SQL Server Performance Forum – Threads Archive

Disk Drive Hardware config

Hello, I know many of you are at the PASS this week (sad I could not make it), but if there is anyone else out there that can help this week, I would really appreciate it! I am proposing a new production dedicated SQL server with two additional load balancing servers for Cognos processing. Also, we don’t have a cluster, so one of these load balancing servers is my backup in case the dedicated SQL server goes down, I will restore the DB. Downtime is an expected 2-3 hours, however this has never happened. Anyway, my question is as follows. I am proposing the following disk drive configuration that I learned was best practice in a recent seminar on SQL perf. tuning. My question is do I need this disk drive config for all 3 production servers, 2 of the production servers, or only the dedicated SQL server? Is it okay to just have for my main SQL server, and just have a few large drives on my load balancing servers. I am asking because what-if my dedicated SQL server goes down and I have to restore and temporarily use the backup server to house the SQL DB? Is it okay for this backup server not to have the same drive configuration? Will it mess up the recovery of the DB if the backup server does not have the log, tempDB, .mdf, and SQL install directory separated on different drives. Does anyone see an issue with this? Thanks! Dedicated Production SQL Server Disk Drive Configuration:
ID Function Volume Disks Raid
1 Windows 2K 0 2 1 (internal)
2 SQL 1 2 1 (Internal)
3 TempDB 2 2 1 (Internal)
4 File Group 1(.mdf) 3 5 5 (External Chassis)
5 File Group 2(.mdf) 4 5 5 (External Chassis)
6 T-Log (.ldf) 5 2 1 (External Chassis)

Sorry, but my formatting did not go through in the post. here is the drive config: Dedicated Production SQL Server Disk Drive Configuration: ID—-Function————–Volume—–Disks—Raid
1—–Windows 2K————–0———-2——-1 (internal)
2—–SQL———————1———-2——-1 (Internal)
3—–TempDB——————2———-2——-1 (Internal)
4—–File Group 1(.mdf)——3———-5——-5 (External Chassis)
5—–File Group 2(.mdf)——4———-5——-5 (External Chassis)
6—–T-Log (.ldf)————5———-2——-1 (External Chassis)

the OS & SQL program files (& page file) should be zero load on a dedicated SQL Server system.
if your external chassis will hold 14 drives, consider moving 2 of the internal drives to the external unit for more general use. i would put OS, SQL program, & page on one partition of 2 drives in RAID 1 (8-16GB), making the rest of the drive available for a load (tempdb, etc). then all 16 drives are available for load distribution.

PASS is far away from home, so this post is only to support Joe idea. Luis Martin
Moderator
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