SQL Server Disaster Recovery: When Everything Is Down

SQL Server Disaster Recovery: When Everything Is Down


What do you do when your SQL Server Always On environment is down and the Windows Server Failover Cluster has lost quorum?

In real enterprise environments, disasters do not follow textbooks.

I’ve just published a 15-minute, hands-on recovery walkthrough showing how to:
✔ Force-start a WSFC node without quorum
✔ Temporarily reconfigure node voting to regain control
✔ Perform a forced manual failover of an Always On Availability Group
✔ Bring business-critical databases back online when no other option exists

This is not theory — this is a real DBA emergency playbook, executed under pressure and time constraints.

⚠️ Important note for DBAs:
FORCE_FAILOVER_ALLOW_DATA_LOSS should only be used when the original primary replica is permanently unavailable. This method prioritizes business continuity over zero data loss.

Watch the full recovery video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av-KmnDc25o

I’ve also shared the exact PowerShell and T-SQL commands used in the recovery so other professionals can learn, prepare, and respond faster when it matters most.
Preparedness saves minutes.
Minutes save systems.
Systems save businesses.


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