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Table of contents
Executive summary ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Overview .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Workload structure ................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Testing ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage subsystem components and features ................................................................................. 5
Hardware .................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Software ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 array capacity and sizing ............................................................................................................ 10
Capacity and sizing for HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture ...................................................................... 10
HP 3PAR StoreServ hardware sizing and configuration ................................................................................................. 11
Hardware configuration ............................................................................................................................................................. 12
Storage system physical view .............................................................................................................................................. 13
Host environment ................................................................................................................................................................... 13
HP 3PAR StoreServ software configuration .......................................................................................................................... 14
SQL Server 2012 deployment .................................................................................................................................................. 15
Database server instance and database deployment .................................................................................................... 15
Storage provisioning .............................................................................................................................................................. 16
Reference architecture testing ................................................................................................................................................. 18
Adaptive Optimization............................................................................................................................................................ 18
HP 3PAR Recovery Manager for SQL Server ..................................................................................................................... 21
Space reclamation .................................................................................................................................................................. 21
HP 3PAR StoreServ deployment settings and best practices ........................................................................................... 23
Front end port cabling ............................................................................................................................................................ 23
FC zoning................................................................................................................................................................................... 23
Common Provisioning Groups (CPGs) ................................................................................................................................ 23
Virtual Volumes (VVs) ............................................................................................................................................................. 24
Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Executive summary
High availability and high performance are key requirements for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP deployments since data access
is considered business-critical for many organizations. For example, storage response time is critical for the performance of
database transactions. Efficient storage is yet another key requirement as it reduces complexity in fast growing Microsoft
SQL Server environments and eliminates costs of unnecessary capacity. Furthermore, with the massive growth of data
management platforms, many Microsoft SQL Server instances are deployed on dedicated and frequently underutilized
server hardware. IT organizations have long turned to server virtualization as a consolidation strategy to better utilize
resources and reduce the amount of physical hardware running Microsoft SQL Server instances, but there was no simple
solution to address data stranded in older storage devices caused by rigid architectures.
Today, HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage arrays extend resource virtualization beyond servers as another key enabling
technology that continues to reduce costs, improve agility, and enhance business continuity.
The objective of this storage reference architecture is to address these IT challenges by designing, evaluating and testing an
HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage configuration that serves as a tier 1 enterprise SQL Server 2012 storage platform capable of:
Entry to middle level tier 1 enterprise OLTP performance
Concurrently host mission and business critical workloads (QoS)
High availability consistent with SQL Server 2012
Balanced performance and capacity efficiency
Flexible configuration and growth options for multi-host tenancy
Ease of management and capacity control
Based on an estimated 60,000-120,000 host IOPS OLTP I/O performance typically referenced for entry tier 1 enterprise SQL
workloads, the HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 is chosen as the storage array for this storage reference architecture. The
performance rating of this StoreServ system configured with two nodes provides approximately between 60,000 and
120,000 host IOPS depending on RAID type used, leaving additional I/O, disk, and physical space in place for growth,
effectively extending hardware refresh cycles. The HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 can be further upgraded to a four node
configuration that can scale up to 320,000 backend IOPS.
Testing performed with this reference architecture demonstrates how HP 3PAR StoreServ features uniquely deliver a
flexible, efficient and always-on storage platform ideal for both physical and virtual SQL Server 2012 deployment
configurations.
For example, SQL Server 2012 workloads are tested to analyze array performance-related functionality such as Adaptive
Optimization (AO) and capacity management-related features such as thin provisioning to illustrate the arrays ability to
balance performance and capacity efficiency. This paper additionally provides best practice guidance for proof-of-concept
implementations.
Last, but not least the ease of use of the HP 3PAR StoreServ management console is instrumental in quickly and easily
providing the flexibility to adjust the system to new performance demands or additional capacity requirements. When this is
combined with Peer Motion data migration, the configuration can achieve a shorter, lower risk hardware refresh migration to
the platform with minimum SQL Server database disruption.
Target audience: This storage reference architecture is intended to familiarize IT decision makers, database and solution
architects, and system administrators with the capabilities and features of the HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 and provide a
tested configuration and best practice guidance for deploying SQL Server 2012 in an HP 3PAR StoreServ environment.
Technical sections in this document assume a basic understanding of SAN storage concepts, and familiarity with SQL Server
deployment topologies.
