Instances vs. Virtual Servers and Licensing

  • Couple of questions . . .

    We are looking at making some changes in our SQL Server environment.  One of the things we are discussing is starting to use Named Instances and/or Virtual Servers.  No one here knows a lot about either one so we are learning but I saw that with an Enterprise Edition Server license, you can put multiple instances on the same server without having to buy a new license for each instance.  My question is, if we installed SQL Server on multiple Virtual Servers (on the same physical server) do we have to buy a license for each Virtual Server?

    When using multiple named instances on a server, how does the memory get allocated?  Is it best to manually manage the memory or is SQL smart enough to manage it across multiple instances?

    Finally, a little different question.  Since we do not currently use named instances, all of our references to SQL Server is simply the default, or server, name.  We are curious how you reference named instances in things such as .NET applications and ODBC connections, etc.

    For example, say I have a server called MySQLServer.  On this server we have a default instance and one named instance called MySQLServer[Instance1].  How do we reference the instance?

    Thanks for your help.

    hawg

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  • Are you talking (when you say Virtual Servers) about something like VMWare or Clustering? If not, and you are running SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition, you can run multiple instances with the same Enterprise Edition license. If you were running VMWare (seperate windows Virtual servers running on the same machine) I pretty sure that you would have to license Multiple copies of SQL Server (and Windows as well). If you are running on a cluster, You license based on if the Cluster is Active/Active, Active/Passive, etc. For the best explanation, check out the licensing whitepaper - http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/sqlserverlicensing.asp.

    Regarding referencing named instances, you just specify servername\instancename (ie. Server1\instance1, Server1\instance2, etc.). The default instance (what you are probably already used to) is just referenced by servername (Server1). You don't have to install a default instance on SQL Server 2000 if you don't want to, they can all be named instances (But you can only have one default instance per server).

    BTW. Did you go to Fayetteville?

    Chris Moix, class of '92.

  • Better example, using your servername:

     

    Default Instance     -     MySQLServer

    Named Instance      -     MySQLServer\instance1 (files will be under the C:\Program files\...\MySQLServer$instance1 directory)

  • You could create server alias name to like be a defualt instance for your named instance using client network utility.

    In terms of memorty configuration, it really depends on how much physical memory, how many instancs, how large databases in the instance and whether you are going to run SQL Serevr in virtaul servers or clustered servers.

  • Is the option for Instances available on the SQL 2000 Standard Edition as well?

    If so is this option only available at instalation of SQL Server?

     

    TIA,

    Scott

  • You can install another instance of Standard Edition on the same physical server (not in a cluster - that requires Enterprise Edition). With Standard Edition you have to pay for another license, though. With Enterprise, you aer already licensed to run two or more instances on the ame physical server.

  • Chris, before looking in to this I had only managed to find third party articles that specify the licensing difference with instance installation on Standard and Enterprise, however I have finally found the MS article!!:

    Look at the second feature from the bottom "Web and Application Hosting" and the small print at the bottom.

    http://www.microsoft.com/sql/evaluation/features/choosing.asp

    Also Hawg this is a pretty good explanation behind instances aswell:

    http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/architec/8_ar_cs_9i5u.asp

    ll

     

     

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