Microsoft has suspended its SQL server on Windows Containers projects, which was announced in a blog post on July 5. Microsoft is advising those who need to use the SQL Server in containers, to use Linux instead. Microsoft officials said the decision was because of existing ecosystem challenges and usage patterns.
In short, people were not using it, even in test and development, which is the only way it has been supported since its release in 2017. Microsoft announced SQL Server 2017 available for Linux and Windows at the time.
Canning SQL Server
The decision to cancel SQL Server on Windows Containers does not come as a surprise, given there is a likelihood the uptake will be limited for enterprise software for Windows running in containers on Windows. Containers on Windows are more practical when used for things like virtualization and sandboxes.
Microsoft officials said that they are deleting the SQL Server Windows repos and images immediately so that no new customer downloads the now unusable resources. Users who are already on the beta program will be able to continue using it to custom build their SQL Server on Windows Images.
Support for Linux will continue
Microsoft said that SQL Server will continue to receive support on Linux containers for production environments. The information is included in the company’s post about the cancellation. Microsoft recently announced that it is planning to enable users to run Azure SQL Managed Instance (a cloud version of SQL Server) on other public clouds and on-premises too.
The Arc-enabled Azure SQL capability will become generally available and production-ready, later this month (July 30th). Meanwhile, the internet continues to wonder when the Microsoft Cloud PC will be made available, as the buzz of the recently announced Windows 11 continues to proliferate headlines.
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