CONSOLIDATING MULTIPLE SQL SERVER™ SYSTEMS ONTO DELL™ POWEREDGE™ R610 SERVERS USING MICROSOFT’S HYPER-V™ A Principled Technologies report commissioned by Dell
Table of contents Table of contents .......................................................... 2 Introduction ................................................................. 3 Virtualization and consolidation overview ........................ 3 What is virtualization? How can I use it to consolidate, and what are the benefits? .................................................. 3 Why consolidate? ......................................................... 4 Hyper-V overview ..................................
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Introduction Virtualization and consolidation overview Dell PowerEdge R610 This Guide provides concepts and procedures that will help you successfully consolidate your Microsoft® SQL Server® instances from multiple machines onto a single Windows Server® 2008 system using Microsoft’s Hyper-V™. In this Guide, we use the Dell™ PowerEdge™ R610 as the target server.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Generally speaking, consolidation refers to the process of combining multiple things to make a single, more effective unit. In this Guide, we discuss combining the concepts of virtualization and consolidation to achieve your overall goals. In an IT context, you can consolidate several types of things, including the following: Physical servers.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V are the other significant cost savings that fewer servers mean over time, such as fewer hardware replacement purchases as these consolidated servers age out. In other words, your future purchase growth rate may decrease. Other potential hardware cost savings areas include racks and network switches; as the number of servers decreases, these costs decrease as well. Software license savings.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V In our previous Guide, “Consolidating SQL Server databases from Dell PowerEdge 2650 servers to a Dell PowerEdge 2950 server” http://www.principledtechnologies.com/Clients/Reports/Dell/Consol idating_2650_to_2950.pdf, we determined that, without virtualization, we could successfully consolidate 10 identical workloads onto a PowerEdge 2950 with a PowerVault MD1000 storage array.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Non-consolidated environment Consolidated Hyper-V environment Description 10 two-socket dual-core servers, each running SQL Server Enterprise 1 two-socket quad-core server, running Hyper-V and SQL Server Enterprise; assumes licenses for 2 physical processors Cost 2 sockets x $25,000 perprocessor retail Enterprise license x 10 servers = $500,000 in SQL Server licensing; $50,000 per SQL instance 2 sock
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Maintenance and staff savings. A consolidated and virtualized infrastructure offers many opportunities for staffing, support, and maintenance cost savings. Less hardware and associated equipment means fewer servers that require security patches and monitoring. Reduced staffing requirements.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Sizing and baseline performance. Sizing is one key to a successful consolidation. The process of sizing involves gathering different performance baselines so you have at least an approximate set of requirements the new consolidated servers must meet.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V • • • • • More processing power per core. While clock speeds have not changed dramatically, processors have undergone a generational shift. Industry-standard benchmarks, such as SPECint, show today’s processors are much faster than their counterparts of three to five years ago. 64-bit address space. Five years ago, many processors did not support 64-bit addressing.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V • Hardware-assisted virtualization, such as Intel-VT. Figure 4 shows the virtualization feature enabled on our PowerEdge R610. Figure 4. Example BIOS configuration for the PowerEdge R610 showing virtualization technology enabled. Features of Hyper-V Below, we list some of Hyper-V’s noteworthy features. • • High availability and quick migration.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V • Linux support. As of this writing, Hyper-V supports SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as a guest OS. You can find more information on supported guest operating systems here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/hyper v-supported-guest-os.aspx.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Figure 5. CPU settings for a sample virtual machine in Hyper-V Manager. Monitoring and tuning Hyper-V When you install the Hyper-V role in Windows Server 2008, the installation automatically creates Hyper-V-specific performance counters at the same time. You can use these performance monitor counters to monitor your VM resource utilization and then adjust your resource controls as necessary.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V NOTE: The number of virtual processors is the sum of the numbers of virtual processors you have allotted to all currently running VMs. The number often exceeds the number of logical processors.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Getting ready Getting Ready Preparing your server Creating Virtual Machines Moving databases to Virtual Machines Evaluating your servers for virtualization and consolidation You must be aware of many specific details related to each physical server you target for consolidation, including the maintenance window in which you migrate the server to a virtual environment, the users the move affects, and the
