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IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE EMC VSPEX FOR VIRTUALIZED MICROSOFT SQL SERVER 2012 WITH VMWARE VSPHERE Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup EMC VSPEX Abstract This Implementation Guide describes the high-level steps required to deploy Microsoft SQL Server 2012 on an EMC® VSPEX® Proven Infrastructure with VMware vSphere enabled by EMC VNXe® or EMC Next-Generation VNX® , and EMC backup. The guide provides information on SQL Server 2012 implementations. October 2013 Copyright © 2013 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published in the USA. Published October 2013. EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice. The information in this publication is provided “as is”. EMC Corporation makes no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the information in this publication, and specifically disclaims implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable software license. EMC2, EMC, and the EMC logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. For the most up-to-date listing of EMC product names, see EMC Corporation Trademarks on EMC.com. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Part Number H11883.1 2 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Contents Contents Chapter 1 Introduction 11 Purpose of this guide ................................................................................................ 12 Business value ......................................................................................................... 12 Scope ....................................................................................................................... 13 Audience .................................................................................................................. 13 Terminology.............................................................................................................. 14 Chapter 2 Before You Start 17 Overview .................................................................................................................. 18 Pre-deployment tasks ............................................................................................... 18 Deployment workflow ............................................................................................... 19 Deployment prerequisites ........................................................................................ 19 Planning and sizing SQL Server 2012 ....................................................................... 22 Essential reading ...................................................................................................... 26 Design Guide ....................................................................................................... 26 Solution Overviews .............................................................................................. 26 Top Reasons ........................................................................................................ 26 VSPEX Proven Infrastructure................................................................................. 26 VSPEX with EMC backup and recovery guide ........................................................ 26 Chapter 3 Solution Overview 27 Overview .................................................................................................................. 28 Solution architecture ................................................................................................ 28 Key components ....................................................................................................... 29 Microsoft SQL Server 2012 .................................................................................. 30 EMC VSPEX Proven Infrastructure ......................................................................... 30 EMC Next-Generation VNX .................................................................................... 31 EMC VNXe ............................................................................................................ 35 EMC backup and recovery solutions..................................................................... 36 VMware vSphere 5.1 ............................................................................................ 36 EMC XtremSW Cache............................................................................................ 37 EMC PowerPath/VE .............................................................................................. 37 Chapter 4 Solution Implementation 39 Overview .................................................................................................................. 40 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 3 Contents Physical setup .......................................................................................................... 40 Overview of physical setup .................................................................................. 40 Network implementation .......................................................................................... 40 Overview of network implementation ................................................................... 40 Storage implementation ........................................................................................... 41 Overview of storage implementation .................................................................... 41 Setting up initial VNX or VNXe configuration ........................................................ 42 Provisioning storage for VMFS datastore .............................................................. 42 Provisioning storage for iSCSI datastore .............................................................. 43 Provisioning storage for application pool disks .................................................... 43 Example storage layouts ...................................................................................... 48 EMC XtremSW Cache configuration ...................................................................... 50 ESXi and vCenter implementation ............................................................................. 53 Overview of ESXi and vCenter implementation ..................................................... 53 Multipathing implementation ................................................................................... 55 Overview of multipathing implementation ........................................................... 55 PowerPath configuration for iSCSI storage ........................................................... 55 SQL Server 2012 virtualization implementation ........................................................ 56 Overview of SQL Server 2012 virtualization implementation ................................ 56 Creating SQL Server 2012 virtual machines ......................................................... 57 Installing guest OS............................................................................................... 57 Assigning an IP address ....................................................................................... 57 Creating SQL Server 2012 service accounts ......................................................... 57 Creating virtual disks for SQL Server 2012 ........................................................... 58 Application implementation ..................................................................................... 60 Overview of application implementation .............................................................. 60 Installing SQL Server 2012 instances ................................................................... 61 Deploying SQL Server 2012 OLTP system ............................................................. 66 Configuring SQL Server 2012 ............................................................................... 67 Backup and recovery implementation ....................................................................... 70 Chapter 5 Solution Verification 71 Baseline hardware verification ................................................................................. 72 Overview of baseline hardware verification .......................................................... 72 Verifying ESXi functionality .................................................................................. 72 Verifying solution components redundancy ......................................................... 72 Monitoring the solution’s health .......................................................................... 73 SQL Server 2012 OLTP performance verification ....................................................... 73 Overview of SQL Server 2012 performance verification ........................................ 73 4 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Contents Baseline performance verification........................................................................ 74 FAST VP performance acceleration ....................................................................... 76 Backup and recovery verification .............................................................................. 78 Chapter 6 Reference Documentation 79 EMC documentation ................................................................................................. 80 Product documentation ............................................................................................ 80 Other documentation ............................................................................................... 80 Links ........................................................................................................................ 81 Appendix A Configuration Worksheet 83 Configuration worksheet for SQL Server 2012 ........................................................... 84 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 5 Contents 6 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Contents Figures Figure 1. Solution architecture ........................................................................... 29 Figure 2. VSPEX Proven Infrastructure ................................................................ 30 Figure 3. Next-Generation VNX with multicore optimization................................ 32 Figure 4. Active/active processors increase performance, resiliency, and efficiency ............................................................................................. 33 Figure 5. Unisphere Management Suite ............................................................. 34 Figure 6. SQL Server 2012 storage elements on VMware vSphere 5.1 platform .. 42 Figure 7. Create pooled LUN wizard from Unisphere ........................................... 45 Figure 8. Sample of Create Storage Pool wizard—FAST VP enabled .................... 47 Figure 9. Storage Pool Properties—FAST Cache enabled ..................................... 