Please start any new threads on our new
site at https://forums.sqlteam.com. We've got lots of great SQL Server
experts to answer whatever question you can come up with.
| Author |
Topic |
|
dupati1
Posting Yak Master
123 Posts |
 Posted - 2004-10-15 : 16:03:44
|
| Hi Guys,We are going to buy a new SQL SERVER 2000 in your company and i am not sure of what specifications are the best for the computer to place this SQL server on.We have huge data and lot of transactions going on everyday.We are cell phone company. We have 100000 customers. That may not be many but the thing is that we have to have the data for all the months for each customers so that we can run various reports both to get the historical data and the present data.I am planning to use ASP.Net front end and this is only for INTRANET purposes. SO i think there can only be 50 employees doing reports simultaneously.Our wallet is not that big but we are looking for optimum solution, but our preference is faster reporting services.So what would be the best specifications?? Should i have a Xeon Dual Processor?? What raid system should i use??Please provide some information.Thanks |
|
|
eyechart
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
3575 Posts |
Posted - 2004-10-15 : 17:08:05
|
| wow, where to start.1. dual CPU is appropriate.2. Use RAID 1 for your system (boot) drives, RAID 1 for your database log drive, RAID 10 for your database data drives. Try to avoid using RAID 5 if at all possible.3. Try to have a separate set of drives for you backup destination, do not send your backups to the same drive as your database datafiles or logfiles.4. Put the best RAID controller you can in the system, use battery backed write cache if you are going to use write cache (recommended) or no write cache if there is not a battery.5. Don't skimp on the RAM, be able to allocate atleast 2GB RAM to the database (especially if this is a BI or DSS type system). This means putting 4GB or so into the box. 6. Use the enterprise edition of SQL Server if possible (budget), and the Advanced version of Windows 2k or 2k3 (2k3 preferred). This way you can use the /3gb switch and use up to 3GB RAM for SQL Server. If you need more RAM than that, I would consider going 64bit, but that is a solution that will cost you considerably more.Many people use a HP/Compaq DL380 dual cpu box for a database server. You can pop 6 drives in the thing and it works pretty well and is inexpensive. Decently configured it should cost your 6-7K.Later you can add an external drive enclosure for more spindles if necessary, or use one of HP/Compaq's small SANs like the MSA1000.-ec |
 |
|
|
Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2004-10-16 : 02:59:02
|
| "We are going to buy a new SQL SERVER 2000 in your company"That's fantastic. I'll have the one with the AWE memory and lots of processors, memory and disks please. And a 64ibt Data Centre licence ... Thanks!I concur with eyechart - although hardware spec. is not my strong suit, but a couple of observations:Is Dual CPU enough chaps?Why Enterprise Edition? Doesn't that just get Log shipping rather than any useful performance stuff? (Is there something special in there for horizontally partitioned views - dupati1 might need that for monthly data partitioning - indexes on something or other, I forget ...).What sort of redundancy do you need? Can you live with downtime if it fails, or do you need standby server?What about Development and Test machines? For mission critical work the Test box should be identical to the Productton box - "you don't want to test no stinking hybrid" as my folks pride themselves in mimicing me saying ...Backup - how will you back this blighter up? Make sure you have enough disk space to store the backup files online, and then backup to tape etc. from there. (2 days backup file capacity at least, and at full-expected-database size) [Concensus view on SQLTeam is that backing up the database DIRECT to Tape is a Bad Idea]Kristen |
|
|
|
dupati1
Posting Yak Master
123 Posts |
Posted - 2004-10-18 : 17:02:38
|
| Thank you so much for the information guys.dupati1 |
|
|
|
MuadDBA
628 Posts |
Posted - 2004-10-19 : 13:08:46
|
| EE gets you a little more than Log Shipping.It allows for running on a cluster.It allows you to add instances without licensing them each individually.It runs the special, secure version of SQL Server that's uncrackable and has no bugs.Okay, that last one was a joke, but really, there are other advantages to EE over standard. |
|
|
|
Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2004-10-19 : 14:21:35
|
| "there are other advantages to EE over standard"I like the no-bugs and pigs-fed-and-ready-to-fly versions ... but I'm still not sure that EE has anything useful to dupati1 - until someone tells me otherwiseKristen |
|
|
|
eyechart
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
3575 Posts |
Posted - 2004-10-19 : 18:09:57
|
| EE edition can address more memory, although you are limited with the 32bit edition with using the /3GB switch or /PAE switch in boot.ini. If you are licensed for EE edition, you are licensed for 64bit as well. Of course, you would have to purchase 64bit hardware to use it.The main thing is the clustering support in EE (actually support for Microsoft cluster services), but it also supports more CPUs, although Standard supports up to 4. The log shipping wizard is nice, but you can accomplish similar things in Standard edition, although maybe not as easily. There are also some differences in how the CBO works, as I recall an indexed view is automatically considered in EE. In other editions, the indexed view is consided only with a hint.btw, I have seen people cluster standard edition using veritas cluster services. Apparently it works quite well, so that might be an option for someone who needs an HA environment but doesn't have the budget.-ec |
|
|
|
Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2004-10-20 : 01:03:36
|
| "as I recall an indexed view is automatically considered in EE"That's the baby I was thinking of!IMHO if you need 3GB of RAM, or more, you either have a very serious database, or one in dire need to optimisation. For the first you have a 6 digit budget so the cost of EE is not a problem. For the second there's SQL Team ... or employing me ... if I start asking more questions than I answer on here you'll all know I got the job!Kristen |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SQL Server + Computer Specs