Scaling Out for Performance with Compaq ProLiant Servers
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and Microsoft SQL Server 2000
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First Edition (February 2001)
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TC010201TB
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ProLiant Servers and Microsoft SQL Server 2000
TC010201TB
Scaling Out for Performance with Compaq
ECHNOLOGY BRIEF
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NTRODUCTION
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The Internet and e-commerce have driven demands on database system performance and availability
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beyond levels that could have been reasonably predicted ten or even five years ago. By removing
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many of the traditional physical constraints on business commerce transactions, the Internet has
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pushed the limits of peak performance for enterprise servers trying to meet intense e-commerce and
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data processing needs. As a result, organizations must design thei r data processing systems to easily
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accommodate exponential growth.
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Cost-effective scalability is a critical component in planning and deploying database systems.
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Previously, customers chose between scaling up for increased database performance and scaling out
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for increased availability. Now, Compaq and Microsoft have developed a scale-out database
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solution to increase both performance and availability.
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This technology brief de fines scalability, distinguishes between scaling out and scaling up, and sets
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some customer expectations for deploying superior and cost-effective scale-out database systems
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designed in accordance with the Compaq Distributed Internet Server Array (DISA) architecture.
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HE COMPAQ AND MICROSOFT PARTNERSHIP
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Compaq’s business strategy includes partnering with other hardware and software vendo rs to meet
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each customer’s specific needs with the best possible solutions. Compaq and Microsoft share a
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strategic partnership that brings to market one of the most cost-effective scale-out database
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solutions. This solution benefits directly from the unique relationship between Compaq technologies
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and Microsoft database management products.
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Results of multiple database benchmarking tests have demonstrated unprecedented performance of
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this solution, which coordinates the management of large amounts of data partitioned across a group
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of otherwise autonomous servers. Tests of multinode clusters of Compaq ProLiant 8500 servers and
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Microsoft SQL Server 2000 confirm the advantages and applicability of this scale-out database
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solution to real-world e-commerce businesses. The results confirm Compaq’s leadership in
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delivering maximum performance with industry-standard server, storage, and interconnect
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technologies.
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CALING OUT VERSUS SCALING UP
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Scalability is a system’s ability to maintain desired performance levels as the system grows, for
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example, when a database system expands to accommodate increased traffic on an e-commerce
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website. A database system can be scaled either up or out (Figure 1.) Servers are scaled up by the
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addition of hardware such as processors, memory, or disk arrays to increase the maximum sustained
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performance, while scaling out refers to adding servers to a cluster.
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ProLiant Servers and Microsoft SQL Server 2000
TC010201TB
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Scaling Out for Performance with Compaq
ECHNOLOGY BRIEF
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Figure 1: Scaling up and scaling out
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Scaling out improves performance by balancing the workload across multiple servers with multiple
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processors, thereby increasing the overall availability of the database system. However, the benefits
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derived by scaling out for performance do not apply to all environments. Scaling out large
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configurations (more than 8 nodes) is an economical and practical approach to yield record-breaking
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performance. Smaller configurations, on the other hand, typically will not exhibit performance gains
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significant enough to outweigh increased management requirements and costs.
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Additionally, database environments that do not easily partition into member tables along a partition
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column and those that allow direct client access to data would not benefit from the scale-out
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architecture described here. Also, the scope of client queries must also be limited. Frequent user-
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defined, large-scope queries and query flexibility would detract from the performance derived in a
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scale-out architecture by prolonging server response times.
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ENCHMARKING SCALE-OUT ARCHITECTURE
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Whether the overall need is for prepackaged systems or tailored solutions, Compaq ProLiant servers
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provide top performance, scalability, failover, availability, and cost effectiveness for industry-
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standard fault-tolerant database systems. A scale-out database architecture using ProLiant 8500
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servers has repeatedly achieved new peaks of performance, effectively redefining industry
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expectations for speed and cost effectiveness:
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• On October 6, 2000, Compaq published a record-breaking TPC-C benchmark result of
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505,302.77 tpmC and a price:performance of $20.68/tpmC. The benchmark ran using a 24-node
configuration of Compaq ProLiant 8500 servers, supporting 432,000 users with eight 700MHz/2-MB Pentium III Xeon processors per node, for a total of 192 processors. The total
system cost was $10,445,169. The availability date for this configuration was November 30,
2000.
• On July 25, 2000, Compaq published a TPC-C benchmark result of 262,243.60 tpmC and a
price:performance of $20.24/tpmC. This benchmark ran using a 12-node configuration of
ProLiant 8500 servers with a total of 96 processors and a total system cost of $5,305,571. The
availability date for this configuration was September 30, 2000.