48 Figure 10. Example storage layout for VNX ........................................................... 49 Figure 11. Example storage layout for VNXe ......................................................... 50 Figure 12. EMC VSI XtremSW Cache management ................................................ 51 Figure 13. VSI XtremSW Cache monitor ................................................................ 52 Figure 14. Creating a new virtual disk................................................................... 59 Figure 15. Formatting disk ................................................................................... 59 Figure 16. SQL Server Installation Center ............................................................. 62 Figure 17. SQL Server 2012 Setup Role in the installation wizard ......................... 63 Figure 18. SQL Server 2012 Feature Selection in the installation wizard ............... 64 Figure 19. SQL Server 2012 Instance Configuration in the installation wizard ...... 64 Figure 20. SQL Server 2012 Database Engine Configuration ................................. 65 Figure 21. SQL Server 2012 installation completed .............................................. 66 Figure 22. Grant “Lock pages in memory” ............................................................ 67 Figure 23. Grant “Perform volume maintenance tasks” ........................................ 68 Figure 24. Set the maximum server memory ......................................................... 69 Figure 25. Comparison between the baseline performance and the FAST VP accelerated performance ..................................................................... 77 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 7 Contents 8 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Contents Tables Table 1. Terminology......................................................................................... 14 Table 2. Tasks for pre-deployment .................................................................... 18 Table 3. VSPEX for virtualized SQL Server deployment process ......................... 19 Table 4. Deployment prerequisites checklist ..................................................... 20 Table 5. Storage pools ...................................................................................... 22 Table 6. Example of customer evaluation—250 GB user database .................... 23 Table 7. Example of required resources: Medium-sized user database ............. 24 Table 8. Example of storage recommendations—medium-sized user database . 25 Table 9. VNXe software suites ........................................................................... 35 Table 10. VNXe software packs ........................................................................... 36 Table 11. Tasks for physical setup ...................................................................... 40 Table 12. Tasks for switch and network configuration ......................................... 40 Table 13. Tasks for storage configuration ............................................................ 41 Table 14. Example of additional storage layout for virtual machine operating system on VNX .................................................................................... 43 Table 15. Example of additional storage layout for virtual machine operating system on VNX .................................................................................... 43 Table 16. Storage layout example on VNXe ......................................................... 44 Table 17. Storage layout example on VNX ........................................................... 44 Table 18. Steps for ESXi and vCenter installation and configuration .................... 53 Table 19. SQL Server 2012 host virtual machine installation and configuration .. 56 Table 20. SQL Server 2012 reference virtual machine ......................................... 57 Table 21. Example of VMDK and virtual disk storage layout ................................ 58 Table 22. Tasks to implement a SQL Server 2012 deployment ............................ 60 Table 23. Tasks for verifying the VSPEX installation ............................................ 72 Table 24. Tools to monitor the VSPEX for virtualized SQL Server 2012 solution ... 73 Table 25. Example of key metrics in a SQL Server 2012 deployment ................... 74 Table 26. SQL Server virtual machine profile ....................................................... 74 Table 27. SQL Server 2012 LUN design ............................................................... 75 Table 28. Key metrics for SQL Server 2012—250 GB ........................................... 75 Table 29. FAST VP configuration .......................................................................... 76 Table 30. Example of key metrics in a SQL Server deployment ............................ 76 Table 31. Key metrics for SQL Server 2012 – 250 GB........................................... 77 Table 32. Comparison between the baseline performance and the FAST VP accelerated performance ..................................................................... 77 Table 33. Common server information ................................................................ 84 Table 34. ESXi server information ....................................................................... 84 Table 35. Array information ................................................................................. 85 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 9 Contents 10 Table 36. Network infrastructure information ...................................................... 85 Table 37. VLAN information ................................................................................ 85 Table 38. Service accounts ................................................................................. 86 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 1 Introduction This chapter presents the following topics: Purpose of this guide ............................................................................................. 12 Business value ...................................................................................................... 12 Scope .................................................................................................................... 13 Audience ............................................................................................................... 13 Terminology .......................................................................................................... 14 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 11 Chapter 1: Introduction Purpose of this guide EMC® VSPEX® Proven Infrastructure is optimized for virtualizing business-critical applications. VSPEX gives partners the ability to design and implement the virtual resources necessary to satisfy the requirements for deploying Microsoft SQL Server on any VSPEX Private Cloud. EMC VSPEX for virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 provides a validated system, capable of hosting a virtualized SQL Server solution at a consistent performance level. This Proven Infrastructure solution is layered on a VSPEX Private Cloud for VMware vSphere architecture and uses the highly available EMC VNX® family of storage systems. All VSPEX solutions are sized and tested with EMC backup and recovery products. EMC Avamar® and EMC Data Domain® enable complete infrastructure, application, and email backup and recovery, including granular email recovery capabilities. The compute and network components, while vendor-definable, are designed to be redundant and are sufficiently powerful to handle the processing and data needs of the virtual machine environment. This Implementation Guide describes how to implement the virtual resources necessary to satisfy the requirements for deploying Microsoft SQL Server 2012 on any VSPEX Proven Infrastructure for VMware vSphere. Business value VSPEX enables customers to accelerate their IT transformation with faster deployments, simplified management, backup, and storage provisioning. Customers can realize greater efficiency with higher application availability, increased storage utilization, and faster and leaner backups. In addition, VSPEX provides customers with flexibility of choice when selecting a hypervisor, server, and network to address the requirements of their SQL Server environments. The designed methodology and best practices of EMC VSPEX are to: 12 Deploy faster saving time and effort with Proven solutions Increase performance and scalability out of the box Reduce the customer’s backup storage requirements and costs Meet backup windows Enable fast disk-based recovery EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 1: Introduction Scope This guide describes the high-level steps required to deploy SQL Server 2012 on a VSPEX Private Cloud with VMware vSphere and EMC VNX or EMC VNXe® . This guide assumes that a VSPEX Proven Infrastructure already exists in the customer environment. The examples used throughout this guide describe a deployment on an EMC VNXe3150 or EMC VNX5800 array. The same principles and guidelines apply to VNXe3300, VNX5400, and VNX5600 arrays. EMC backup and recovery solutions for SQL Server 2012 data protection are described in a separate document: EMC Backup and Recovery Options for VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Design and Implementation Guide. Audience This guide is intended for internal EMC personnel and qualified EMC VSPEX Partners. The guide assumes that VSPEX Partners who intend to deploy this VSPEX Proven Infrastructure for virtualized SQL Server are: Qualified by Microsoft to sell and implement SQL Server solutions Certified in SQL Server, ideally with one or more of the following Microsoft certifications: Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) Microsoft Certified Solutions Master (MCSM) Qualified by EMC to sell, install, and configure the VNX family of storage systems Certified to sell VSPEX Proven Infrastructures Qualified to sell, install, and configure the network and server products required for VSPEX Proven Infrastructures Readers must also have the necessary technical training and background to install and configure: VMware vSphere virtualization platforms Microsoft Windows Server 2012 operating systems (OS) Microsoft SQL Server 2012 EMC backup and recovery products, including Avamar and Data Domain This guide provides external references where applicable. EMC recommends that readers are familiar with these documents. For details, see Essential reading and Chapter 6: Reference Documentation. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 13 Chapter 1: Introduction Terminology Table 1 lists the terminology used in the guide. Table 1. 