July 8, 2005 at 8:32 am
Hi we shall soon be in the process of building a new server on which to place one of our strategic Databases. We are trying to find best practice tips apart from the most obvious of placing log files and db files and software on different volumes.
Current suggestions seem to point to using Raid 5 for Data, Raid 1 for Logs and 0 for software. What do people recommend as the optimum performance for size of volume compared to size of database files and log files. Our current server runs at a capacity of 20% free space of the datavolume, the log when it's at its max is 30% of its volume.
We are running with SQL using 2gb memory on a 2.5gb server.
Does anybody know of any good articles that could give good pointers to a virgin SQL Server installation
Thanks
July 8, 2005 at 8:50 am
It's a complex question and it's going to depend a great deal on your database and what the application does. I for one would never use Raid 0 on any volume on a mission critical server as it's not recoverable. In the past we used to typically use Raid 5 for data and Raid 1 or 0+1 for logs but I've seen a move away from Raid 5 in the last few years particularly when it's a write intensive application. With write intensive apps, Raid 10 might be your best choice performance wise, but it's expensive to implement.
Last year we ported a Sybase DB running on an older AS/400 to a new SQL box and were faced with the same issue. At the vendors recommendation, we wound up making all drives Raid 0+1 then set it up this way:
C: OS, SQL Server and Temp DB
D: Logs
E: Data Files
F: Backups
In our case with this configuration the performance has been optimal for both the DB's and application.
As a general recommendation, Logs and Data should always be on separate spindles if at all possible.
My hovercraft is full of eels.
July 8, 2005 at 2:43 pm
Hello,
I also read that they recommend a page file on its own drive.
I would advise against TempDB on the system drive. I had a case recently when a TempDB on the system drive expanded from 30 MB to 10 GB in a matter of minutes when a developer connected as READ-ONLY login for Production database was in his words "Trying Something New in Reporting"
Yelena
Regards,Yelena Varsha
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