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I have four servers: a Domain Controller server, a Primary SQL Server, a Secondary SQL Server, and a fourth server intended to be the Listener server.
All three servers—the Primary SQL Server, Secondary SQL Server, and the Listener server—are joined to the Domain Controller server.
I have installed Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) on both the Primary and Secondary SQL Server machines.
I have created an Availability Group and would like to configure the fourth server as the Listener server. Is this possible? If yes, how can I proceed with the configuration?
Additional details:
SQL Server 2022 Standard Edition
All servers are running Windows Server 2019
That's not how you do it. I will have to admit that I have not fully grasped the listener concept, but it is not a separate server. Rather, this is a function of the cluster, so that whichever node is the primary will respond to access to the listener. And specifically: the point with having an AG is to have resiliency if a node fails. Having a single node as the listener defies that purpose, as that is a single point of failure.
Thank you @Erland Sommarskog for your response. From your response what I understand, it is not possible.
Adding to Erland's answer, perhaps the AG documentation will clarify your understanding that you don't need a separate server for the listener. The key point is that a listener is a cluster resource always hosted by the server currently in the primary role. Relevant documentation excerpts:
An availability group listener consists of a Domain Name System (DNS) listener name, listener port designation, and one or more IP addresses. ... When you create a listener, it becomes a resource in a cluster with an associated virtual network name (VNN), virtual IP (VIP), and availability group dependency.
Thank you @Dan Guzman your response. I have read the document, and I do not need to use Listener as you mentioned. I intend to use it as a separate server. it is necessary for me to implement that.
Why do you think this is necessary?
Why do you think this is necessary? Because the software or application I am using cannot connect to any server instance; it only connects to the default instance where the software is installed. To create a redundant system (primary server and secondary server ), I have set up an Availability Group, and I would like to implement a separate server as listener for this purpose. @Erland Sommarskog
Hadron Y, do you mean that the software is installed on the database server and can only connect to the default SQL Server instance in the same (local) server? Is it possible to specify the listener name in the connection string so that the application can connect remotely like a traditional client/server app?