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V identify potential problems before you move to a Hyper-V based solution. Second, you can use the information you gather to map out your resource allocation needs, which you can then use to configure your Hyper-V virtual machine memory and CPU settings. Poor candidates for consolidation Not every database is a good candidate for consolidation.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V may find that OLTP performance suffers when bulk data loading or report generation occurs against your data warehouse databases.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Preparing your server Getting Ready Preparing your server Moving databases to Virtual Machines Creating Virtual Machines Defining our environment We used a Windows domain containing a Windows Server 2008 server running the Hyper-V role and an Active Directory® server.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Figures 7 and 8 present the hardware and software we used to simulate an Active Directory domain and Hyper-V consolidation server. Server Processor Memory Disk drives Dell PowerEdge 1950 (Active Directory server) 2 x Quad-Core E5440 Intel Xeon® (2.83 GHz) 16 GB 2 x SAS, 15K RPM, 146 GB Dell PowerEdge R610 (Hyper-V consolidation server) 2 x Quad-Core E5520 Intel Xeon (2.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Configuring the physical RAID disk layout Overview Following Microsoft’s recommended best practices, we planned to separate our virtualized disk activity, just as we would with a physical machine. However, although we created separate virtual disks for each activity type, we let the EqualLogic PS5000 SAN manage the actual layout of the storage.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V User database files These data files contain the data and objects for each user-defined database. Their contents include database objects that you can define, such as tables, indexes, and stored procedures. When possible, group files with similar I/O characteristics. For example, consolidate all logs.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V External disk drives The two EqualLogic PS 5000 arrays contained a total of 32 drives. We configured the two arrays as a single RAID 10 volume. Thus, as we created the VHDs, we let the EqualLogic SAN manage the storage.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Figure 10. Windows Server 2008 installation progress. 3. Set your password; enter configuration information, including the IP addresses and domain information; and reboot the system. (3 minutes) 4. Download and install updates (see Figure 11). It is critical at this point that you download and install the update related to Knowledge Base article KB950050, which updates Hyper-V.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Figure 11. Installing Windows Server 2008 updates. 5. Reboot after the update installation completes. (5 minutes) Configuring the EqualLogic storage This section provides an overview of the EqualLogic configuration process on the Dell PowerEdge R610. We include approximate wait times for each step. (Appendix C provides complete, detailed installation instructions.) 1.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Figure 12. Starting the EqualLogic Remote Setup Wizard. 3. Reboot after the update installation completes. (5 minutes) 4. Start the Windows iSCSI Initiator, and configure the Windows Firewall to allow iSCSI traffic. 5. Configure the first array, and create a group for your storage (see Figure 13). Figure 13. Creating a group.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V 6. Configure the second array. 7. Use the Group Manager GUI to create the volume (see Figure 14). Figure 14. Creating the volume. 8. Use the Windows iSCSI Initiator to log onto the storage. Configuring the physical system drives The next step is to configure the new drive in your physical server (see Figure 15 for the configuration of the physical disks). Physical disk Drive location Raid level No.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V To format the new drive, you will use the Disk Management utility that is part of the Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition Administrative Tools. The EqualLogic storage will appear to be a single disk to Windows. Format the new volume as NTFS. In previous guides, we recommended that you choose a 64KB allocation unit size for your drive, as Microsoft recommends.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Figure 16. Installing the Hyper-V role in Windows Server 2008. Summing up As this Guide has explained, the process of preparing your Windows Server 2008 server and installing Hyper-V for a virtual SQL Server environment on a Dell PowerEdge Server is relatively straightforward; you can perform a basic installation and set up the Hyper-V role in under a few hours.