This storage reference architecture is provided as a reference only since customer configurations will vary depending on
their requirements or specific needs. The referenced configuration (number of nodes, disk enclosures, disks, etc.) represents
a minimum configuration recommended for optimum high availability, although smaller configurations can be deployed.
This white paper describes testing performed in May-July 2013.
Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Introduction
Note
SQL Server value is highlighted throughout this document to make it easier for readers who require high-level technical
storage information.
Storage systems are key and high growth elements of todays data driven IT landscape. The addition of flash media options
to this environment increases the complexity and manageability of different storage devices, making a purchase decision or
implementation a non-trivial task. These challenges are compounded when multiple hosts and data workloads exist across
many storage devices and there is a large ROI in consolidating multiple systems into fewer, easier to manage ones.
To that end, this storage reference architecture has been specifically tested with OLTP database workloads to provide
customers in the process of evaluating storage options with a proven and sized storage reference architecture for their
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 data storage needs. The sizing and workload tests are based on OLTP workloads with an 80/20
read/write mix.
The term host IOPS is used in this document to represent I/O operations per second as measured at the host ports of the
StoreServ system, also commonly known as frontend IOPS. Host IOPS represent aggregate I/O operations per second being
issued by all the SQL Server hosts connected to the test environment. StoreServ I/O performance measurement chart labels
do not specify frontend or backend and interpretation depending on the point of measurement is needed. Host ports and
virtual volume measurements typically represent host I/O characteristics while disk port measurements represent backend
I/O.
This storage reference architecture is specifically designed to service a range of database workloads that can be
characterized as entry to middle level of enterprise storage systems, with host I/O workloads typically ranging in the 60k90k host IOPS range for RAID5 and 90k-120k host IOPS for RAID1 configurations.
Overview
The HP storage system chosen to meet these performance, management and reliability requirements is the HP 3PAR
StoreServ 7400. In this particular configuration the HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 is sized to approximately two thirds of the
two-node capability of 160k backend IOPS, leaving room for increased workload and capacity growth
Given the varied nature of performance requirements within an organization, it is not easy or economical to service all
applications with a single high performance level of service. In order to meet multi-instance and multi-workload I/O
demands HP designed the StoreServ family to provide three I/O service levels (high, middle, and low), based on the use of
Solid State (SSD), Fibre Channel (FC), or Nearline (NL) media drives. In this particular configuration, only high and middle
performance levels are provided; although, Nearline level of service, typically used for archived SQL data, can be achieved by
adding NL media.
A static multi-tier media driven approach to storage aids in consolidating databases with varied performance requirements
but it increases the complexity of deploying databases, forcing administrators to manually place files according to their I/O
needs. This approach clearly is not easy to manage and does not scale.
The HP 3PAR StoreServ family architecture improves this approach with a highly virtualized provisioning model that
provides two adaptive (LUN and sub-LUN) features that automatically move data according to their I/O needs without
complex administrative oversight. This virtualization and adaptive data movement approach is used in this configuration to
provide variable levels of service and reduces the effort SQL database or SAN administrators would have to perform in
optimally deploying SQL Server databases.
In addition to the specific performance and quality of service criteria for this storage reference architecture, the thoughtful
hardware and software engineering design of the HP 3PAR StoreServ family provides a feature rich data management
environment and console that provides several storage management and capacity efficiency functions that, as shown in this
white paper, are highly complementary to Microsoft Windows Server 2012 environments running SQL Server 2012
workloads.
The storage reference architecture also addresses enterprise high availability requirements, found at every element of the
HP 3PAR StoreServ family architecture. Duplicative components and resilient cache architecture enable the system to
provide failure tolerance, resiliency and data protection needed to protect SQL Server data from corruption.
Finally, the HP 3PAR StoreServ management console is an easy to use interface that facilitates all aspects of storage
system management enabling administrators to maximize the capacity efficiency of the array and provision storage with
Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
minimum keystrokes. The storage reference architecture testing documented in this paper did not necessarily test the
console interface but the console interface was used frequently to set up and manage the environment.
To further familiarize the reader with HP 3PAR StoreServ architecture concepts, features in this paper are separated into
hardware and software based features. The specific storage array configuration tested represents a recommended
minimum configuration that provides the maximum high availability supported by enabling features such as cage level
availability. Smaller and larger valid configurations can be used while maintaining many of the same SQL Server benefits
outlined in this white paper.
