change from SQL server 2016 standard edition FCI active/passive to active/active

So to better describe your environment...you "have 2 x SQL server 2016 standard edition FCI active/passive" OLTP SQL Cluster like lets say SQLDB01(active now) and SQLDB02(passive) right?

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yeah! FCI with a SAN shared storage.

Can you please describe what is "the reporting FCI " is and on which hosts/servers is running?

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agreed this one is a bit hard to understand and I just try to shorten my word here.

there are 2 x nearly identical 2 x SQL server 2016 standard edition FCI and one is OLTP and one is report server. they are 2 x SEPARATED instance but there is replication of 3x user DBs from OLTP to report server

Well...if your OLTP active/passive SQL Cluster runs on SQLDB01(active now) and SQLDB02(passive) nodes you can't really

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why can't ? the passive nodes always ideal and we can  separate/move the workload of heavy duties DB to that ideal nodes, right ? BUT we must setup another SQL FCI instance on separate SAN storage on this passive node ,SQLDB02 , right ?

if so SQLDB02 will be primary nodes and SQLDB01 will be secondary standby nodes?

it should works ?

just because your SQL cluster runs on "2 x SQL server 2016 standard edition FCI active/passive" so all the DB's are always bound to the Active node only.

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yeah !

Essentially if your hardware permits you will ultimately add more resources (storage included) to the passive node and create/install/run a new SQL instance on it then you can move some of the DB's onto it

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separate SAN storage ONLY for this new install instance based on node 2, right? this is actually a separate FCI, agree?

Occasionally at least for patching/restarts purpose you need to be ready to support now all activity from  BOTH nodes running on a single host whether is SQLDB01/02 including local load (tasks, jobs etc...) .

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you are saying I have to set the RAM limit on both instance server level setting so that each ONLY take 1/2 of the total RAM of each nodes, right?

disk is not as all disk is dedicated to an instance! the storage of 2 x instance is not shared, right?

and CPU usage should not be adjusted or needed? or AFTER change to active/active FCI instance can only use half of the CPU than before as in order to a single node run BOTH instance, CPU usage by each SQL instance has to be half than before ?  

here:

https://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/1554/sql-server-clustering-active-vs-passive/ 

I don't understand why this is good:

 In our environment we also utilize our passive node to host the resources for the backup volume on our clustered environment.  We utilize SQL native tools to backup to the SAN volume and have a third-party tool that writes these disk backups to tape on a nightly basis.  The overhead associated with this process occurs on the passive node.

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Passive nodes will usually only has c: and can't see shared SAN volume, then how  can we do backup on passive nodes?

and

In the event of a failover we have the ability to reschedule this process to a low point in SQL activity if we find contention for resources. 

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why is that ?I don't understand.

:  Microsoft does not require you to license the passive node of SQL Server 2005 in an Active-Passive clustered environment.

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how about for SQL server 2016 to SQL server 2019 ? passive node do not need to pay license?

any URL to proof this ?

from this :

https://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/1554/sql-server-clustering-active-vs-passive/

the author seems saying active/active FCI is not good, are you agree with it ?

previously we have data replication setup, and any procedure to RECREATE the replication based on the SAME configuration in the new instance publisher and I expect the target SQL server do not need to do anything? 

One thing, is that right that if we convert SQL server 2016 2 x nodes standard edition active/passive FCI to active/active FCI, both nodes need to upgrade from SQL server 2016 standard edition to SQL server 2016 enterprise edition ?

how about Windows 2012 R2 standard edition? both server OS also need to upgrade to windows 2012R2 enterprise edition?

hi,

any update for me ?

Your multiple questions were:

What is the procedure to move 3x user DBs from one instance to a new setup instance on the other nodes of the SQL 2016 standard edition FCI nodes? that standard edition FCI only has 2 x nodes! we will add more LUN disk so that it host other instance?

One concern is, the existing passive nodes of the OLTP FCI already belongs to an existing instance, how to make this nodes host a new instance for 3 x user DBs? 

And I believe we provided the answers/options you have for both.

hi,

I am more concern on Windows license:

how about Windows 2012 R2 standard edition? both server OS also need to upgrade to windows 2012R2 enterprise edition? 

any idea on this ? tks.

tks man.