• Also on July 25, 2000, Compaq published a TPC-C benchmark result of 179,658.00 tpmC and a
price:performance of $19.75/tpmC. This benchmark ran using an 8-node configuration of
ProLiant 8500 servers with a total of 64 processors and a total system cost of $3,546,582. The
availability date for this configuration was September 30, 2000.
Results of these benchmarks tests are summarized in Figure 2.
More CPUs
Faster CPUs
More memor
ProLiant Servers and Microsoft SQL Server 2000
SSccaallee--uupp
More Nodes
SSccaallee--oouutt
TC010201TB
Scaling Out for Performance with Compaq
ECHNOLOGY BRIEF
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Figure 2: TPC-C benchmark results for the Compaq ProLiant 8500 server
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These benchmark tests implemented the DISA architecture with ProLiant servers interconnected with
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ServerNet II full fabric 12-port switches supporting throughput of 125 MB/sec per connection. Other
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important features in these configurations included a Compaq StorageWorks 4214R storage system,
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Compaq Smart Array 5304 controllers, and Integrated SCSI RAID controllers.
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Compaq industry-standard servers satisfy the need for affordable growth at high performance levels.
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Compaq is the only system vendor with the demonstrated ability to deliver scale-out database
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environments at consistent price points, giving customers the flexibility to start small and grow
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quickly and cost-effectively as their businesses expand. For more information on current Compaq
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TPC-C benchmar ks, refer to http://www.compaq.com/products/servers/benchmarks/index.html
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Compaq’s DISA architecture is key to achieving such record-breaking benchmark results, as it
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establishes the structure of database system configurations. DISA is most applicable to a high traffic
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business for which high performance and data availability for a large number of clients are critical.
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DISA uses Internet Protocol (IP) load-balancing technologies that are essential to high-performance,
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scale-out database enterprises. It emphasizes:
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• The use of multiple application servers.
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• Centralization of data resources on highly available servers.
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• Redundancy at potential single points of failure.
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As shown in Figure 3, DISA consists of a core application stack (clients, load balancing, application
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servers, and data resources) and two global components (security and management.) Load balancing
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and application servers, such as Microsoft Commerce Server 2000, help maintain a seamless
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interface for customer transactions and present a single system image to clients. Client requests are
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distributed across multiple application servers. The data resource layer stores and manages
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application data across a cluster of server nodes.
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DISA A
ProLiant 8500 TPC-C Benchmarks
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Performance (tpm/C)
RCHITECTURE
179,658
tpm/C
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8-node12-node24-node
ProLiant Servers and Microsoft SQL Server 2000
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$20.00
$15.00
262,243
tpm/C
505,302
tpm/C
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$5.00
$0.00
(per tpm/C)
Price Performance
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TC010201TB
Scaling Out for Performance with Compaq
ECHNOLOGY BRIEF
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Figure 3: DISA architecture
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DISA architecture provides availability, scalability, and a level of management that extends the
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capacity of a single multiprocessor server in hosting processor-intensive applications, while
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accommodating hardware or software failures without significant downtime. More information about
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Compaq DISA architecture is available at http://www.compaq.com/solutions/internet/disa.html
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OMPONENTS OF SCALE-OUT ARCHITECTURE
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Scalability is the cornerstone of system design based on DISA. Components that comprise the
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multiple tiers of scale-out systems include Compaq ProLiant 8500 servers, Microsoft SQL Server
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2000, and Compaq ServerNet II technology.
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Compaq ProLiant 8500 Servers
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Compaq’s scale-out solution is based on Compaq ProLiant 8500 servers, Microsoft’s own platform
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of choice for Microsoft Datacenter independent software vendor (ISV) certification. ProLiant 8500
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servers deliver outstanding performance and scalability, supporting up to eight Pentium III Xeon
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processors. With new disk drive technology and a new integrated array controller for operating
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system and boot support, ProLiant 8500 servers provide maximum external storage capacity. High-
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availability features include PCI Hot Plug slots, re dundant hot-pluggable power supplies and fans,
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redundant processor power modules, and redundant network interface controllers.
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The superior performance of Compaq ProLiant 8500 servers owes much to the Profusion chipset
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codeveloped by Compaq and Corollary. The Profusion chipset uses a five-point crossbar switch to
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connect dual 100-MHz processor buses, dual 100-MHz memory buses, and a dedicated 100-MHz
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I/O bus. This nonblocking design allows simultaneous read and write accesses from all five buses.
