The default SharePoint search topology gets you up and running quickly. For production farms, deliberate design choices around component placement, high availability, and crawl isolation are what turn a functional search deployment into a resilient one. This post explains all six search components, when to use a single SSA vs. dual SSA, and how to design the right topology before running a single script.
High Availability
Adding SharePoint Content Databases to a SQL Server Availability Group: The Correct Seeding Sequence
SQL Server Availability Groups are the only Microsoft-supported high-availability path for SharePoint Subscription Edition — and the seeding sequence is unforgiving. This post walks SQL DBAs and SharePoint architects through every prerequisite, the complete backup → NORECOVERY restore → AG join workflow, sync mode selection, and the two PowerShell scripts that automate the entire operation across 50+ content databases without a single manual T-SQL command.