeded to VM1 with no downtime. Create a Distributed Availability Group ---- After the secondary on VM1 is fully synchronized, you create a distributed availability group that links the original on-premises AG1 (primary) with a new secondary AG on VM1. Then you perform a manual failover to the distributed AG (i.e., make VM1 the global primary). This failover is near-instantaneous (seconds), achieving minimal downtime.
Answer: Prepare for the migration: Create an Always on Availability Group Perform the migration: Use a distributed availability group Explanation: You cannot directly add a Linux SQL Server 2019 instance as a replica to your existing SQL Server 2017 Always On AG (Windows-based). The correct preparation is to create a new Always On Availability Group on VM1 (SQL Server 2019, Linux). This gives you a target AG that can participate in a Distributed Availability Group (DAG) with your on-premises AG1. A DAG spans two separate AGs (one on-prem, one in Azure), allowing asynchronous replication across environments. This approach: Keeps DB1 online during sync. Minimizes downtime (only a brief cutover window). Supports cross-version (2017 → 2019) and cross-platform (Windows → Linux).