14 Terminology Term Definition AD Active Directory CIFS Common Internet File System DBCC Database consistency check DNS Domain Name System DRS Distributed Resource Scheduler eMLC Enterprise multilevel cell FAST Cache A feature on EMC VNX series storage systems that enables you to use the lower response time and better IOPS of flash drives for specific applications FAST™ VP Fully Automated Storage Tiering for Virtual Pools File group SQL Server database objects and files group IOPS Input/output operations per second LSN Log sequence number MCx™ Multicore Code Path Optimization NIC Network interface card NTP Network Time Protocol OLTP Online transaction processing. Typical applications of Online transaction processing include data entry and retrieval transaction processing. Reference virtual machine Representation of a unit of measure for a single virtual machine to quantify the compute resources in a VSPEX Proven Infrastructure rpm Revolutions per minute RTM Release to manufacturing tempdb A system database used by Microsoft SQL Server as a temporary working area during processing. TPS Transactions per second EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 1: Introduction Term Definition VDM Virtual Data Mover VMDK VMware Virtual Machine Disk VMFS VMware Virtual Machine File System VSS Volume Shadow Copy Service EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 15 Chapter 1: Introduction 16 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 2: Before You Start Chapter 2 Before You Start This chapter presents the following topics: Overview ............................................................................................................... 18 Pre-deployment tasks ............................................................................................ 18 Deployment workflow ............................................................................................ 19 Deployment prerequisites ...................................................................................... 19 Planning and sizing SQL Server 2012..................................................................... 22 Essential reading ................................................................................................... 26 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 17 Chapter 2: Before You Start Overview This chapter provides an overview of important information you need to be aware of, documents you need to be familiar with, and tasks you need to perform before you start implementing your VSPEX for virtualized SQL Server solution. The Design Guide for this solution—VSPEX for Virtualized SQL Server 2012—describes how to size and design your solution and how to select the right VSPEX Proven Infrastructure on which to layer SQL Server. The deployment examples in this Implementation Guide are based on the recommendations and examples in the Design Guide. Before you deploy SQL Server on a VSPEX Proven Infrastructure, EMC recommends that you complete the pre-deployment tasks described in Table 2. Pre-deployment tasks Pre-deployment tasks include procedures that do not directly relate to environment installation and configuration, but whose results are needed during installation. Examples of pre-deployment tasks include the collection of hostnames, IP addresses, VLAN IDs, license keys, installation media, and so on. These tasks should be performed before a customer visit to decrease the time required on site. Table 2 describes the pre-deployment tasks for this solution. Table 2. Tasks for pre-deployment Task Description Reference Gathering documents Gather the related documents listed in Essential reading. Essential reading These are referred to throughout this document to provide details on set-up procedures and deployment best practices for the various components of the solution. 18 Gathering tools Gather the required and optional tools for the deployment. Use Table 4 to confirm that all equipment, software, and appropriate licenses are available before the deployment process. Deployment prerequisites Gathering data Collect the customer-specific configuration data for networking, naming, and required accounts. Enter this information into the Configuration worksheet for reference during the deployment process. Configuration worksheet for SQL Server EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 2: Before You Start Deployment workflow EMC recommends that you refer to the process flow in Table 31 to design and implement your VSPEX Proven Infrastructure for SQL Server. Table 3. VSPEX for virtualized SQL Server deployment process Step Action 1 Use the VSPEX for SQL Server qualification worksheet to collect user requirements. The qualification worksheet is in the Design Guide. 2 Use the VSPEX Sizing Tool to determine the recommended the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure for virtualized SQL Server 2012, based on the user requirements collected in Step 1. For more information about the VSPEX Sizing Tool, refer to the EMC VSPEX Sizing Tool portal. Note: If the VSPEX Sizing Tool is not available, you can manually size SQL Server using the sizing guidelines in Appendix B of the Design Guide. 3 Determine the final design for the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure for virtualized SQL Server 2012. Refer to the Design Guide for guidance. Note: Ensure that all application requirements are considered, not just this application. 4 Select and order the right solution. Refer to the appropriate VSPEX Proven Infrastructure document in Essential reading for guidance. 5 Deploy and test your VSPEX solution. Refer to this Implementation Guide. Note: This guide describes how to implement the solution. If you already have a VSPEX Proven Infrastructure environment, you can skip the sections for the implementation steps already completed. Deployment prerequisites This guide applies to VSPEX Proven Infrastructures for virtualized SQL Server 2012 solutions with VMware on the EMC VNX family of storage systems. The example provided and carried through this guide is for a deployment on a VNX5800. The same principles and guidance applies to all other models that VSPEX Proven Infrastructure supports. Table 4 itemizes the hardware, software, and license requirements to configure the solution. For additional information, refer to the hardware and software tables in the appropriate VSPEX Proven Infrastructure document listed in Essential reading. If your solution includes backup and recovery components, refer to EMC Backup and Recovery Options for VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Design and Implementation Guide for backup and recovery sizing and implementation guidelines. 1 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 19 Chapter 2: Before You Start Note: If you already have a VSPEX Proven Infrastructure environment, you can skip this section. Table 4. Requirement Deployment prerequisites checklist Description Version Reference notes Physical servers: Sufficient physical server capacity to host the required number of virtual machines as recommended by the Design Guide and VSPEX Sizing Tool. EMC VSPEX Private Cloud VMware vSphere 5.1 for up to 100 Virtual Machines EMC VSPEX Private Cloud VMware vSphere 5.1 for up to 1,000 Virtual Machines VMware vSphere 5.1 servers to host virtual infrastructure servers. Hardware Note: This requirement may be covered in the existing infrastructure. Networking: Switch port capacity and capabilities as required by the virtual server infrastructure. VNX or VNXe: Multiprotocol storage array with the required disk layout. Note: The storage should be sufficient to support the total reference virtual machines required and the additional storage layout for applications. Software 20 VNX Operating Environment (OE) for file Will fill in the version information when GA version releases VNX OE for block Will fill in the version information when GA version releases EMC Unisphere® for VNX Will fill in the version information when GA version releases EMC Unisphere for VNXe 1.8.1.10050 EMC Online Support EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 2: Before You Start Requirement Licenses Description Version EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Unified Storage Management 5.1 EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Storage Viewer 5.1 EMC vStorage API for Array Integration plug-in Release for vSphere 5.1 EMC PowerPath® /VE (optional) 5.7 VMware ESXi 5.1 VMware vCenter Server 5.1 Microsoft Windows Server (for SQL Server) Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Standard (or higher) with latest update Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Enterprise edition Service Pack (SP1) with latest update; 2012 Standard (or higher) edition SP1 with latest update Microsoft Windows Server license keys 2012 Standard (or higher) Reference notes VMware website Note: This requirement may be covered by an existing Software Assurance agreement and may be found on an existing customer Microsoft Key Management Server (KMS) (if applicable). Microsoft SQL Server license key 2012 Note: This requirement may be covered by existing infrastructure. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 21 Chapter 2: Before You Start Requirement Description Version Reference notes VMware vSphere license keys 5.1 VMware website Note: This may covered in the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure EMC FAST Cache enabler N/A EMC FAST enabler N/A Thin provisioning enabler N/A Planning and sizing SQL Server 2012 To plan and size your SQL Server 2012 instances, follow the recommendations and VSPEX Sizing Tool proposals introduced in the Design Guide. In this VSPEX for virtualized SQL Server 2012 solution, we2 used the following storage pool configuration as detailed in Table 5. Table 5. Storage pools Pool name Purpose VSPEX private cloud pool This is the pool where all the virtual machine operating system volumes reside. SQL Server 2012 user database data pool This is the pool where the online transaction processing (OLTP) database data resides. SQL Server 2012 log and tempdb database pool This is the pool where user database log and tempdb database reside. The example used in this guide is the medium-sized example described in the Design Guide—Example 2: Medium-sized SQL Server 2012 OLTP instance with single user database. A customer wants to create a business-critical SQL Server 2012 user database on a VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. Complete the evaluation as shown in Table 6. 2 22 In this guide, “we” refers to the EMC Solutions engineering team that validated the solution. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 2: Before You Start Table 6. Example of customer evaluation—250 GB user database Question Example answer Do you have an existing SQL Server 2012 database that you would like to size for in the environment? Yes How many databases do you want to deploy? 1 What is the size of the user database? 250 GB What is the estimated annual growth rate (%)? 10 Do you intend to use FAST VP? Yes What is the maximum number of input/output operations per second (IOPS) the system should support? 