Workload structure
Several SQL Server 2012 databases used to characterize the configuration are divided into two main service levels:
Premium high performance (mission critical) set of large OLTP databases deployed on physical servers
Regular performance (business critical) set of smaller OLTP and BI databases deployed on virtual machines
The premium database data is serviced by an adaptive virtualized volume that uses a combination of SSD and FC drives
while the regular database data is serviced by a regular virtualized volume based only on FC media.
Testing
The reference architecture is set up to host data for multiple Microsoft SQL Server 2012 OLTP database instances.
Transactional testing is performed using an OLTP workload that generates slightly more I/O than what is typically found in
enterprise OLTP workloads to ensure the system is tested to its capacity.
Note
For an in-depth description of all performance building features, the 3PAR architecture overview white paper is an essential
document in providing a detailed description of the 3PAR systems. The link to this document is provided in the For more
information section of this white paper.
Hardware
Gen4 ASICs
Gen4 ASICs are at the core of several innovating hardware features related to data processing. They provide very fast
controller node interconnect speeds and data management features such as mixed workload support, thin provisioning
conversion algorithm and built-in RAID, CRC data integrity calculations along with zero detection at very low latencies.
Cache coherency
Cache coherency is an enabler for additional reliability and resiliency functions such as persistent cache, on-demand node
cache re-mirroring, and persistent port presentation.
Mixed workload architecture
Mixed workloads are supported by processing data independently from control information through separate hardware
paths. Control information is processed through a dedicated control processor that incorporates its own control memory
cache while data is processed and cached separately in the HP 3PAR StoreServs Gen4 ASICs.
This mixed workload architecture of the array is very efficient for SQL Server OLTP environments. OLTP data access in SQL
databases ranges typically from 8K-16K operations mixed with occasional 64K read-ahead operations. SQL Backup
operations can also request large sequential I/Os exceeding 4MB. Without this architecture, many small 8K I/O operations
would have to wait behind larger I/O requests, adding architecture induced latency to the service level.
Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Adaptive cache
The cache adaptation algorithm can dynamically re-allocate up to 100% of the cache for reads during heavy read periods
without neglecting write needs. During periods of higher write activity, the cache can re-allocate up to 50% of cache
memory for writes helping keep write latencies down.
In a typical OLTP SQL Server environment, the I/O demands placed on the array are not static in terms of the read/write ratio
so a single setting may work well at some times of the day but may negatively impact performance at other times. This
makes the adaptive cache algorithm a very useful feature for database administrators.
Zero detect
The zero-detect algorithm built into the Gen4 ASICs increases disk space utilization by not writing large amounts of
repeating zeroes to disk. This is particularly valuable when used with SSD media, as it keeps costs down by allowing
databases to be deployed over smaller capacity SSDs.
SQL Server value
SQL Server 2012 directly benefits from the features implemented in the Gen4 ASICs. Test cases in this reference
architecture document identify SQL Server benefits and best practices related to these features, such as:
Cache Coherency provides service level consistency to SQL Server instances during node downtime.
Mixed workload architecture keeps SQL transactions from slowing down during large data transfers.
Zero detect improves SQL disk space utilization when a database is created.
Software
Virtualized provisioning and wide striping
This virtualization approach to provisioning is the foundation for the Dynamic and Adaptive Optimization features of the
array.
HP 3PAR StoreServ virtualizes data access by mapping physical disk space using a three-tier mapping approach. First, each
physical disk is mapped into fine grained disk allocations called chunklets. Secondly, the chunklets are mapped to create
logical disks essentially striping data across many disks ensuring uniform performance levels and eliminating hot spots
associated with older designs. The third mapping layer creates Virtual Volumes (VVs) from fractions of a logical disk or an
entire logical disk.
User data in an HP 3PAR StoreServ resides in Virtual Volumes that are exported to hosts as LUNs. These VVs are defined
within a virtual construct called a Common Provisioning Group or CPG. The enclosing CPG has a fixed redundancy RAID type
and can have other parameters defined such as capacity warnings that will apply to every VV built inside the CPG.
The CPG can only be defined with one type of media, and HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage currently has three media types
partitioning the overall provisioning space into three tiers: Solid State (SSD) media, Fibre Channel (FC) media, and Nearline
(NL) media. Looking at the logical view of this virtualization, we can see how media types, CPGs, LUNs and disks are related.
