Current situation:
2 Azure VMs running SQL 2014 (OS and SQL fully patched)
-identically created storage pools on each
-SIOS DATAKeeper used to synchronize storage and provide Failover Cluster-compatible storage for SQL Data and Log volumes (an Azure-supported configuration)
-Failover Clustering instance set up between the two servers
-SQL AlwaysOn in synchrnous commit mode configured on top of FC services
-Azure Internal Load Balancer listener created for SQL FC role's IP
Above SQL configuration is completely working for general SQL access to replicated DBs from other Azure VMs and Azure Web Apps (VNet-connected).
1 Azure VM running DPM 2012 R2 (fully patched, including DPM 2012 R2 CU8)
-agents deployed to SQL servers (agents fully up to date, targets rebooted)
-backups of local SQL DBs, i.e., non-AlwaysOn databases, work just fine
When AlwaysOn is configured for a set of clustered SQL servers, it uses the IP assigned to a new SQL role on the cluster. The core SQL cluster IP is different than the shared IP used for SQL services. Normally, this is just fine; The cluster IP is accessible by the cluster host responsible for the IP, since it stays on-box, and no other devices on the network need to talk to that cluster IP.
An Azure VM can only have 1 IP from the perspective of the rest of a virtual network. TO get around this limitation, an Azure ILB is configured for the SQL role so that internal Azure VNet magic can be used to deliver traffic for an IP not associated with an Azure VM to the cluster nodes.
HOWEVER - When DPM scans connected agents to determine what is available to back up, it rolls up AlwaysOn databases under the Cluster instance. NOT the SQL role; but the Cluster instance, which is a separate virtual AD computer object, and a separate IP address. This seems to be a showstopper because an Azure cloud service can only host one ILB, and an ILB can only provide one shared IP address. Since this single IP address is already tied up to provide access to the SQL role IP, I am having trouble finding a way to provide access to the shared cluster IP. And without that, DPM can't back up databases being synced by AlwaysOn.
Anyone have any thought on how to use DPM to back up AlwaysOn databases in Azure VMs?