4,000 What is the expected transactions per second (TPS) at peak loads (optional question)? 1,400 What is the required tempdb size (optional question)? N/A After you have received a completed qualification worksheet from the customer, and entered those answers into the VSPEX Sizing Tool, you will see results similar to those shown below: Required resources table that lists the number of virtual machines and their characteristics. Storage recommendations table that lists the additional storage hardware that is required to run the OLTP workload—this is in addition to the VSPEX private cloud pool. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 23 Chapter 2: Before You Start Table 7 and Table 8 are examples based on the customer information provided in Table 6. In this guide, we used the resources shown in these tables. The suggested storage layout is in addition to the VSPEX private cloud pool. Table 7. Example of required resources: Medium-sized user database SQL Server 2012 vCPU Memory OS volume capacity OS volume IOPS SQL Server 2012 Resource requirement 4 16 GB 100 GB Less than 25 Equivalent reference virtual machines 4 8 1 1 No. of virtual machines 1 Total reference virtual machines 8 For details on how the total number of reference virtual machine is calculated, refer to the Design Guide. In this guide, we used the resources shown in Table 7 for the medium-sized SQL Server 2012 user database. The values of individual resources (CPU, memory, capacity, and IOPS) are rounded up to the closest whole number, to determine the equivalent reference virtual machines required for each SQL Server 2012 instance. For example, the SQL Server 2012 instance for the medium-sized user database requires four vCPUs, 16 GB of memory, 100 GB of storage, and 25 IOPS. This translates to: Four reference virtual machines for the CPU requirement Eight reference virtual machines for the memory requirement One reference virtual machine for the capacity requirement One reference virtual machine for the IOPS requirement We should use the maximum reference virtual machines to support the performance requirement, therefore the recommended reference virtual machine number should be eight for the designed SQL Server 2012 instance, multiplied by the number of virtual machines needed (one in this example), which results in eight reference virtual machines in total. For more details about how to determine the equivalent reference virtual machines, refer to the appropriate document in Essential reading. 24 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 2: Before You Start Table 8. Example of storage recommendations—medium-sized user database Recommended additional storage layout for SQL Server 2012 Pool name SQL Server 2012 user database data pool SQL Server 2012 user database log and tempdb pool RAID type Disk type Disk capacity Number of disks RAID 5 SAS disks 15,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) 300 GB 10 RAID 10 FAST VP Solid State Drives (SSDs) 100 GB 2 RAID 10 SAS disks 15,000 rpm 300 GB 4 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 25 Chapter 2: Before You Start Essential reading EMC recommends that you read the following documents, which are available from the VSPEX space in the EMC Community Network or from EMC.com or the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure partner portal. Design Guide Refer to the Design Guide: Solution Overviews Top Reasons VSPEX Proven Infrastructure EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Refer to the following Solution Overviews: EMC VSPEX Server Virtualization for Midmarket Businesses EMC VSPEX Server Virtualization for Small and Medium Businesses Refer to the following Top Reasons documents: Top Reasons Customers Virtualize with VSPEX Top Reasons Why Customers Virtualize Their Servers with EMC VSPEX Refer to the following VSPEX Proven Infrastructure documents: EMC VSPEX Private Cloud VMware vSphere 5.1 for up to 100 Virtual Machines EMC VSPEX Private Cloud VMware vSphere 5.1 for up to 1,000 Virtual Machines Refer to the following VSPEX with EMC backup and recovery guide: VSPEX with EMC backup and recovery EMC Backup and Recovery Options for VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL guide Server 2012 Design and Implementation Guide 26 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 3: Solution Overview Chapter 3 Solution Overview This chapter presents the following topics: Overview ............................................................................................................... 28 Solution architecture ............................................................................................. 28 Key components .................................................................................................... 29 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 27 Chapter 3: Solution Overview Overview This chapter provides an overview of the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure for virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 and the key technologies used in this solution. This VSPEX for virtualized SQL Server 2012 solution supports all VSPEX virtualization offerings for SQL Server 2012 on VMware. This guide uses EMC VSPEX Proven Infrastructure for up to 1,000 virtual machines as the working example. This VSPEX for virtualized SQL Server 2012 solution was validated using VNX and VMware virtualized Windows server platforms to provide storage and server hardware consolidation. The solution described in this guide includes servers, storage, network, backup and recovery, and SQL Server 2012 components that are focused on midrange environments. The solution enables customers to quickly and consistently deploy and protect a virtualized SQL Server 2012 instance in a VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. The VNX and VNXe storage arrays are multiprotocol platforms that can support the Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI), Network file system (NFS), and Common Internet File System (CIFS) protocols depending on the customer’s specific needs. The solution was validated using iSCSI for data storage. This solution requires the presence of Active Directory (AD) and Domain Name System (DNS). The implementation of these services is beyond the scope of this guide, but these are prerequisites for a successful deployment. EMC backup and recovery solutions provide essential SQL Server 2012 data protection and are described in a separate document, EMC Backup and Recovery Options for VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Design and Implementation Guide Solution architecture Figure 1 shows an example of the architecture that characterizes the validated infrastructure for the support of a SQL Server 2012 platform on a VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. In this solution, all SQL Server 2012 instances are deployed as virtual machines on vSphere clusters. VMware vCenter Server requires a database service to store configuration and monitoring details. VNX or VNXe is used to provide the back-end storage functionality, but you can use any model that has been validated as part of the VSPEX Proven Infrastructures. The optional backup and recovery components of the solution provide SQL Server 2012 data protection, ranging from the entire SQL Server 2012 to various object levels. Note: This solution applies to all VSPEX offerings on VMware. 28 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 3: Solution Overview Figure 1. Solution architecture For more details, refer to the appropriate document in Essential reading. Key components This section provides an overview of the following key technologies used in this solution: Microsoft SQL Server 2012 EMC VSPEX Proven Infrastructure EMC Next-Generation VNX EMC VNXe EMC backup and recovery solutions VMware vSphere 5.1 EMC XtremSW™ Cache EMC PowerPath/VE EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 29 Chapter 3: Solution Overview Microsoft SQL Server 2012 SQL Server 2012 is Microsoft’s database management and analysis system for e-commerce, line-of-business, and data warehousing solutions. SQL Server 2012 is widely used to store, retrieve, and manage application data. Because it is used with a range of applications and each application has different requirements for performance, sizing, availability, recoverability, manageability, it is important to fully understand these factors and plan accordingly when deploying SQL Server 2012. EMC VSPEX Proven EMC has joined forces with the industry’s leading providers of IT infrastructure to create a complete virtualization solution that accelerates deployment of a private Infrastructure cloud. VSPEX enables faster deployment, more simplicity, greater choice, higher efficiency, and lower risk. Validation by EMC ensures predictable performance and enables customers to select technology that uses their existing IT infrastructure while eliminating planning, sizing, and, configuration burdens. VSPEX provides a virtual infrastructure for customers looking to gain simplicity that is characteristic of truly converged infrastructures while at the same time gaining more choice in individual stack components. VSPEX solutions are proven by EMC and packaged and sold exclusively by EMC channel partners. VSPEX provides channel partners more opportunity, faster sales cycle, and end-to-end enablement. By working closely together, EMC and its channel partners can now deliver an infrastructure that accelerates the journey to the cloud for even more customers. VSPEX Proven Infrastructures, as shown in Figure 2, are modular virtualized infrastructures validated by EMC and delivered by EMC’s VSPEX partners. VSPEX includes a virtualization layer, server and network layers, and EMC storage and backup, designed by EMC to deliver reliable and predictable performance. Figure 2. VSPEX Proven Infrastructure VSPEX provides the flexibility to choose network, server, and virtualization technologies that fit a customer’s environment to create a complete virtualization solution. VSPEX delivers faster deployment for EMC partner customers, with greater simplicity and efficiency, more choice, and lower risk to a customer’s business. 