Figure 1. Logical view of HP 3PAR StoreServ provisioning virtualization
Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Service levels
Different data service levels are provided by the StoreServ arrays through two automated service level adjustments
available to administrators: Dynamic Optimization (DO), which migrates all the data residing in a LUN, and Adaptive
Optimization (AO), which migrates data at a block level (sub-LUN).
Figure 2. Tiered HP 3PAR StoreServ service level architecture
Dynamic Optimization
Dynamic Optimization (DO) of LUN contents is an important performance enabler for SQL Administrators. Once a database is
in place, DO allows data to be migrated to a faster or slower service level tier on demand and online without disrupting SQL
Server uptime. For example, if a SQL logfile is deployed on a RAID1 FC LUN and it is determined it is better served in a RAID1
SSD LUN due to increased update and write demands, the administrator can tune the LUN to a faster SSD based CPG
automatically without disrupting the database operations and without having to copy files.
Adaptive Optimization
Adaptive Optimization (AO) works on a sub-LUN basis and this works very well for SQL OLTP data files as it migrates highly
active portions of data files to SSD and migrates less active portions to Nearline drives if desired.
It is important to know that AO is not always necessary and CPGs can exist without an AO policy. In this case, the data would
be statically pinned to the underlying media and redundancy type tier of the CPG.
For example, log or tempDB files dont benefit from AO as much since the log file writes to the entire log file space and
tempDB tends to have transient data access that is not recurrent. Those SQL data files are better served in an appropriate
fixed CPG without an AO policy, such as a RAID5 SSD CPG for tempDB and a RAID1 FC CPG for logs.
In this paper, we evaluate Adaptive Optimization of a CPG containing SQL database LUNs; the optimization works on the
basis of migrating heavily accessed areas to faster media and least accessed areas to slower media.
The three-tier architecture in HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage supports multiple AO policies that optimize data within all three
tiers or just within two media type tiers, even if the system has disk drives of all three media types installed.
For example an AO policy can be defined between SSD and FC CPGs to create a VV and export a LUN to host a key SQL data
filegroup, while another AO policy can be defined between an FC CPG and an NL CPG to host a filegroup that contains large
amounts of archive data that occasionally needs to be accessed such as end of month reporting.
Setting up and using AO is simple and a system can keep more than one Adaptive Optimization policy active at the same
time, thus allowing service level adjustments of several different SQL databases according to their own I/O service needs.
An AO Policy consists of the two or three CPG tiers that define the optimization along with two operational schedules. First,
the system needs to know how often to collect performance metrics on the source CPG (Measurement hours). Second, the
system needs to know how often to perform the actual migration of block data from the source CPG to the target CPG
(Schedule).
There is flexibility in the performance metric collection by allowing metrics to be taken during scheduled measurement
windows. This approach can help isolate adaptation data to peak traffic hours while excluding nightly backup windows
honing in the adaptation to hot data access areas in the array. Figure 3 shows the AO management screen where the AO tier
sizes and metric scheduling is configured.
Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Assigning a volume to multiple volume sets (overlay) allows more than one QoS rule to nest resulting in finer grained
application level QoS for a given tenant and establishes the ability to over-provision I/O resources over time yet controls
concurrent workload resources to prevent system saturation and cross tenant interference. The nesting capability enables
workload optimization under multiple tenant scenarios as shown in Figure 4.
For detailed information regarding Priority Optimization implementation see the HP 3PAR Priority Optimization white paper
referenced in the For more information section of this document.
Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Thin conversion. Existing SQL database deployments on legacy system volumes can be converted to thinly provisioned
during migration to 3PAR volumes by using thin conversion. When combined with zero detect, unused and stranded (zerofilled) internal to SQL datafile space does not strand capacity in the converted 3PAR volume.
Thin persistence. Using zero detect hardware technology thin volumes stay thin over time in a SQL Server environment
when database internal space is released. For example, after a SQL datafile shrink operation the containing thin volume will
shrink and release space for other thin volumes to use.
Thin reclamation. New features such as the UNMAP command implemented in Windows Server 2012 provide additional
operating system tools to automate thin space reclamation. For example, when datafiles and databases are deleted, the
system automatically reclaims the space without administrator intervention.
Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
current storage system host ports, or from the Windows logical disk performance counter called Transfers/sec. This metric
can be broken down into read/sec and writes/sec to better understand the system I/O load under your databases.
