SQL hardware advice

[MacolaHelp]

You've all read the hdwe reqs doc, I assume. Do you agree/disagree on the raid 1 (mirrored 2 drive config for OS & apps) and raid 5 (min 3 disks) config for the databases? If you have a small site, do you opt instead for a raid 5 w/ a large c partition for OS & apps & a D/E drive for the remainder for the databases? How many users/transactions are appropriate for this config? And then, what if they want this server to be the active directory, print & file server as well? What performance decreases are we talking about (I know indelibly what happens if they do this to a pervasive server)? This would be relevant to macola users in the 5-15 user range, but perhaps double that number of users for active directory, etc. Note: exchange, that beast, would NOT run on this server. This would be a win2003 server running SQL 2000, major macola dbs are 1-4 gig presently. Your advice is eagerly awaited.

 

[grossow]

The hardware docs are ok and they are a good starting point. I usually base requirements per individual site. For smaller sites I usually suggest a single RAID5 setup with 3 disks. I do suggest 15k drives if money is not an issue. I view a smaller site to be 5-10 users. Over 15 users, I suggest a split backplane RAID1/RAID5. Over 40 users I would use an applications server for the Macapps directory. As for partitions, it always seems as though the system partition is running out of space. Make sure they are large enough. In a single RAID 5 environment I would use a single partition. In a split environment I would make the whole Mirror a single partition. Using the server for file/print sharing does not degrade performance that much in a small environment. I do insist on brand name servers. I can not tell you how many times I have got a clone box from the local "expert" and had issues. Usually the issues are from hardware incompatibility. You will get blamed for the poor Macola performance, when it is the hardware. Dell/CompaqHP/IBM have tested their hardware, you will have much better luck.

 

[dbjunkie]

You could use this "put all your eggs in one basket" approach for a site with a small number of users. However if you ever had problems your whole network could be affected. I'm a strong proponent of using dedicated hardware for specific tasks or services. We operate a site similar to the size you are asking about. Average 20 Macola users and 50 active directory users. I use a dedicated server for the active directory and DNS services and a different server for file/print services as well as acting as the backup DNS/active directory. We run Macola on a seperate sever(along with some smaller apps) and SQL on different dedicated box. We have a slpit backplane on the SQL box running RAID 1/RAID 5. Granted we are also hosting some other nonMacola databases on this server as well. We have been running this configuration for alittle over a year now and has been very reliable and stable for us. Microsoft products all seem to play better together when they have their own hardware. Plus if you have an issue with a server it is unlikely that all your network services would be unavailable to your users.