30 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 3: Solution Overview Application-based solutions such as SQL Server 2012 can be deployed on VSPEX Proven Infrastructures. The VSPEX for virtualized SQL Server 2012 was validated using VNX and vSphere 5.1 virtualized server platforms to provide storage and server hardware consolidation. The virtualized infrastructure is centrally managed, and enables you to efficiently deploy and management of a scalable number of virtual machines and associated shared storage. EMC NextGeneration VNX Features and enhancements The EMC VNX flash-optimized unified storage platform delivers innovation and enterprise capabilities for file, block, and object storage in a single, scalable, and easy-to-use solution. Ideal for mixed workloads in physical or virtual environments, VNX combines powerful and flexible hardware with advanced efficiency, management, and protection software to meet the demanding needs of today’s virtualized application environments. VNX includes many features and enhancements designed and built upon the first generation’s success. These features and enhancements include: More capacity with multicore optimization with Multicore Cache, Multicore RAID, and Multicore FAST Cache (MCx) Greater efficiency with a flash-optimized hybrid array Better protection by increasing application availability with active/active array service processors Easier administration and deployment by increasing productivity with the new Unisphere Management Suite VSPEX is built with the next generation of VNX to deliver even greater efficiency, performance, and scalability than ever before. Flash-optimized hybrid array VNX is a flash-optimized hybrid array that provides automated tiering to deliver the best performance to your critical data, while intelligently moving less frequently accessed data to lower cost disks. In this hybrid approach, a small percentage of flash drives in the overall system can provide a high percentage of the overall IOPS. The flash-optimized VNX takes full advantage of the low latency of flash to deliver cost-saving optimization and high performance scalability. The EMC Fully Automated Storage Tiering Suite (FAST Cache and FAST VP) tiers both block and file data across heterogeneous drives and boosts the most active data to cache, ensuring that customers never have to make concessions for cost or performance. Data generally is accessed most frequently at the time it is created, therefore new data is first stored on flash drives to provide the best performance. As that data ages and becomes less active over time, FAST VP tiers the data from high-performance to high-capacity drives automatically, based on customer-defined policies. This functionality has been enhanced with four times better granularity and with new FAST VP SSDs based on enterprise multilevel cell (eMLC) technology to lower the cost per EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 31 Chapter 3: Solution Overview gigabyte. FAST Cache dynamically absorbs unpredicted spikes in system workloads. All VSPEX use cases benefit from the increased efficiency. VSPEX Proven Infrastructures deliver private cloud, end-user computing, and virtualized application solutions. With VNX, customers can achieve an even greater return on their investment. VNX provides out-of-band, block-based deduplication that can dramatically lower the costs of the flash tier. VNX Intel MCx Code Path Optimization The advent of flash technology has been a catalyst in totally changing the requirements of midrange storage systems. EMC redesigned the midrange storage platform to efficiently optimize multicore CPUs to provide the highest performing storage system at the lowest cost in the market. MCx distributes all VNX data services across all cores (up to 32), as shown in Figure 3. The VNX series with MCx has dramatically improved the file performance for transactional applications like databases or virtual machines over network-attached storage (NAS). Figure 3. Next-Generation VNX with multicore optimization Multicore cache The cache is the most valuable asset in the storage subsystem; its efficient use is key to the overall efficiency of the platform in handling variable and changing workloads. The cache engine has been modularized to take advantage of all the cores available in the system. Multicore RAID Another important part of the MCx redesign is the handling of I/O to the permanent back-end storage—hard disk drives (HDDs) and SSDs. Greatly increased performance improvements in VNX come from the modularization of the back-end data management processing, which enables MCx to seamlessly scale across all processors. 32 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 3: Solution Overview VNX performance Performance enhancements VNX storage, enabled with the MCx architecture, is optimized for Flash 1st and provides unprecedented overall performance, optimizing for transaction performance (cost per IOPS), and bandwidth performance (cost per GB/s) with low latency, and providing optimal capacity efficiency (cost per GB). VNX provides the following performance improvements: Up to four times more file transactions when compared with dual controller arrays Increased file performance for transactional applications by up to three times with a 60 percent better response time Up to four times more Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server OLTP transactions Up to six more virtual machines Active/active array service processors The new VNX architecture provides active/active array service processors, as shown in Figure 4. This eliminates application timeouts during path failover, since both paths are actively serving I/O. Figure 4. Active/active processors increase performance, resiliency, and efficiency Load balancing also has been improved and applications can achieve up to two times improvement in performance. Active/active for block is ideal for applications that require the highest levels of availability and performance, but do not require tiering or efficiency services like compression, deduplication, or snapshot. With this VNX release, VSPEX customers can use Virtual Data Movers (VDMs) and EMC VNX Replicator to perform automated and high-speed file system migrations between systems. This process migrates all snaps and settings automatically, and enables the clients to continue operations during the migration. Note: The active/active processors are only available for classic logical unit numbers (LUNs), not for pool LUNs. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 33 Chapter 3: Solution Overview Unisphere Management Suite The Unisphere Management Suite extends Unisphere’s easy-to-use, interface to include VNX Monitoring and Reporting for validating performance and anticipating capacity requirements. As shown in Figure 5, the suite also includes Unisphere Remote for centrally managing up to thousands of VNX and VNXe systems with support for XtremSW Cache™. Figure 5. Unisphere Management Suite Virtualization management EMC Virtual Storage Integrator Virtual Storage Integrator (VSI) is a no-charge plug-in for VMware vCenter that is available to all VMware users with EMC storage. VSPEX customers can use VSI to simplify management of virtualized storage. VMware administrators can gain visibility into their VNX storage using the same familiar vCenter interface to which they are accustomed. With VSI, IT administrators can do more work in less time. VSI offers unmatched access control that enables you to efficiently manage and delegate storage tasks with confidence. VSI enables customer to perform daily management tasks with up 90 percent fewer clicks and up to 10 times higher productivity. VMware vStorage APIs for Array Integration VMware vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI) offloads VMware storage-related functions from the server to the storage system, enabling more efficient use of server and network resources for increased performance and consolidation. VMware vStorage APIs for Storage Awareness VMware vStorage APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA) is a VMware-defined API that displays storage information through vCenter. Integration between VASA technology and VNX makes storage management in a virtualized environment a seamless experience. 34 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 3: Solution Overview EMC Storage Integrator EMC Storage Integrator (ESI) is targeted toward the Windows and Windows applications administrator. ESI is easy to use, delivers end-to end monitoring, and is hypervisor agnostic. Administrators can provision in both virtual and physical environments for a Windows platform, and troubleshoot by viewing the topology of an application from the underlying hypervisor to the storage. EMC VNXe The VNXe series is optimized for virtual applications delivering industry-leading innovation and enterprise capabilities for file, block, and object storage in a scalable, easy-to-use solution. The VNXe series is designed for the IT manager in smaller environments. VNXe features VNXe supports the following features: Next-generation unified storage, optimized for virtualized applications Capacity optimization features including compression, deduplication, thin provisioning, and application-centric copies High availability, designed to deliver five 9s availability Multiprotocol support for file and block Simplified management with EMC Unisphere for a single management interface for all NAS, SAN, and replication needs VNXe software suites Table 9 lists the software suites that are available with VNXe. Table 9. VNXe software suites Suite Features Local Protection Suite Increases productivity with snapshots of production data Remote Protection Suite Protects data against localized failures, outages, and disasters Application Protection Suite Automates application copies and proves compliance Security and Compliance Suite Keeps data safe from changes, deletions, and malicious activity EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 35 Chapter 3: Solution Overview VNXe software packs available Table 10 lists the software packs that are available with VNXe. Table 10. VNXe software packs EMC backup and recovery solutions Pack Features VNXe3300 Total Protection Pack Includes the Local Protection Suite, Remote Protection Suite, and Application Protection Suite VNXe3150 Total Value Pack Includes the Remote Protection Suite, Application Protection Suite, and the Security and Compliance Suite EMC backup and recovery solutions—EMC Avamar and Data Domain—deliver the protection confidence needed to accelerate deployment of virtualized SQL Server 2012. Optimized for virtualized application environments, EMC backup and recovery reduces backup times by 90 percent and increases recovery speeds by 30 times— even offering instant virtual machine access—for worry-free protection. EMC backup appliances add another layer of assurance with end-to-end verification and selfhealing for ensured recovery. For SQL Server 2012, EMC backup delivers a full range of backup options to allow customers to meet the demanding needs of SQL database administrator (DBA). EMC backup provides SQL AlwaysOn Availability Groups backup support and flexible, granular restores. In addition, EMC backup provides the ability for DBAs to set backup policies within SQL Management Center Studio, enabling greater visibility and control. In addition, features like auto-discovery and auto-configuration for backup reduce complexity and save time while ensuring that critical data is always protected. EMC backup and recovery solutions also deliver big savings. The deduplication solutions reduce backup storage by 10-30 times, backup management time by 81 percent, and bandwidth by 99 percent for efficient offsite replication—delivering a seven-month payback on average. Furthermore, for VMware-based VSPEX deployments with up to 50 virtual machines, VSPEX offers VMware vSphere Data Protection (VDP) Advanced for SQL Server. VDP Advanced is powered by EMC Avamar technology, so you get the benefits of Avamar's fast, efficient, image-level backup and recovery combined with a SQL-specific plugin that simplifies protection of your SQL Server environment. For full technical guidance, refer to EMC Backup and Recovery Options for VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Design and Implementation Guide. This guide describes how to design, size, and implement EMC backup solutions for VSPEX Proven Infrastructure for virtualized SQL Server 2012. VMware vSphere 5.1 36 VMware vSphere 5.1 transforms a computer’s physical resources, by virtualizing the CPU, RAM, hard disk, and network controller. This transformation creates fully functional virtual machines that run isolated and encapsulated operating systems and applications just like physical computers. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 3: Solution Overview The high-availability features of vSphere 5.1, such as vMotion and Storage vMotion, enable seamless migration of virtual machines and stored files from one vSphere server to another with minimal or no performance impact. Coupled with vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) and Storage DRS, virtual machines have access to the appropriate resources at any point in time through load balancing of compute and storage resources. VMware Native Multipathing VMware Native Multipathing (NMP) is the default module in vSphere used for multipathing. NMP provides a default path selection algorithm based on the array type. NMP associates a set of physical paths with a specific storage device, or LUN. The specific details of handling path failover for a given storage array are delegated to a Storage Array Type Plug-In (SATP). The specific details for determining which physical path is used to issue an I/O request to a storage device are handled by a Path Selection Plug-In (PSP). SATPs and PSPs are sub plug-ins within the NMP module. EMC XtremSW Cache If your customer has special performance requirements on SQL Server, consider using EMC XtremSW Cache as a solution. EMC XtremSW Cache (formerly known as EMC VFCache) is intelligent caching software that uses server-based flash technology to reduce latency and accelerate throughput for dramatic application performance improvement. XtremSW Cache accelerates reads and protects data by using a writethrough cache to the networked storage to deliver persistent high availability, integrity, and disaster recovery. XtremSW Cache, coupled with array-based EMC FAST software, creates the most efficient and intelligent I/O path from the application to the data store. The result is a networked infrastructure that is dynamically optimized for performance, intelligence, and protection for both physical and virtual environments. EMC PowerPath/VE EMC recommends installing PowerPath/VE on VMware ESXi hosts for advanced multipathing functionality such as intelligent path testing and performance optimization. EMC PowerPath/VE provides intelligent, high-performance path management with path failover and load balancing optimized for EMC and selected third-party storage systems. PowerPath/VE supports multiple paths between a vSphere host and an external storage device. Having multiple paths enables the vSphere host to access a storage device, even if a specific path is unavailable. Multiple paths can also share the I/O traffic to a storage device. PowerPath/VE is particularly beneficial in highly available environments because it can prevent operational interruptions and downtime. The PowerPath/VE path failover capability avoids host failure by maintaining uninterrupted application support on the host if a path failure occurs (if another path is available). PowerPath/VE works with VMware ESXi as a Multipath Plug-in (MPP) that provides path management to hosts. It is installed as a kernel module on the vSphere host. It plugs in to the vSphere I/O stack framework to bring the advanced multipathing capabilities of PowerPath/VE, including dynamic load balancing and automatic failover, to the vSphere hosts. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 37 Chapter 3: Solution Overview 38 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Chapter 4 Solution Implementation This chapter presents the following topics: Overview ............................................................................................................... 40 Physical setup ....................................................................................................... 40 Network implementation ....................................................................................... 40 Storage implementation ........................................................................................ 41 ESXi and vCenter implementation .......................................................................... 53 Multipathing implementation ................................................................................ 55 SQL Server 2012 virtualization implementation ..................................................... 56 Application implementation ................................................................................... 60 Backup and recovery implementation .................................................................... 70 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 39 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Overview This guide describes how to implement the solution. If you already have a VSPEX Proven Infrastructure environment, you can skip the sections for the implementation steps already completed. Physical setup Overview of physical setup This section includes information about the preparation of the solution physical components. After you complete the steps listed in Table 11, the new hardware components will be racked, cabled, powered, and ready for network connection. Table 11. Tasks for physical setup Task Description Reference Preparing network switches Install switches in the rack and connect them to power. Vendor installation guide Preparing servers Install the servers in the rack and connect them to power. Vendor installation guide Preparing VNX or VNXe Install the VNX or VNXe in the rack and connect it to power. VNX Unified Installation Guide VNXe Installation Guide For details of the physical setup, refer to the appropriate document in Essential reading. Network implementation Overview of network implementation This section provides the requirements for network infrastructure needed to support the solution architecture. Table 12 provides a summary of the tasks for switch and network configuration and references for further information. Table 12. Tasks for switch and network configuration Task Description Reference Configuring infrastructure network Configure storage array and Windows host infrastructure networking as specified in the solution VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. Refer to the appropriate document in VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. Completing network cabling Connect: Switch interconnect ports VNX or VNXe ports ESXi server ports 40 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Task Description Reference Configuring VLANs Configure private and public VLANs as required. Vendor switch configuration guide For details of network implementation, refer to the appropriate document in VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. Storage implementation Overview of storage implementation This section describes how to configure the VNX/VNXe storage array. In this solution, the VNX provides ISCSI data storage for the VMware hosts. Table 13 provides a summary of the tasks for switch and network configuration and references for further information. Table 13. Tasks for storage configuration Task Description Setting up initial VNX or VNXe configuration Configure the IP address information and other key parameters on the VNX or VNXe. Provisioning storage for VMFS datastores Create VMFS datastores that host the virtual server operating system. Provisioning storage for databases from iSCSI storage Create and provision iSCSI LUNs for database and log from VNX or VNXe. Reference VNX/VNXe System Installation Guide VNX File and Unified Worksheet Figure 6 demonstrates the high-level architecture with SQL Server 2012 components and storage elements validated in the EMC VSPEX Proven Infrastructure for SQL Server 2012 on a VMware vSphere virtualization platform and VNX storage array. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 41 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Figure 6. Setting up initial VNX or VNXe configuration SQL Server 2012 storage elements on VMware vSphere 5.1 platform Ensure that network interfaces, IP address information, and other key parameters such as DNS and Network Time Protocol (NTP) are configured on the VNX or VNXe before storage provisioning. For more information on how to configure the VNX platform, refer to the appropriate document listed in Table 13. Provisioning storage for VMFS datastore Before you provision the storage for the VMFS datastore, follow the recommendations and VSPEX Sizing Tool proposals introduced in the Design Guide. Before you start, refer to VSPEX Proven Infrastructure to provision VMFS storage for virtual machine operating system on VNX or VNXe. Table 14 shows an example of additional storage layout for SQL Server data in VNX, additional to the VSPEX private cloud pool. For more information about the storage layout recommendations and design, refer to the Design Guide. 42 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Table 14. Example of additional storage layout for virtual machine operating system on VNX Storage pool name RAID type Disk type Disk capacity Number of disks VSPEX private cloud pool RAID 5 SAS disks 15,000 rpm 600 GB 5 RAID 1 Flash drive 100 GB 2 Refer to the following VSPEX Proven Infrastructure documents: Provisioning storage for iSCSI datastore EMC VSPEX Private Cloud VMware vSphere 5.1 for up to 100 Virtual Machines EMC VSPEX Private Cloud VMware vSphere 5.1 for up to 1,000 Virtual Machines Before you provision the storage for the iSCSI datastore, follow the recommendations and VSPEX Sizing Tool proposals introduced in the Design Guide. Before you start, refer to VSPEX Proven Infrastructure documents to configure iSCSI connections and provision storage for virtual machine operating system on VNX or VNXe. Table 15 shows an example of additional storage layout for SQL Server 2012 data in VNX, in additional to the VSPEX private cloud pool. For more information about the storage layout recommendations and design, refer to the Design Guide. Table 15. Example of additional storage layout for virtual machine operating system on VNX Storage pool name RAID type Disk type Disk capacity Number of disks VSPEX private cloud pool RAID 5 SAS disks 15,000 rpm 600 GB 5 RAID 10 FAST VP SSD 100 GB 2 Refer to the following VSPEX Proven Infrastructure documents: Provisioning storage for application pool disks EMC VSPEX Private Cloud VMware vSphere 5.1 for up to 100 Virtual Machines EMC VSPEX Private Cloud VMware vSphere 5.1 for up to 1,000 Virtual Machines Before you provision the storage for the iSCSI datastore, follow the recommendations and VSPEX Sizing Tool proposals introduced in the Design Guide. Before you start, refer to VSPEX Proven Infrastructure to configure iSCSI connections and provision storage for virtual machine operating system on VNX or VNXe. Provisioning iSCSI storage on VNXe Table 16 shows an example of a storage layout according to the user profile VNX in addition to the VSPEX private cloud pool. See the layout for this example in the Example storage layouts section. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 43 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation For more information about the storage layout recommendations and design, refer to the Design Guide. Table 16. Storage layout example on VNXe Storage pool name RAID type Disk type Disk capacity Number of disks SQL Server 2012 user database data pool RAID 5 SAS 15,000 rpm 600 GB 10 SQL Server 2012 user database log and tempdb pool RAID 10 SAS 15,000 rpm 600 GB 6 Configuring iSCSI servers on VNXe To configure iSCSI servers that are used to store the SQL Server 2012 user database, use these steps in Unisphere: 1. Create a pool with the appropriate number of disks. 2. Create an iSCSI server. 3. Create a VMware storage resource. 4. Unmask LUNs to the ESXi hosts. For detailed steps on iSCSI storage provisioning, refer to EMC VNXe3150 System Installation Guide or EMC VNXe3300 System Installation Guide. For detailed configuration information and steps to configure iSCSI servers on VNXe, refer to EMC VNXe Series Using a VNXe System with VMware NFS or VMware VMFS. Provisioning iSCSI storage on VNX Table 17 shows an example of storage pools for SQL Server 2012 on VNX. This example also contains the FAST VP configuration for OLTP performance acceleration and its configuration steps are introduced in the FAST VP configuration on VNX section. See the layout for this example in the Example storage layouts section. For more information about the storage layout recommendations and design, refer to the Design Guide. Table 17. Storage layout example on VNX Storage pool name RAID type Disk type Disk capacity Number of disks SQL Server 2012 user database data pool RAID 5 SAS 15,000 rpm 300 GB 10 RAID 10 FAST VP SSD 100 GB 2 RAID 10 SAS 10,000 rpm 600 GB 4 SQL Server 2012 user database LOG and tempdb pool 44 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation To configure iSCSI network settings, storage pools, iSCSI LUNs, and storage groups on the VNX array, use these steps in Unisphere: 1. Select the VNX array that is used in this solution. 2. Select Settings Network > Settings for Block. 3. Configure the IP address for network ports used for iSCSI. 4. Select Storage > Storage Configuration > Storage Pools. 5. Click Pools, and then create the additional storage pools in VNX for SQL Server 2012 user databases, transaction logs, and tempdb. 6. Right-click on the storage pool and click Create LUN to provision the LUNs in this pool. 7. Select Thin and click Apply to create a pooled LUN. Thin LUN is created for storage groups by default. Figure 7. Create pooled LUN wizard from Unisphere 8. Select Host > Storage Groups. 9. Create storage groups to unmask LUNs to the ESXi hosts: EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 45 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation a. Click Create and type a name for the storage group. b. Click Yes to finish the creation. c. In the prompt dialog box, click Yes to select LUNs or connect hosts. d. Click LUNs. In Available LUNs, select all the LUNs created in the previous steps and click Add. e. Click Hosts. In Available Hosts, select the ESXi servers to be used and add them into The Hosts to be Connected. FAST VP configuration on VNX FAST VP can increase efficiency of all disk drive resources and get better performance for a lower cost. By adding additional FAST VP SSDs as extreme performance tier into the SQL Server 2012 data pool, FAST VP can automatically adapt to changes with business cycles. In the VNX, FAST VP allows moving SQL Server data automatically between FAST VP SSDs and SAS tiers with a slice granularity of 256 MB, which can help to dramatically reduce the response time and boost SQL Server OLTP performance. In addition, with FAST VP, database administrators can analyze the problem, design a new configuration, implement it, and make it up to 80 percent faster than previously possible. Enabling FAST VP is a transparent operation to SQL Server 2012. No reconfiguration or downtime is necessary. To make the best use of either of the FAST technologies, EMC recommends that you first enable FAST VP on the user database storage pool. For more details, refer to the Design Guide. To create and configure FAST VP: 46 1. For detailed steps about how to create FAST VP, refer to the appropriate VSPEX Proven Infrastructure document listed in VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. Figure 8 shows an example of the Create Storage Pool wizard. 2. In the Create Strange Pool wizard, select the number of disks for each tier you want to add to the storage pool. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Figure 8. 3. Sample of Create Storage Pool wizard—FAST VP enabled Click OK to complete the configuration. EMC recommends that all the LUNs in the pool have the same tiering policy and use the Start High and then Auto-Tier tiering policy for the SQL Server 2012 data pool. For detailed steps about how to configure FAST VP at the LUN level, refer to VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. FAST Cache configuration on VNX By using flash drivers in the array as an extended read-and-write cache, FAST Cache increases IOPS and dramatically decreases database response times compared to a high cost, all SAS configuration. EMC allows caches from SAS tiers or NL-SAS tiers to FAST Cache SSDs at a page granularity of 64 KB. Enabling FAST Cache is a transparent operation to SQL Server 2012 and no reconfiguration or downtime is necessary. For more details, refer to the Design Guide. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 47 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation To create and configure FAST Cache on VNX, use these steps: 1. For detailed steps about how to enable FAST Cache, refer to the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure documents 2. In Unisphere, after FAST Cache is created, click Storage and select Storage Pool. Select SQL Server Data Pool, and then click Properties. 3. In Storage Pool Properties, select Advanced. To enable FAST Cache, click Enabled, as shown in Figure 9. Figure 9. 4. Storage Pool Properties—FAST Cache enabled To complete the configuration, click OK. Note: The FAST Cache feature on the VNX series array does not cause an instant performance improvement. The system must collect data about access patterns and promote frequently used information into the cache. This process can take a few hours, during which the performance of the array steadily improves. Example storage layouts Example 1: Storage layout on VNX Figure 10 shows the example storage layout for VNX with FAST VP enabled. This is an example only; the number of disks used in the VSPEX private cloud pool and SQL Server 2012 pools may vary according to the customer’s requirements. For more information about the storage layout recommendations and design, refer to the Design Guide and VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. 48 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Figure 10. Example storage layout for VNX At this stage in the deployment process, the storage configuration required for the solution is complete. For details about storage implementation, refer to the appropriate documents in the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure section. Example 2: Storage layout on VNXe Figure 11 shows an example storage layout for VNXe. Note this is only an example for both the infrastructure pool and SQL Server 2012 pools. The disk number used in the example for virtual infrastructure can be variable. For more information about the storage layout recommendations and design, refer to the Design Guide and VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 49 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Figure 11. Example storage layout for VNXe At this stage in the deployment process, the storage configuration required for the solution is complete. For details about storage implementation, refer to the appropriate documents in VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. EMC XtremSW Cache configuration With EMC XtremSF (formerly known as EMC VFStore—the server based PCIe flash card and EMC XtremSW Cache (formerly known as VFCache) - intelligent server flash caching software, both read and write database operations are performed directly in the server. While accelerating reads, XtremSW Cache can achieve dramatic decreases in the latency and increase in the database throughput. Combined with networked storage array, EMC XtremSW Cache can ensure persistent high availability, integrity, reliability, and disaster recovery. XtremSW Cache provides a new option for users to balance the cost of the additional hardware with the expected performance benefits. In a VMware environment, the XtremSW Cache card resides on the ESXi server, while XtremSW Cache software is installed on each of the virtual machines that are accelerated by XtremSW Cache. The XtremSW Cache VSI plug-in, which resides on the vCenter client, is used to manage XtremSW Cache. XtremSW Cache can accelerate performance for either RDM or VMFS LUNs in a VMware environment. The XtremSW Cache installation is distributed over various components of the vSphere system. The XtremSW Cache components in a VMware environment are: 50 XtremSW Cache driver for PCIe card XtremSW Cache and agent software in the virtual machines hosted by ESXi servers XtremSW Cache VSI plug-in in the VMware vSphere client EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation To configure the XtremSW Cache in a VMware environment, use these steps: 1. Install the XtremSW Cache PCIe flash device. 2. Install and configure the XtremSW Cache software in the Windows virtual machine. 3. Use the vfcmt command to enable or disable the XtremSW Cache cache device. 