The configuration uses an 80/20 read/write Host I/O ratio as a representative sizing ratio. Solutions with higher read ratios
like 90/10 will also work as more reads with fewer writes can be served under the same total I/O size factor.
Given those metrics considerations, the configuration is sized to safely provide over 70,000 host IOPS.
Table 1 provides aggregate database size and estimated performance metrics for each tier; however, there is no
relationship between size and performance. The amount of storage available in each tier will vary depending on the
redundancy type (RAID level) chosen for the virtual volumes.
Table 1. Estimated database deployment size and I/O characteristics per tier
Tier
4TB
58,400
6TB
14,600
Total
10TB
73,000
IOPS
56,000
14,000
70,000
IOPS
RAID 5 Reads
56,000
56,000
112,000
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Disk sizing
This I/O load can be serviced using a combination of 88 SAS drives and 32 SSD drives.
Table 4. Total configuration backend IOPS
Configuration backend
IOPS
22,880
96,000
118,880
Under RAID5, the 80/20 r/w host I/O workload translates to a 50/50 r/w array workload due to extra RAID5 writes. This
estimate assumes 260 IOPS per FC drive and 3000 IOPS per SSD drive.
Note
This represents a minimum RAID5 I/O rate expectation for this configuration. It does not factor-in additional I/O
performance derived from controller node cache hits or from the use of RAID1 for SQL Logs, making the actual SQL host I/O
performance higher than estimated here (see the Adaptive Optimization performance section). Your HP representative can
assist in determining I/O sizing estimates for your needs using HP sizing tools.
Speed
Capacity
Quantity
SAS SFF
15K rpm
300GB
88
SSD SFF
N/A
100GB
32
Hardware configuration
The following section outlines the hardware configuration, in terms of component size and physical configuration needed to
satisfy the project target OLTP I/O rate of 70k SQL host IOPS in an 80/20 read/write pattern. The configuration presented is
based on a SAN approach although the same performance can be achieved in a direct attach topology between the
database servers and the storage array.
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Host environment
The HP BladeSystem c7000 enclosure has four HP ProLiant BL660c Gen8 blades and four BL460c Gen8 blades. The four
BL660c Gen8 blades are configured as physical SQL servers to host the premium service level databases (higher
performance/mission-critical).
The four BL460c Gen8 blades are configured as Microsoft Hyper-V virtualized database servers to host the normal service
level databases (business-critical).
13
Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
The choice of HP blade servers deployed with a mix of both physical and virtual operating systems is used to test the
system in a mixed host/mixed service level environment similar to what may be typically found in a consolidation or preconsolidation production system.
The use of a blade-based configuration in this analysis does not mean the HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage is limited to blade
host configurations. For example, similar benefits can be obtained when connecting HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 Storage to
high performance standalone physical servers such as HP ProLiant DL980 enterprise servers.
Figure 7. SQL Server database servers
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Thin Conversion
Thin Persistence
Thin Copy Reclamation
Thin Provisioning
VSS provider for Microsoft Windows
Recovery Manager for SQL Server
15
Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Storage provisioning
For this reference architecture the storage array is set up to service two distinct service levels. A high performance
(premium) level based on adaptively optimized VVs and a regular performance (normal) service level based on a fixed Fibre
Channel service level. This approach helps demonstrate the advantages of Adaptive Optimization and the ability to use the
system without adaptation at the same time.
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
In addition, we deployed SQL 2012 availability groups to provide a realistic workload that included synchronous secondary
mirroring I/O activity concurrent with the primary OLTP workloads.
The Common Provisioning Groups (CPG) and Adaptive Optimization policies are the constructs used to set up VVs needed to
implement each of the two service levels. Additional service levels can be configured by defining separate sets of CPGs and
AO policies and lower levels of service can be set up by adding Nearline drives. For the purposes of this reference
architecture, two levels provide a test environment representative for the project objectives.
The following section describes high level steps used to provision storage on the storage system and identifies the resulting
CPGs and VVs.
Premium service-level tier
The premium service-level tier is implemented using a RAID5 FC CPG called Tierable_FC_Data created with an AO policy
enabled. The SSD space needed for the data is defined in the AO Policy.
From this CPG two (or more) Virtual Volumes are created and exported to each of the two physical BL660c Gen8 servers for
high performance OLTP data LUNs.
A second RAID1 CPG called FC_Logs is defined for SQL Log files. From this CPG two VVs are created and exported to each
BL660c Gen8 for SQL Log LUNs.
