Microsoft and publisher of Ubuntu team up to deliver cost-effective data management on Azure

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Microsoft and Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu, worked together to create a cost-effective form of enterprise data management.

Microsoft Azure Hero 4
Microsoft Azure Hero 4 (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Canonical and Microsoft jointly announced support for Microsoft SQL Server with Ubuntu Pro on Azure.
  • Running Ubuntu Pro and Azure on Microsoft SQL Server is more cost-effective than many alternatives.
  • SQL Server on Ubuntu Pro utilizes the XFS filesystem with Direct I/O and Forced Unit Access, which help ensure reliable syncing.

"Our customers need ways to run enterprise-grade, highly demanding and business critical data workloads on Ubuntu. This need is fully addressed with Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu Pro and Azure. This solution is a logical extension of our continued collaboration with Microsoft," said Alex Gallagher, VP Cloud Alliances at Canonical.

The solution is based on Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS and works with instances of SQL Server 2017 or SQL Server 2019. Web, standard, and enterprise editions are supported. It works with Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTS and Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS.

SQL Server on Ubuntu Pro utilizes the XFS filesystem with Direct I/O and Forced Unit Access. These help deliver reliable syncing with NVMe SSD storage devices. SQL Server also works with persistent memory when available.

Ubuntu Pro comes with up to 10 years of maintenance updates and includes certified components for FIPS and Common Criteria EAL2 configurations. It also supports FedRAMP, HIPAA, PCI, and ISO. Ubuntu Pro also adds 10 years of extended security coverage to some open source applications.

Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.