I caution against using SMSQL for...

I suffer from a medical condition called TFOCD - Technical Forum Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It makes me believe that every forum question MUST have an answer.

It's hard to...

Ha! That's too funny - I didn't even notice. My bad.

I don't have the output for those in front of me but have you compared it to xp_msver?

I've posted my blog. I hope it helps. To summarize:

1. Management Console too slow when more than 20 servers are registered. Your mileage may vary

2. Random, reoccurring errrors add huge...

I've written a few articles at MSSQLTips concerning implementing SMSQL and also testing backup times with snaps and streaming backups. http://www.mssqltips.com/author.asp?authorid=55.

We implemented SMSQL on a grand scale...

Anthony McBroom (6/22/2011)

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Fantastic article! I to have just made the conversion to a fully virtual environment, and had the same anxiety that you faced. I have not had to change...

AllyAnneA (6/17/2011)

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Great article and discussion!

We've converted most of our SQL servers to VMware (NetApp back-end) for many reasons... Data center space, energy consumption, replace aging hardware, etc. I'm...

bstephens,

You're right. Our LUN configurations have been the greatest source of pain for us but our LUN configuration pain has been due to our implementation of SnapManager for SQL Server...

Shawn,

VMWare does support clustering if using RDM (raw device mappings). Clustering is not supported on VMFS. This a moot point though because I wouldn't recommend clustering on VM. VMWare...

Foxxo,

I agree it can seem like a loss for the DBA but don't underestimate the provisioning aspect. Think about it - you no longer have to worry about initial sizing...

Henry,

Absolutely! VM benefits storage and server teams but, most of all, it benefits the CIO, the COO, and the CEO. Since we DBAs are along for the ride I...

Mark,

Thanks for the positive words. VM changes everything - especially for the DBA. It changes how we think about managing databases. It changes how we support and configure them....

slaberer,

Be sure you are running the latest version of ESX. You should be running ESX 4+. VMWare made significant changes to the CPU Scheduler. http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/10059

Also, when...

Thayal,

I have articles at MSSQLTips related to SMSQL. Please let me know if you have any questions.

http://www.mssqltips.com/author.asp?authorid=55