--- title: "Creation and Configuration of Availability Groups (SQL Server) | Microsoft Docs" ms.custom: "" ms.date: "06/14/2017" ms.prod: "sql-server-2014" ms.reviewer: "" ms.technology: high-availability ms.topic: conceptual helpviewer_keywords: - "Availability Groups [SQL Server], deploying" - "Availability Groups [SQL Server], configuring" - "Availability Groups [SQL Server], creating" ms.assetid: 7f89fab8-6ee2-4273-9de0-e594bfb9407f author: MashaMSFT ms.author: mathoma manager: craigg --- # Creation and Configuration of Availability Groups (SQL Server) The topics in this section explain how to deploy a [!INCLUDE[ssHADR](../../../includes/sshadr-md.md)] implementation on instances of [!INCLUDE[ssSQL11](../../../includes/sssql11-md.md)] that reside on different Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) nodes within a single WSFC failover cluster. Before you create your first availability group, we strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the information in the following topics: [Prerequisites, Restrictions, and Recommendations for AlwaysOn Availability Groups (SQL Server)](prereqs-restrictions-recommendations-always-on-availability.md) This topic describes the prerequisites, restrictions, and recommendations for computers; WSFC nodes; instances of [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)]; availability groups, replicas, and databases. This topic also contains information about security considerations. [Getting Started with AlwaysOn Availability Groups (SQL Server)](getting-started-with-always-on-availability-groups-sql-server.md) Contains information about the steps for configuring a server instance, creating an availability group, configuring the availability group for client connections, managing availability groups, and monitoring availability groups. ## Related Tasks **To configure a server instance for [!INCLUDE[ssHADR](../../../includes/sshadr-md.md)]** - [Enable and Disable AlwaysOn Availability Groups (SQL Server)](enable-and-disable-always-on-availability-groups-sql-server.md) - [Create a Database Mirroring Endpoint for AlwaysOn Availability Groups (SQL Server PowerShell)](database-mirroring-always-on-availability-groups-powershell.md) - [Create a Database Mirroring Endpoint for Windows Authentication (Transact-SQL)](../../database-mirroring/create-a-database-mirroring-endpoint-for-windows-authentication-transact-sql.md) - [Allow a Database Mirroring Endpoint to Use Certificates for Outbound Connections (Transact-SQL)](../../database-mirroring/database-mirroring-use-certificates-for-outbound-connections.md) **To get started with configuring AlwaysOn Availability Groups** - [Getting Started with AlwaysOn Availability Groups (SQL Server)](getting-started-with-always-on-availability-groups-sql-server.md) **To create and configure a new availability group** - [Use the Availability Group Wizard (SQL Server Management Studio)](use-the-availability-group-wizard-sql-server-management-studio.md) - [Create an Availability Group (Transact-SQL)](create-an-availability-group-transact-sql.md) - [Create an Availability Group (SQL Server PowerShell)](../../../powershell/sql-server-powershell.md) - [Use the New Availability Group Dialog Box (SQL Server Management Studio)](use-the-new-availability-group-dialog-box-sql-server-management-studio.md) - [Specify the Endpoint URL When Adding or Modifying an Availability Replica (SQL Server)](specify-endpoint-url-adding-or-modifying-availability-replica.md) - [Create or Configure an Availability Group Listener (SQL Server)](create-or-configure-an-availability-group-listener-sql-server.md) - [Configure the Flexible Failover Policy to Control Conditions for Automatic Failover (AlwaysOn Availability Groups)](configure-flexible-automatic-failover-policy.md) - [Configure Backup on Availability Replicas (SQL Server)](configure-backup-on-availability-replicas-sql-server.md) - [Configure Read-Only Access on an Availability Replica (SQL Server)](configure-read-only-access-on-an-availability-replica-sql-server.md) - [Configure Read-Only Routing for an Availability Group (SQL Server)](configure-read-only-routing-for-an-availability-group-sql-server.md) - [Join a Secondary Replica to an Availability Group (SQL Server)](join-a-secondary-replica-to-an-availability-group-sql-server.md) - [Start Data Movement on an AlwaysOn Secondary Database (SQL Server)](start-data-movement-on-an-always-on-secondary-database-sql-server.md) - [Manually Prepare a Secondary Database for an Availability Group (SQL Server)](manually-prepare-a-secondary-database-for-an-availability-group-sql-server.md) - [Join a Secondary Database to an Availability Group (SQL Server)](join-a-secondary-database-to-an-availability-group-sql-server.md) - [Management of Logins and Jobs for the Databases of an Availability Group (SQL Server)](../../logins-and-jobs-for-availability-group-databases.md) **To troubleshoot** - [Troubleshoot AlwaysOn Availability Groups Configuration (SQL Server)deleted](troubleshoot-always-on-availability-groups-configuration-sql-server.md) - [Troubleshoot a Failed Add-File Operation (AlwaysOn Availability Groups)](troubleshoot-a-failed-add-file-operation-always-on-availability-groups.md) ## Related Content - **Blogs:** [AlwaysON - HADRON Learning Series: Worker Pool Usage for HADRON Enabled Databases](https://blogs.msdn.com/b/psssql/archive/2012/05/17/alwayson-hadron-learning-series-worker-pool-usage-for-hadron-enabled-databases.aspx) [SQL Server AlwaysOn Team Blogs: The official SQL Server AlwaysOn Team Blog](https://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlalwayson/) [CSS SQL Server Engineers Blogs](https://blogs.msdn.com/b/psssql/) - **Videos:** [Microsoft SQL Server Code-Named "Denali" AlwaysOn Series,Part 1: Introducing the Next Generation High Availability Solution](https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2011/DBI302) [Microsoft SQL Server Code-Named "Denali" AlwaysOn Series,Part 2: Building a Mission-Critical High Availability Solution Using AlwaysOn](https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2011/DBI404) - **Whitepapers:** [Microsoft SQL Server AlwaysOn Solutions Guide for High Availability and Disaster Recovery](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=227600) [Microsoft White Papers for SQL Server 2012](https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/hh403491.aspx) [SQL Server Customer Advisory Team Whitepapers](http://sqlcat.com/) ## See Also [Overview of AlwaysOn Availability Groups (SQL Server)](overview-of-always-on-availability-groups-sql-server.md) [Administration of an Availability Group (SQL Server)](administration-of-an-availability-group-sql-server.md) [AlwaysOn Policies for Operational Issues with AlwaysOn Availability Groups (SQL Server)](always-on-policies-for-operational-issues-always-on-availability.md) [Monitoring of Availability Groups (SQL Server)](monitoring-of-availability-groups-sql-server.md) [AlwaysOn Availability Groups: Interoperability (SQL Server)](always-on-availability-groups-interoperability-sql-server.md)