A separate fully provisioned RAID5 SSD CPG called SSDtempDB is defined for fixed SSD performance needs. From this CPG
two VVs are created and exported to each BL660c Gen8 for tempDB LUNs.
Normal service-level tier
The normal service-level tier is simpler in terms of CPG definitions, however more VVs are created and exported to each
Hyper-V host. Guest OS systems then defined the disks as pass-through devices and are available online from each guest.
A single RAID5 CPG called FC_Data is defined for data. From this CPG multiple data VVs are created and exported to each
BL460c Gen8 Hyper-V host server. Notice how this CPG does NOT have an AO policy, resulting in a fixed level of service
capable of RAID1 Fibre Channel performance.
From the FC_Logs CPG defined above, multiple VVs are created and exported to each BL460c Gen8 Hyper-V host for virtual
SQL instance log LUNs.
From the SSDtempDB CPG defined above, multiple tempDB VVs are created and exported to each BL460c Gen8 Hyper-V
host for virtual SQL instance tempDB LUNs.
Note
The definition of a CPG does not require a capacity, as this is allocated during Virtual Volume creation. The CPG listing in
Figure 9 shows total allocation capacity for each CPG as the total aggregate allocation of all Virtual Volumes created from
each CPG.
Figure 9. Sample view of Common Provisioning Groups (CPG) using the HP 3PAR Management Console
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Adaptive Optimization
Configuration
The Adaptive Optimization test is used to set up and verify that the optimization algorithm can adapt data under OLTP
workloads.
Four large OLTP databases were deployed on two physical database servers (HP ProLiant BL660c Gen8) and stored on fully
provisioned VVs inside a FC Tier CPG. This CPG had an AO policy defined to sample performance data every hour and
perform data movement every three hours.
Note that the SSD tier 0 limit drives how much data is migrated to that tier, essentially migrating data right up to that limit.
In this case, the four OLTP databases residing in the FC source CPG have an aggregate data file footprint of approximately
4TB and the SSD target CPG was set to 1TB. This effectively improved response times for half of the data accessed under a
uniform data access pattern in the data files.
The range of adaptation goes from 0 (all data in the FC tier) to 100% (all data migrated to the SSD tier), depending on the
service level requirement and the available SSD space in the array. In this particular test case we used a 25% data file to SSD
tier target size ratio.
The AO data migration is captured in the charts that follow. The IOPS in the FC tier drop as data pages migrate to SSD and a
proportional amount of IOPS begin to be serviced by the SSD tier.
Although the test OLTP workloads are paced to a fixed I/O rate, the aggregate system wide IOPS observed after data
movement increased due to queued I/O requests being serviced with the lower service times achieved in the adaptation.
In order to test the AO functionality an AO policy was defined and enabled. Once the initial 3 hour sampling period lapsed,
every hour the system reevaluates data I/O to see if data migration is needed again. This initial adaptation is set up to only
place less than 30% of actual data onto the SSD tier, excluding log files which are not part of the AO policy.
This allocation will be used to evaluate the Adaptive Optimization between tiers as the FC tier is loaded with surge
workloads from normal business-critical workload databases.
Adaptive Optimization performance
The AO optimization test settled at a 10% SSD to FC disk capacity usage ratio, migrating 400GB of data to tier 0 SSD from a
total space utilization of 4TB.
While this is not a benchmark, the workload placed a fairly high load on the array without saturating controllers or SSD/FC
disk tiers.
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Backend IOPS
Figure 10 shows backend IOPS as measured, with a backend read/write ratio closer to 60/40 and an average of 110,000
backend IOPS. The chart covers the initial AO adaptation, so we see the lower initial IOPS increase over a few AO cycles as
frequently accessed data is migrated to the SSD tier. The vertical axis represents I/O operations per second and the
horizontal axis represents time.
Figure 10. 8K Backend IOPS measurement
Figure 11 shows how Adaptive Optimization also results in lower service times as frequently accessed data is migrated to
the SSD tier. A marked reduction in service time occurs when adaptation is complete.
Figure 11. Service times
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Backend IOPS
22,880
96,000
118,880
Backend IOPS
Read
59,440
Write
59,440
Based on this backend ratio and RAID 5 provisioning, the front end IOPS disk limit is estimated at:
RAID 5 Front end IOPS = 59,440 + (59,440/4) = 74,300 Front end IOPS.
