Microsoft SQL Server
Configuration Guide for HP IO Accelerators
December 2010 (First Edition)
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Intended audience
This document is for the person who installs, administers, and troubleshoots servers and storage systems.
HP assumes you are qualified in the servicing of computer equipment and trained in recognizing hazards
in products with hazardous energy levels.
Contents
Installing and preparing the IO Accelerator for Microsoft Windows SQL Server ................................... 4
Initial setup ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Installing Microsoft SQL Server .................................................................................................................... 4
Additional performance tips ........................................................................................................................ 4
RAID options ................................................................................................................................ 5
RAID 0 ..................................................................................................................................................... 5
RAID 1 ..................................................................................................................................................... 5
RAID 5 ..................................................................................................................................................... 5
RAID 10 ................................................................................................................................................... 5
High availability considerations ...................................................................................................... 6
Database mirroring ................................................................................................................................... 6
Multi-site clustering .................................................................................................................................... 6
Backup considerations ................................................................................................................... 8
General recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 8
Testing IO Accelerator-powered SQL performance ............................................................................ 9
Methodology ............................................................................................................................................ 9
Workload examples .................................................................................................................................. 9
Architectural scenarios ................................................................................................................ 11
Scenario 1: The entire database fits on the IO Accelerators .......................................................................... 11
Scenario 2: The database is too big to fit on the IO Accelerators ................................................................... 11
tempdb considerations ................................................................................................................... 11
Index considerations ...................................................................................................................... 12
Frequently accessed tables .............................................................................................................. 12
Large tables .................................................................................................................................. 12
Log files ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Partition tables .............................................................................................................................. 12
Acronyms and abbreviations ........................................................................................................ 14
Contents 3