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Compaq ProLiant 8500 servers, with support for up to 16 GB of two-way, cache-line interleaved
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SDRAM, deliver superior perfo rmance running under Mic rosoft Windows NT Server, Micr osoft
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Windows 2000, Novell NetWare, SCO UnixWare, and Red Hat and TurboLinux Server
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distributions of Linux.
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In addition to System Interconnect Status Indicators and front panel LEDs that help improve
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serviceability and further reduce downtime, ProLiant 8500 servers include Compaq configuration
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ProLiant Servers and Microsoft SQL Server 2000
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TC010201TB
Scaling Out for Performance with Compaq
ECHNOLOGY BRIEF
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and management tools such a s Smar tStart, Compaq Insight Manager, Remot e Insight Lights-Out
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Edition, Rack Builder Pro, Info Messenger, and activeAnswers.
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To further increase availability and reduce downtime, Compaq offers a unique range of hardware-
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and software-based server management tools provided as standard on all ProLiant 8500 servers:
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• Automatic server recovery following critical hardware or software errors.
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• System partition utilities, which assist in the diagnosis, configuration, a nd upgrading of server
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components.
• Compaq Insight Manager, which provides fault protection by monitoring more than 1,000
management parameter s .
• Asynchronous Insight Management, which provides remote dial-up access to Compaq Insight
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• Remote-Flash Redundant ROM, which allows administrators to upgrade system ROMs from
a single point of execution, locally or over a network, individually or in batches for multinode
clusters.
Microsoft SQL Server 2000
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 is an essential part of Compaq’s scale-out database architecture.
Compared to earlier releases, SQL Server 2000 improves exponentially upon the performance and
scalability of symmetric multiprocessing systems through significant optimization, speed, and cost
effectiveness.
SQL Server 2000 maintains high performance as processing loads grow by dividing the logical
workload among distributed partitions. It also provides unified views of member tables,
unprecedented XML support, relational database access via HTTP, and query optimizations for
support of SQL statements typical of websites.
SQL Server 2000 supports multiple instances of its database engine on a single server through the
use of a spare failover node. This significant new feature improves upon failover support by using
the spare node as a full processing partner in the server cluster to maintain failover readiness.
Connections from applications to multiple installations are all handled in the same manner, with
each instance able to use unique system and user databases. Multiple instances on each node manage
their own disk resources, thereby avoiding the contention that limits scalability in shared disk
clusters with common disk resources.
The performance improvements and ability to accommodate database processing growth
requirements make Microsoft SQL Server 2000 a cornerstone of a successful scale-out system. More
information is available at the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com/sql
ServerNet II
Heterogeneous computing environments evolved around centralized systems using traditional
networking technologies such as Ethernet and TCP/IP. Traditional network technologies lack the
flexibility and performance to satisfy the intense communication needs of relational database
environments and e-commerce enterprises.
ServerNet II is the most complete industry-standard implementation of the Virtual Interface (VI)
Architecture specification, providing significantly higher performance than gigabit Ethernet and
TCP/IP in handling messaging traffic in a cluster. VI Architecture was codeveloped in 1997 by
Compaq and other industry leaders in response to the need for efficient, distributed server-to-server
messaging using common hardware and software interface standards. Operating system vendor
support for ServerNet II now includes Windows 2000 Data Center, Windows 2000 Advanced Data
Server, Linux, and SCO UnixWare 7.1.
ProLiant Servers and Microsoft SQL Server 2000
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TC010201TB
Scaling Out for Performance with Compaq
ECHNOLOGY BRIEF
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ServerNet II uses industry-standard 64-bit, 66-MHz PCI components that contain several features of
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the VI Architecture to move data efficiently. The basic hardware components for a cluster include
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ServerNet cables and ServerNet II PCI adapters. Multiple ServerNet II switches (Figure 4) facilitate
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increased fault tolerance and aggregate bandwidth by supporting added nodes and data paths as
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needed. ServerNet II hardware also provides high reliability through self-checking and hardware
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routing protocol to ensure reliable data transfer.
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Figure 4. Six-node cluster with redundant ServerNet II switches
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The efficient CPU utilization, low latency, and high bandwidth of ServerNet II all enhance
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messaging efficiency within heterogeneous cluster environments, making it the optimum
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interconnect for scale-out database systems. For more information about ServerNet II, see the white
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paper Compaq ServerNet II SAN Interconnect for Scalable Computing Clusters at