While I have always known that the Windows operating system Power Plan options affect a server’s performance, I had not realized how much until SQL Server MVP Glenn Berry (Blog | Twitter) suggested I try out my new Dell T610 test servers under the three available power savings plans:
Back in 2008, I wrote a blog post about version 1 of the Performance Analysis of Logs (PAL) tool. This free tool, available from pal.codeplex.com, has been enhanced, and Version 2.0, Beta 1.1, is currently available for download. I have just downloaded and installed it myself, although I haven’t had much chance to use it yet. When I have time, I will write a review of the new version. In the meantime, I recommend you download it and give it a try. It’s a great tool for analyzing Performance Monitor Logs, and it is also a great source for determining which Performance Monitor counters, and thresholds, should be used when analyzing SQL Server’s performance.
I’m thinking about setting up a SQL Server test box in my home office for doing some extensive, real-world SQL Server performance testing. So far, here is what I am thinking about getting:
–Because I have limited space, the test box will need to be a tower. I will also be limited to one physical test box because of a lack of room (and budget).
–CPU: 2 sockets with a total of at least 8 cores. Haven’t decided on the specific chips yet.
–RAM: At least 36GB. I want to have the ability to set up multiple virtual servers in the test box.
–RAID Controller: Must support RAID 1, 5, & 10, and any mixture of these RAID levels.
–Drives: I am looking at getting 8-16, 15K SAS drives, with a minimum capacity of 450GB each. The number of drives will depend on what I can fit into my budget, and how many can fit in a tower.
I am still very much in the research stage, so my question to you is, if you could spec out your own SQL Server home test system, and you had $10,000 to spend, what you buy, and why?
PS: If you are a hardware vendor and would be interesting in letting me borrow such a test box from you for the next year or so, I would be very interested in talking with you. 🙂
Blogs are a great way to learn new things about SQL Server, and just in case you have missed them, I want to recommend the following two blog series that I feel every DBA should read.
This is an excerpt from my free eBook, Brad’s Sure Guide to SQL Server 2008.
There is one thing every DBA knows with certainty, and that is that databases grow with time. MDFs grow, backups grow, and it never stops. The more data we have, the more work SQL Server has to perform in order to deal with it all; whether it’s executing a query on a table with 10 million rows, or backing up a 5 TB database. Whether we like it or not, we are fighting a losing battle, and DBA’s can’t reverse the information explosion. Or can we?
This is an excerpt from my free eBook, Brad’s Sure Guide to SQL Server 2008.
I think most of us are familiar with this situation: a SQL Server database is the backend of an OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) application, but you are required to allow users to run any reports they want on the production data, any time they want. This often results in long-running reports that negatively affect OLTP performance. Haven’t you ever wished you could limit the amount of hardware resources allocated to reporting, so that normal production activity is not affected?
Brad M McGehee 