What would you do?

Question

What would you do?

Beatrix Kiddo

SSC-Dedicated

Points: 32407
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May 15, 2013 at 8:22 am

#275245

Virtualisation again, sorry! I have done a search but this is more about how to handle a particular issue at work so I'm hoping some of you might have some advice please.
I need to move a particular (fairly critical) application off its ancient servers and onto something new and a bit more stable. The systems team is involved on the hardware side of things. The head of systems is absolutely mad for virtualising everything, and though he knows a lot about his subject I'm sure, he knows very little about the specific requirements of SQL Server.
The documentation produced by the software vendor specifically says (emphasis mine);
Virtualised servers can be used for the application and web tiers of the [product name]. For performance reasons it is highly recommended that database servers are not virtualised.
The head of systems says "Bah, we'll do it anyway", but he won't be the one supporting this critical database if it goes wrong. What would you do? Stick to your guns and insist that the database sits on a physical machine, or not?

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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jasona.work SSC Guru Points: 50117 More actions · Answer 1

Despite being something of a virtualization fanatic myself, if the application Vendor won't support their app if the SQL is virtualized, stick to your guns.

And get documentation from the vendor that states something like "If the SQL is virtualized, we won't support you until it's not virtualized."

😀

Otherwise, it becomes a "use your best judgement" and also "cover your a**" The first because you're the guy who's going to have to support the SQL side, the second so that if / when the head of systems gets the higher-ups to agree to virtualizing it, you've got documentation when people start complaining about performance later to show "I told you it would happen."

Jason

SQLRNNR SSC Guru Points: 281334 More actions · Answer 2

Beatrix Kiddo (5/15/2013)
The documentation produced by the software vendor specifically says (emphasis mine);
Virtualised servers can be used for the application and web tiers of the [product name]. For performance reasons it is highly recommended that database servers are not virtualised.

That document sounds like it was written 10 years ago when people didn't understand virtualization.

I support many high transaction as well as VLDBs that perform just as well in a VM as on a physical machine.

I have even had to take some very old servers that the application did not explicitly state one way or the other about virtualization but the app did not work on anything but SQL 2000. To keep that box working we had to virtualize it. We saw significant performance gains by doing that.

So my response to documentation like that would be a phone call to the vendor with questions about "why" they don't recommend it.

Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
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Lynn Pettis SSC Guru Points: 442467 More actions · Answer 3

If done right you shouldn't have problems. Do your research on how virtualization can be done, how MS recommends things to be done in a VM, how others have done it. Instead of just fighting it, work to come up with a solution that will work.

At a previous employer I was insistant that if we stayed with SQL Server 2005 that I wanted to keep the database servers physical, but if we moved to SQL Server 2008 I was good with putting them in a VM. We ended up with SQL Server 2008 on physical hardware because the network guys decided they didn't want to mess with setting up the VM the way MS recommended because of the extra work on their part (not that they would have to do it many times).

I work on VM's where I am now, they work just fine. The key here is to educate yourself and help make sure things get done the best way for SQL Server.

Beatrix Kiddo SSC-Dedicated Points: 32407 More actions · Answer 4

Hi all. Thanks for the advice. I definitely don't want to be unnecessarily obstructive, so I'll try to get the vendor to define their terms a bit more.

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 736183 More actions · Answer 5

Make sure they talk versions of software, including hypervisors. Some of the old ones had issues. I'd also ask them to talk about performance goals. Not virtualization, but in terms of CPU time, IOPS, memory they need from their testing. You can get all that working well in virtualized servers.