In the 3PAR StoreServ cache design, more cache is allocated per GB of SSD than per GB of FC drives. When combined with
the Adaptive Cache algorithm, the higher cache allocation for SSD in the system results in larger cache adjustment swings,
useful for varying read/write ratios.
Cache adaptability is important for SQL Server workloads that experience daily variations of read/write ratios, such as
surges when a report is run (read), or a large sequential data load (write). During database sequential reads the read cache
allocation increases and the array internal sequential pre-fetch activates to quickly get ahead of SQL Server physical reads,
dynamically lowering response times. During heavy writes, the array adapts and allocates more cache for writes, once again
reducing the service times. From a SQL Server perspective this means faster reports and shorter table loads or backups
without needing an administrator to change cache settings before nightly backup jobs.
MB
4000
1000
In addition to properly sizing and capacity evaluation for the storage system there are further optimization steps that can be
performed with SQL Server to ensure optimum use of SSD space resulting in better performance. By using SQL ROW
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
compression and datafile reorganization with lower page FILL percentages more data can be migrated to the SSD tier
before having to increase the number of SSD drives.
Testing was performed to measure snapshot creation and evaluate space reclamation upon snapshot deletion and capacity
savings (thin-awareness) of snapshots taken from thinly provisioned volumes.
The performance test consisted of taking 20 consecutive snapshots and verifying no increase in snapshot creation time over
the number of copies. The time it took to take each snapshot did not increase or decrease as the number of snapshots
stored increased. This consistency is the result of 3PARs non-duplicative copy-on-write algorithm.
Autonomic snapshot space reclamation is achieved when snapshots are deleted. The space reclamation is a regularly
scheduled background process so space reclamation is not immediately observed until sometime after the deletion has
been made.
Space reclamation
HP 3PAR space reclamation features help maintain SQL Server 2012 volumes thin, thus improving capacity utilization. There
are several areas to consider regarding space reclamation.
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Note
The test databases are overprovisioned in that the SQL datafiles have unused space/zeros in them, in other words we
disable database instant initialization so the files are zero filled.
Both databases were identical in data size, and had very little data in them but had large log files. Once again zero detect is
more efficient in storing the uncompressed log portion of the database.
For space to be reclaimed after a large database table truncation, the database data files must be shrunk.
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
After the delete, volumes with and without zero detect reclaimed space as expected, due to the implementation of the SCSI
UNMAP command.
FC zoning
Single initiator to single target zoning is preferred (1-1 zoning).
Zoning should be done using 3PAR World Wide Port Numbers (WWPN).
A host needs a minimum of two connections, one to each node of a node pair, for example, 3PAR node ports 0:2:1 and
1:2:2.
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Virtual LUNs
Use volume sets when exporting multiple Virtual Volumes to a host or host set.
Virtual Volumes need to be exported to host objects, not to ports for all hosts.
Adaptive Optimization
When using thin provisioning volumes along with Adaptive Optimization, select a CPG using FC disks for the User CPG of the
thin provisioning volumes. This means that when new data is written, it will be on a good performance tier by default.
Key Point
Ensure that the default tier (FC) has enough capacity and performance to accommodate the requirement of new
applications until data is migrated to other tiers.
When new data is created (new VVs or new user space for a thin volume), it will be created in the FC tier, and Adaptive
Optimization will not migrate regions of data to other tiers until the next time the Adaptive Optimization configuration is
executed.
It is therefore important that the FC disks have enough performance and capacity to accommodate the performance or
capacity requirements of new applications (or applications that are in the process of being migrated to HP 3PAR StoreServ)
until the moment when the regions of data will be migrated to the other tiers.
If SSDs are used in Adaptive Optimization configurations, no thin provisioning volumes should be directly associated with
SSD CPGs. The thin provisioning volumes should only be associated with FC CPGs. This will help ensure that SSD capacity is
consumed by Adaptive Optimization and will allow this capacity to be safely used to 95 percent or even 100 percent. A
different AO configuration and its associated CPGs should be created for every 100 TB of data or so. (Each configuration has
a 125TB aggregate limit.)
Key Point
Schedule the different Adaptive Optimization configurations to run at the same time, preferably at night. This method is
recommended because Adaptive Optimization will execute each policy in a serial manner but will calculate what needs to be
moved at the same time.