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Appendix A. Example server and database consolidation survey In this appendix, we give an example survey of detailed information you may want to gather about the SQL Server instances and databases you are targeting for consolidation. While this survey is a good starting point, it may not contain every relevant detail for your particular environment. 1. Hardware level a. CPU i. Vendor ii. Model iii.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V 4. 5. 6. 7. g. Are there any non-default master or model database objects? h. Are there any linked server objects? i. Are other SQL modules involved or dependent on this instance (e.g., Analysis Services, Reporting Services, etc.)? j. Default installation directories, data directories, and log directories k. Tempdb – Is it highly volatile? Slightly volatile? Medium usage? Database level a.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Appendix B. Installing Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition as the host OS Creating the RAID group for the host OS Allow at least 16 minutes to complete the creation of the RAID groups on the PowerEdge R610. 1. Turn on the server. 2. During the boot sequence, the message Press to Run Configuration Utility appears. Press . NOTE: You have only a few seconds to do this. 3.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V To complete the installation of Windows Server 2008, allow at least 75 minutes. 1. Insert the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition DVD into the DVD drive, and reboot the system. 2. Once the boot process begins, press F2 to enter setup. 3. In setup, scroll down to CPU Information, and press Enter. 4. Enable Virtualization Technology, if necessary. 5.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V 17.At the Your password has been changed prompt, click OK. Windows then prepares the desktop. (less than 1 minute) 18.Set the time zone. 19.Close the initial tasks dialog. Windows will not recognize the integrated Broadcom NICs or the chipset until we install the drivers. 20.Insert the Dell Resource CD version OM 6.0.1. Click AutoRun if it does not automatically start. 21.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V 39.Accept the default location for unzipping the files, and click Unzip. 40.Click OK to acknowledge that the files unzipped successfully. 41.Click Close. 42.Run the setup application in C:\broadcom\Driver_Management_Apps_Installer 43.At the welcome screen, click Next. 44.Accept the license agreement. 45.On the Custom Setup screen, accept the default by clicking Next. 46.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V 7. Type the IP address you want the server to have, the Subnet mask, and the Preferred DNS server, and click OK. 8. Close the Network Connections window. 9. From the Start menu, right-click Computer, select Properties, and then select Advanced system settings. 10.Select the Computer Name tab. 11.Click Change. 12.Enter the server name. 13.Click the Member of Domain radio button. 14.Enter the domain name. 15.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Appendix C. Configuring EqualLogic PS5000 storage Cabling and storage Allow at least 5 minutes to connect the two EqualLogic PS5000 arrays to the PowerEdge R610. 1. Connect an Ethernet cable from one of the NIC ports on the PowerEdge R610 to a GB switch. 2. For each of the EqualLogic PS5000V shelves, connect the port labeled Ethernet 0 to the switch.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V 9. Click the Start button, then choose Administrative ToolsÆWindows Firewall with Advanced Security. 10.In the left panel, click Inbound Rules. 11.In the center panel, labeled Inbound Rules, rightclick iSCSI Service (TCP-In), and choose Enable Rule. 12.In the center panel, labeled Outbound Rules, right-click iSCSI Service (TCP-In), and choose Enable Rule. 13.Close the Windows Firewall dialog. 14.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V Credentials and CHAP credentials as appropriate for your installation. Click Next. (5 minutes) 5. When you see a message saying that the initialization has succeeded, click Next. 6. Select the remaining array, and click Next. 7. Enter the Member Name, IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway as appropriate for your installation. Select Join an existing group. Click Next. 8.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V NOTE: If you accept the default of 100 percent for the Snapshot reserve, the maximum size of the volume will be 914 GB. You can increase the size available by reducing the percentage reserved for snapshots or by formatting your volume as RAID 50. (Using RAID 50 increases the available space, but can affect performance.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V 32.The status will change to Unknown, GB, Not Initialized. Right-click the description again, and select Initialize Disk. 33.On the Initialize Disk screen, accept the default of MBR (Master Boot Record), and select OK. 34.The status will change to Unknown, GB, Online. Right-click the white rectangle that says 914.00GB Unallocated. Select New Simple Volume. 35.
Consolidating multiple SQL Server systems onto Dell PowerEdge R610 Servers using Microsoft’s Hyper-V About Principled Technologies We provide industry-leading technology assessment and fact-based marketing services. We bring to every assignment extensive experience with and expertise in all aspects of technology testing and analysis, from researching new technologies, to developing new methodologies, to testing with existing and new tools.
