Disk Defrag Does Nothing?

  • I have a server that has volume L containing LDF drives and volume P containing MDF files. When I analyze fragmentation on those drives I get:

    Volume Logs (L: )

    Volume size = 34.99 GB

    Cluster size = 4 KB

    Used space = 21.85 GB

    Free space = 13.14 GB

    Percent free space = 37 %

    Volume fragmentation

    Total fragmentation = 32 %

    File fragmentation = 65 %

    Free space fragmentation = 0 %

    File fragmentation

    Total files = 25

    Average file size = 1.45 GB

    Total fragmented files = 2

    Total excess fragments = 5

    Average fragments per file = 1.20

    Pagefile fragmentation

    Pagefile size = 0 bytes

    Total fragments = 0

    Folder fragmentation

    Total folders = 8

    Fragmented folders = 1

    Excess folder fragments = 0

    Master File Table (MFT) fragmentation

    Total MFT size = 64 KB

    MFT record count = 48

    Percent MFT in use = 75 %

    Total MFT fragments = 2

    ----

    Volume San B11 (P: )

    Volume size = 290 GB

    Cluster size = 4 KB

    Used space = 230 GB

    Free space = 60.14 GB

    Percent free space = 20 %

    Volume fragmentation

    Total fragmentation = 31 %

    File fragmentation = 63 %

    Free space fragmentation = 0 %

    File fragmentation

    Total files = 743

    Average file size = 322 MB

    Total fragmented files = 11

    Total excess fragments = 64

    Average fragments per file = 1.08

    Pagefile fragmentation

    Pagefile size = 0 bytes

    Total fragments = 0

    Folder fragmentation

    Total folders = 33

    Fragmented folders = 1

    Excess folder fragments = 0

    Master File Table (MFT) fragmentation

    Total MFT size = 9 MB

    MFT record count = 791

    Percent MFT in use = 8 %

    Total MFT fragments = 2

    ----

    I stopped SQL Server and ran defrag on both disks. On the L drive it ran about 10sec. Almost nothing changed on the fragmentation report. I ran it on the P drive and it ran for about 15min but didn't seem to do much.

    I'm having a trouble understanding specifically what these frag reports are telling me and why the defrags are not really doing anything.

    Anybody have a good handle on this?

    Thanks,

    Rob

  • Actually what I use to keep my database files defragged is the CONTIG utility from Microsoft Sysinternals, a free utility available in the file and disk utilities section of this website:

    http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx

  • It is possible that there wasn't sufficient free space to make a big difference in the fragmentation, or that the SAN somehow interferes.

    Which product did you use? The built in one?

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