Best Practice: How often to reboot SQL server?

Question

Best Practice: How often to reboot SQL server?

DMarvez

Ten Centuries

Points: 1241
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October 20, 2009 at 1:57 pm

#212233

Hello,
I read a Microsoft forum entry that said basically it will never need to be rebooted
unless TembDB blows up, Patches and Service Packs and any port changes.
Our hosted team said they are going to reboot every 90 days as a best practice.
I've searched the web but can't find anything definitive.
Here is our Server info.
Mix of 2003 and 2008 servers.
Running SQL Server 2005 SP3 in a virtual environment and in clusters.
Any help or links would be appreciated.
Dave

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

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GSquared SSC Guru Points: 260824 More actions · Answer 1

Reboot when you have to, never otherwise.

Rebooting forces SQL Server to rebuild all execution plans. It can take a smoothly running server and slow it down for a day or more.

- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
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"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon

DMarvez Ten Centuries Points: 1241 More actions · Answer 2

Thanks for the quick reply, that's what we are thinking over here. I check with the hosted team to see what their thinking is behind their plan.

Dave

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004356 More actions · Answer 3

GSquared (10/20/2009)
Reboot when you have to, never otherwise.

I'll second that.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Brandie Tarvin SSC Guru Points: 173064 More actions · Answer 4

Ditto, ditto, ditto. Reboots are EVIL (unless your server is totally screwed already or you're doing a software update that requires it).

Ask your hosted team why they've implemented that policy. It could be they're assuming that the reboot will clear the cache, rebuild the statistics and fix any index problems. If this is the case, you need to teach them that cache is good and there are better ways to fix Stat & Index problems.

If they mention there are "problems," then they've either installed the software wrong or they're working on outdated information. Find out exactly what those "problems" are and do your best to help the team resolve them (or feel better about not rebooting).

Brandie Tarvin, MCITP Database AdministratorLiveJournal Blog: http://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/[/url]On LinkedIn!, Google+, and Twitter.Freelance Writer: ShadowrunLatchkeys: Nevermore, Latchkeys: The Bootleg War, and Latchkeys: Roscoes in the Night are now available on Nook and Kindle.

free_mascot One Orange Chip Points: 27169 More actions · Answer 5

I guess hosted team is still under impression that Microsoft OS needs reboot at a specific period.

The fact is those days are gone. I also used to reboot the server every week not 90 days but it was around 8-10 years back. While we were using SQL 6.5 with Windows NT 4.0.

But Windows Server 2003 and 2008 are very robust and do not require reboot periodically. But some of the patch may require reboot so in that case you have to 🙂

I do agree wtih GSquared & Jeff.

HTH

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"Thare are only 10 types of people in the world:
Those who understand binary, and those who don't."

GSquared SSC Guru Points: 260824 More actions · Answer 6

If it were running something like Windows 95, I'd agree that frequent reboots are a good idea.

Anything on the NT kernel really doesn't need that.

- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
Property of The Thread

"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon

DMarvez Ten Centuries Points: 1241 More actions · Answer 7

Thanks for all the info. I think we can kill this thread off here.

I'll pass this along to the group.