Hardware Sizing | SQL Server Performance Forums

SQL Server Performance Forum – Threads Archive

Hardware Sizing

I am currently working on a project to implement Microsoft’s Great Plains software
with SQL Server 2000 Ent. Ed. and Windows 2000 Adv. Server I have purchased the following server:
IBM X365 with 4 XEON 2.2GHZ processors
8 GB RAM
12 X 73GB drives UltraSCSI3
dual Gigabit NIC’s
SCSIRAID6M controller (2 channel, 320 MB per sec tranfer rate)
PCI SCSI system bus is 133mhz My question is the application will be supporting between 60-80 users with a DB size of approx. 100GB and the consultants we are using for the implementation are saying that this server will not cut it. Their concerns are that the server can’t scale beyond 4 CPU’s and that the SCSI controller is only a 2-channel vs 4-channel. My argument is that the 4-channel SCSI offered by IBM is half the speed (160 MBps) and connects to a SCSI system bus that is only 33mhz vs. 133mhz. Any comments would be appreciated. GWR
scaling beyond 4P is not guaranteed even if you buy a more expensive system.
ask to see quantitative performance data on GPS pertaining to scaling over 4P,
too many consultants talk big iron without data to back it up.
check for my presentation at SQL Connections, brad should post it soon if you need more disks or SCSI controllers, you can always buy it,
thats why the IBM x365 has several PCI-X slots

I have the IBM x365’s as one my mainline server types. That’s a big line of sales they need to backup with data like Joe said. I have the same RAID controller you’re talking about buying (the one that ships with it is junk). Our performance on these machines has been great. We have database around the same size, with more connections. In addition, we’re running multiple instances of SQL Server on them. MeanOldDBA
[email protected] When life gives you a lemon, fire the DBA.
]]>