SQL Server 2012: Evaluating and Sizing Hardware
Learn how to correctly choose server hardware for SQL Server 2012, including workload evaluation, SQL Server 2012 Edition hardware limits and licensing costs, processor and storage choice, and redundancy components and effects. This course is applicable to anyone who is purchasing hardware for SQL Server for the first time and wants to avoid the common mistakes and pitfalls that are made so often.
What you'll learn
How do you choose a processor? Which Edition of SQL Server 2012 should you select? How do you choose a RAID level for the SQL Server storage? How do you compare processor performance using benchmarks? This course answers all these questions and more. The course begins by explaining why it is so important to choose server hardware for SQL Server 2012 correctly, and then explains how to categorize your workload and the hardware requirements of the common SQL Server workloads. It then explains how to choose a processor based on your server configuration, as well as how to compare the performance of processors, as well as the various SQL Server 2012 Editions and their license limits. Next it explains the various storage types, RAID levels, and how to test the performance of your storage, along with comparing overall server performance and considerations around the amount of memory to use. Finally it discusses the effects on hardware choice of high-availability and disaster-recovery strategies, along with hot-swappable components to increase uptime. This course is perfect for anyone who is purchasing hardware for SQL Server for the first time and needs guidance on how to properly make decisions to get the return on investment from SQL Server 2012 license costs and server hardware and storage costs.
Table of contents
- Introduction 2m
- Why Hardware Selection is So Important 1m
- The Importance of Processor Selection 2m
- Main SQL Server 2012 Editions 2m
- Additional SQL Server 2012 Editions 1m
- Licensing Costs for SQL Server 1m
- Choosing an Appropriate Storage Type 2m
- The Importanace of Proper Selection and Sizing 2m
- Hardware and Storage Sizing Techniques 2m
- Selecting Components for Redundancy 1m
- Summary 1m
- Course Structure 1m
- Introduction 1m
- SQL Server Workload Types 1m
- OLTP Workloads 1m
- DW/DSS Workloads 1m
- OLAP Workloads 1m
- Mixed Workloads 2m
- Database Maintenance Workloads 1m
- Database Backup Workloads 1m
- Database Restore Workloads 1m
- Effects of HA/DR Technology on Workload 1m
- Workload Size and Intensity 1m
- Summary 1m
- What is Next? 1m
- Introduction 1m
- Workload Type and Size Considerations 1m
- Determining Your Server Form Factor 2m
- Overall Budget Considerations 1m
- SQL Server 2012 Licensing Considerations 1m
- The Importance of Single-Threaded Performance 1m
- The Importance of Total Core Counts 1m
- Intel or AMD Processors? 2m
- Intel Tick Tock Release Strategy 1m
- Current Intel Server Processor Series 2m
- Recommended Intel Two-Socket Processors 2m
- Recommended Intel Four-Socket Processors 2m
- TPC-E Benchmark Introduction 1m
- Using TPC-E Benchmarks to Evaluate Processors 1m
- TPC-E Score Analysis Examples 3m
- Geekbench Benchmark Introduction 1m
- Using Geekbench to Compare Processors 1m
- Selected Geekbench Scores 1m
- Processor Power Efficiency Considerations 2m
- Summary 1m
- What is Next? 1m
- Introduction 1m
- Licensing Costs for SQL Server 2012 1m
- SQL Server 2012 Standard Edition 2m
- SQL Server 2012 Business Intelligence Edition 2m
- SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition 1m
- SQL Server 2012 Developer Edition 1m
- Additional SQL Server 2012 Editions 1m
- SQL Server 2012 Virtualization Licensing 1m
- Summary 1m
- What is Next? 1m
- Introduction 1m
- Considering Your Wokload for Storage 1m
- Additional Workload Considerations 1m
- Choosing the Storage Type for SQL Server 2m
- RAID Basics 1m
- RAID 1 1m
- RAID 5 1m
- RAID 50 1m
- RAID 10 1m
- Raid Level and SQL Server Workloads 1m
- Testing Your Logical Drive Performance 1m
- CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 2m
- SQLIO Disk Benchmark 1m
- Magnetic Storage vs. Flash-Based Storage 2m
- PCI-E Numbers to Know 2m
- Traditional Magnetic Drive Performance 1m
- Consumer Flash Drive Performance 1m
- Storage Sizing Techniques for Performance 2m
- Summary 1m
- What is Next? 1m
- Introduction 1m
- Comparing Servers Using TPC-E 1m
- Comparing Servers Using TPC-H 2m
- Comparing Servers Using Geekbench 2m
- Adjusting Benchmark Scores for Different Processors 2m
- Processor Adjustment Techniques 2m
- Deciding How Much Physical Memory to Buy 2m
- How Much Memory Do You Really Need? 1m
- Disadvantages of Large Amounts of RAM 2m
- Comparing Storage Subsystems using Disk Benchmarks 3m
- Summary 1m
- What is Next? 1m
- Introduction 1m
- Choosing Components for Hardware Redundancy 1m
- The Importance of Redundant Components for HA 1m
- Reliability, Availability and Servicing Features 1m
- Architectural Considerations for HA/DR 1m
- HA/DR Architecture and Your Storage Choices 1m
- Other HA/DR Effects on Hardware Configuration 2m
- Consider All Aspects of Reliability 2m
- Course Summary 1m
About the author
Glenn works as a Principal Consultant at SQLskills.com. He has been a SQL Server MVP since 2007, and he has a whole collection of Microsoft certifications, including MCITP, MCDBA, MCSE, MCSD, MCAD, and MCTS, which proves that he likes to take tests. His expertise includes DMVs, high availability, hardware selection, and performance tuning. He is also an Adjunct Faculty member at University College - University of Denver, where has been teaching since 2000. He has completed the Master Teacher P... more