SQL Server Storage types and usage

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SQL Server Storage types and usage

Storage is one of the most critical components in SQL Server environment. Storage is often abbreviated as IO that stands for Input/Output. On any server with SQL Server, fast respond of Input/Output subsystem is the issue of primary importance.

Slow respond of Input/Output subsystem cannot be compensated by the buildup of resources of other types, for example, CPU speed or amount of memory. Moreover, it can adversely affect performance of the other system components.

Storage Connection Types

Storage architecture depends on many factors associated with the business solution being used and the available infrastructure. Any storage architecture has to meet the requirements to availability and IOPS.

The storage for SQL Server can be attached locally or remotely.

DAS (Direct Attached Storage) is an example of locally attached storage. DAS is a hard drive connected to server directly without any intermediate storage system. Host Bus Adapter (HBA) is a special interface used with DAS (also exists for iSCSI and FC).

Storage drives connected outside of the server are called remotely attached. Usually these disk drives are used in the form of SAN (Storage Area Network). SAN provides architecture for connection of storage devices of the remote computers (disk arrays, tape libraries) to servers in such a way that these devices are presented as locally attached to the operating system.

NAS device is an autonomous computer attached to the network. Its only purpose is to give file storage to the other network devices, i.e. all processes take place on a file-level, as opposed to SAN where processes take place on a level of data blocks. NAS is widely used too but its performance is low and does not satisfy SQL Server’s requirements.

Reliability and performance of a system may depend upon the disk types used. SQL Server supports the following disk types:

• SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)
• SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)
• SAS (Serial-attached SCSI)
• FC (Fibre Channel)
• IDE (Integrated Device Electronics)

RAID technology (Redundant array of independent disks) is often used to increase performance and fault tolerance of separate disks.

Advantages of SQL Server

With SQL Server, data can be accessed and managed from any place and anytime. There are numerous built-in services that allow making requests, searching, synchronizing, making reports, and analyzing data. All data are stored on the servers comprised into datacenter. You can access them from your desktops or mobile devices. In such way, you have full control of your data independently of the place where you saved them.

Features implemented in Microsoft SQL Server (more than 60 features) provide better performance and scalability, increase data security and availability; ensure manageability and protection of data. SQL Server allows using servers (hardware) more effectively and reduces costs for service and maintenance.

StarWind iSCSI SAN and SQL Server

StarWind iSCSI SAN allows you to build a reliable, scalable, and high-performance SAN for you SQL Server in just a few minutes. You will be able to create your own SAN using the existing network infrastructure and any industry-standard server and thus avoiding additional investments into new proprietary hardware. StarWind iSCSI SAN completely supports the widely-used iSCSI protocol so you will not need to pay extra money for expensive proprietary Fiber Channel hardware.

StarWind solution has advanced enterprise-class features. For example, StarWind Thin Provisioning will let IT administrators allocate storage dynamically without purchasing storage volumes in advance before it is really necessary.

With StarWind iSCSI SAN, data migration to Microsoft SQL Server is easy and users have constant access to data in HA environment.

Building your Microsoft SQL Server with the use of StarWind iSCSI SAN gives you the following advantages:

• You have a possibility to set up SQL Server clusters for high-availability environments
• You can use CDP and live, point-in-time snapshots for making backups
• You can easily manage your storage from a user-friendly single management console
• You can scale your storage without downtime of a system
• You can fully migrate your data without any disruption of your SQL Server

Download SQL Server Clustering Guide:

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