It is preferable to not set any capacity limit on the Adaptive Optimization configuration level, or on the CPG (no allocation
warning or limit). Enter a value of 999999 (999 TB) for each tier.
Adaptive Optimization
Due to the transient nature of data residing in SQL Server tempDB files and the sequential write nature of SQL database Log
files, use of Adaptive Optimization for TempDB and Logs might not be of value. When performance requirements dictate
faster service levels for tempDB it can be provisioned in a fixed Virtual Volume defined with a SSD tier 0 CPG, essentially
pinning tempDB to SSD.
For logs, and other sequential write intensive applications, implement in a fixed Virtual Volume defined with a FC CPG with
RAID1 redundancy or a fixed Virtual Volume defined within a SSD CPG.
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Zero detect
In order to maximize zero detect compression benefits over time, do not size the initial datafiles excessively above the size
of the actual data. Over time, as data is inserted and deleted from a datafile, zero-filled pre-allocation content is no longer
zero and the compression factor will decline. Typical SQL index maintenance rebuilds on alternate datafiles will help restore
the original compression ratio.
Summary
The HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 Storage is an excellent storage platform for SQL Server OLTP and mixed workloads. This
white paper has expanded on many of the features of the HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage family and the reference architecture
tests have shown how key features increase performance of SQL Server deployments while reducing costs.
HP 3PAR Adaptive Optimization has proven easy to use and powerful in managing quality of service for demanding
workloads. The ability to use different media and RAID types for different data file types in SQL Server is a very compelling
approach that enables administrators to initially deploy and later adjust deployments without costly migration downtime.
The new Priority Optimization QoS feature released with StoreServ 3.1.2 MU2 brings a key multi-tenancy performance
control function that allows multiple SQL databases to reside in a shared environment without experiencing resource
contention and the associated management and planning issues that arise with uncontrollable workloads.
SQL Server 2012 incorporates changes to their scalability model by adding Availability Groups, allowing additional servers to
be read-only secondary availability group nodes. An HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage can host data for both a primary and
secondary servers, maximizing performance while minimizing costs. Adaptive Optimization and the adaptive cache works
well with a read only host and a read/write host, allowing administrators to reduce cost by allowing Adaptive Optimization
to migrate infrequently read data to less expensive media, maximizing the utilization of more expensive SSD media for
other data portions.
Additionally, we have also seen many of the thin technologies enabled by the Gen4 ASICs work extremely well with SQL
Server 2012 databases and data files. The zero fill, and zero padding internal to the data files seamlessly thin out with zero
detect and are maintained thin even during use. When both SQL database compression and zero detect are used together,
large cost savings related to capacity and media type are achieved.
From a high availability perspective, the array snapshot system is well integrated with SQL Server via the SQL Server remote
snapshot management suite. The hardware foundation for snapshots is very effective when compared to other solutions in
that the write on copy algorithms only fire once even if multiple snapshots are defined for the same data, reducing the
performance penalty for hardware snapshots.
Finally from a resiliency view, the HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage offers excellent redundancy at every level of the platform,
including cache mirroring, cage level redundancy, among others that minimize risk while providing fast RAID recovery on the
Gen4 ASICs.
All these benefits aggregate to provide a flexible enterprise platform that can be easily leveraged to host multiple
databases of mixed workload characteristics. The federation capabilities such as Peer Motion further extend these benefits
by allowing businesses to migrate from multiple storage arrays as part of either hardware refresh cycles or consolidation
initiatives.
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases
Note
Part numbers are at time of publication and subject to change. The bill of materials does not include complete support
options or other rack and power requirements. If you have questions regarding ordering, please consult with your HP
Reseller or HP Sales Representative for more details. hp.com/large/contact/enterprise/index.html
Part number
Description
BW904A
QR483A
QR486A
88
QR492A
32
QR502A
BC795A
BC773A
120
BC774A
QR490A
QR516B
QK734A
BW946A
BW906A
Implementing a proof-of-concept
As a matter of best practice for all deployments, HP recommends implementing a proof-of-concept test environment that
matches the planned production environment as closely as possible. In this way, appropriate configuration and solution
deployment can be obtained. For help with a proof-of-concept, contact an HP Services representative or your HP partner
(hp.com/large/contact/enterprise/index.html).
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Technical white paper | HP 3PAR StoreServ 7400 reference architecture for Microsoft SQL Server OLTP databases