Shut down primary replica node always on

Question

We have a always on 2 node set up
Primary replica needs to be shut down for an extended time for testing DR
What is the ideal way to accomplish this

2 node cluster
Asynchronous mode
Quorum has not been set up
Databases are synced from node a to node b

Answer 1

Hi @NeophyteSQL ,

You can manually failover to make the primary replica become a secondary replica, and then make it OFFLINE. After you complete the corresponding work, you can bring it ONLINE and turn it the primary replica.
Refer to this: https://www.sqlshack.com/sql-server-always-on-availability-group-data-resynchronization/

Best regards,
Seeya

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Answer 2

thank you, i forgot to mention only few databases that are needed for BI purposes are synced from node a to node b.

not all databases are in sync, so failing over is not an option.

however, node A needs to be power down for extended time, what would be the ideal way to accomplish this without failing over to node B.

how does powering down node A affect node B. Does node B also need to be shut down the whole time when node A is down? is there a speciifc order

Answer 3

Hi @NeophyteSQL ,

Given that you need to power off, it is better to perform manual failover. Synchronous mode can also perform manual failover.

Does node B also need to be shut down the whole time when node A is down?

After a failover, the secondary copy becomes the primary copy, and it does not need to be shut down.

Best regards,
Seeya