4. Use the vfcmt command to add or remove the source device. Using VSI to create and configure XtremSW Cache XtremSW Cache is integrated with VSI plug-ins to simplify XtremSW Cache management and monitoring. To create and configure XtremSW Cache device through VMware VSI plug-in, use these steps, as shown in Figure 12: 1. Create an XtremSW Cache device by carving the space from the XtremSW Cache data store. 2. Add XtremSW Cache to a virtual machine. 3. Add source devices from the virtual machine. 4. Monitor XtremSW Cache usage and statistics through the VSI plug-in GUI. Figure 12. EMC VSI XtremSW Cache management For more information, refer to EMC VFCache Installation Guide for VMware 1.5.1. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 51 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation We monitored and observed how many IOPS were offloaded by the XtremSW Cache card, as shown in Figure 13. Figure 13. VSI XtremSW Cache monitor For more information, refer to EMC VFCache Installation and Administration Guide 1.5.1. 52 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation ESXi and vCenter implementation Overview of ESXi and vCenter implementation This section provides the requirements for the installation and configuration of the ESXi hosts, vCenter configuration, and infrastructure servers required to support the architecture. Table 18 describes the tasks that must be completed. Table 18. Steps for ESXi and vCenter installation and configuration Task Description Reference Installing ESXi Install the ESXi 5.1 hypervisor on the physical servers that are being deployed for the solution. vSphere Installation and Setup Configuring ESXi networking Configure ESXi networking including network interface card (NIC) trunking, vmkernel port, virtual machine port groups, and Jumbo Frames. vSphere Networking Installing PowerPath/VE Install multipathing software PowerPath/VE on ESXi hosts Multipathing implementation Configuring ESXi iSCSI adapters Configure ESXi iSCSI adapters to connect iSCSI disks to ESXi hosts vSphere Storage Connecting VMware datastores Connect the VMware datastore to the ESXi hosts deployed for the solution. vSphere Storage Creating a virtual machine for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Create a virtual machine to host SQL Server 2012 that will be used for the vCenter Server database. Verify that the virtual server meets the hardware and software requirements. Microsoft TechNet Installing Microsoft Windows on the virtual machine Install Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition on the virtual machine that is created to host SQL Server 2012. Microsoft TechNet Installing SQL Server 2012 Install SQL Server 2012 on the virtual machine designated for that purpose. Microsoft TechNet Creating the vCenter host virtual machine Create a virtual machine to be used for the VMware vCenter Server. vSphere Virtual Machine Administration Installing vCenter guest OS Install Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition on the vCenter host virtual machine. N/A Updating the virtual machine Install VMware Tools, enable hardware acceleration, and enable remote console access. vSphere Virtual Machine Administration EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 53 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Task Description Creating vCenter ODBC connections Create the 64-bit vCenter and 32-bit vCenter Update Manager ODBC connections. Reference vSphere Installation and Setup Installing and Administering VMware vSphere Update Manager Installing vCenter Server Install vCenter Server software. vSphere Installation and Setup Installing vCenter Update Manager Install vCenter Update Manager software. Installing and Administering VMware vSphere Update Manager Creating a virtual data center Create a virtual data center. vCenter Server and Host Management Applying vSphere license keys Type the vSphere license keys in the vCenter licensing menu. vSphere Installation and Setup Adding ESXi hosts Connect vCenter to ESXi hosts. vCenter Server and Host Management Configuring vSphere clustering Create a vSphere cluster and move the ESXi hosts into it. vSphere Resource Management Performing array ESXi host discovery Perform ESXi host discovery within the Unisphere console. Using EMC VNX Storage with VMware vSphere TechBook Enabling VMware High Availability (HA), DRS, and vMotion functionality Once you enable DRS, EMC recommends you use VMware vSphere DRS Affinity and Anti-Affinity rules for specific groups of virtual machines, for example, groups of multiple SQL Server 2012 instances, which should never reside on the same host. vSphere Availability Installing the vCenter Update Manager plug-in Install the vCenter Update Manager plug-in on the administration console. Installing and Administering VMware vSphere Update Manager Installing the EMC VNX UEM (Unified Element Manager) CLI Install the VNX UEM command line interface (CLI) on the administration console. EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Unified Storage Management Product Guide Installing the EMC VSI plug-in Install the EMC VSI plug-in on the administration console. EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Unified Storage Management Product Guide For details of ESXi and vCenter, refer to the appropriate documents in VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. 54 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Multipathing implementation Overview of multipathing implementation EMC PowerPath/VE software optimized multipathing through load-balancing algorithms. Port load balancing equalizes the I/O workload across all available channels. EMC recommends installing PowerPath/VE on VMware ESXi hosts for load balancing, path management, and I/O path failure detection. PowerPath configuration for iSCSI storage To configure multiple paths in a VMware environment for iSCSI storage on VNX or VNXe, use these steps: 1. Configure the vmkernel for iSCSI. You can configure iSCSI multipathing for storage by enabling multiple NICs. 2. Enable multiple storage processor ports on VNX or VNXe and configure the IP address to communicate with the ESXi hosts. Ensure vmkernel is enabled for iSCSI. 3. Install PowerPath/VE on the ESXi servers and configure the license. PowerPath/VE installation You can install PowerPath/VE by using remote vCLI, VMware Update Manager, or Auto Deploy. Complete the following steps to install PowerPath/VE by using remote vCLI: 1. Download the PowerPath/VE software distribution from Powerlink. 2. Make the offline package available for use on the local vSphere host. 3. Use the scp (secure copy) command to copy the PowerPath/VE ZIP offline package to the vSphere host. Alternatively, copy the PowerPath/VE ZIP offline package to the local vCenter data store using vSphere client. 4. On the remote host running vCLI, type the following commands to install the PowerPath/VE package: # esxcli -s <vSphere server IP address or hostname> software vib install -d <absolute path to PowerPath package> 5. Bring the vSphere host into Maintenance mode. 6. Reboot the vSphere host onto which you are installing. 7. Bring vSphere host out of Maintenance mode. For PowerPath/VE installation and configuration for vSphere, refer to EMC PowerPath/VE installation and Administration Guide. For iSCSI multipathing configuration, refer to vSphere Storage ESXi 5.1, vCenter Server 5.1. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 55 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation SQL Server 2012 virtualization implementation This section provides the requirements for the installation and configuration of the virtual machines. Table 19 describes the tasks that must be completed. Overview of SQL Server 2012 virtualization implementation Table 19. SQL Server 2012 host virtual machine installation and configuration Task Description Creating the SQL Server 2012 virtual machines Create virtual machines to be used for the SQL Server 2012 OLTP instance. Installing SQL Server 2012 guest OS Install Windows Server 2012 Data Center Edition on the SQL Server 2012 host virtual machines. Installing or upgrade integration services Install a software package for supported guest operating systems that improves integration between the physical computer and the virtual machine. Assigning IP address Assign the IP address for all the networks in all virtual machines. Reference Install the guest OS Join all the SQL Server 2012 virtual machines to the domain. 56 Creating user account Create a SQL Server 2012 administrative account in the domain. Creating virtual disk for SQL server 2012 Create a virtual disk to hold SQL Server user databases. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Configure Windows Service Accounts and Permissions. Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Create a virtual machine on the ESXi server with the customer’s guest OS Creating SQL Server 2012 virtual configuration. You can calculate the memory and processor requirements for the SQL Server 2012 virtual machine by using the VSPEX Sizing Tool and following the machines recommendations in the Design Guide. Table 20 lists an example of the memory and processor equivalent reference virtual machine requirement for different SQL Server 2012 in this VSPEX solution. Table 20. SQL Server 2012 reference virtual machine OS volume capacity OS volume IOPS Number of virtual machines Total reference virtual machine 1 8 SQL Server 2012 virtual machine vCPU Memory SQL Server 2012 Resource requirement 4 16 GB Less than 100 GB Less than 25 Equivalent reference virtual machines 4 8 1 1 Refer to Table 7 for how the reference virtual machine requirement is calculated. Installing guest OS Install Windows Server 2012 on the SQL Server 2012 virtual machine by selecting the appropriate network and time, and applying the latest update. Assigning an IP address Assign an IP address for each network adapter in all the SQL Server 2012 virtual machines, according to what you have planned for the IP address reservation for each server. Then join every Windows Server virtual machine to the existing domain. For more information, refer to Configuration worksheet for SQL Server. Creating SQL Server 2012 service accounts To install the SQL Server 2012 database engine, EMC recommends that you provide dedicated accounts that can be configured to start SQL Server 2012 services. You can create the accounts in your domain. For more detailed information about how to configure Windows service accounts and permissions for SQL Server 2012, refer to the Microsoft TechNet topic Configure Windows Service Accounts and Permissions. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 57 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Creating virtual disks for SQL Server 2012 You can calculate the virtual disk layouts with back-end VMware Virtual Machine Disk (VMDX) topologies by using the VSPEX Sizing Tool and following the recommendations in the Design Guide. In this VSPEX solution, Table 21 details an example of the storage layout for VMDK and virtual disks. Table 21. SQL Server 2012 components SQL Server 2012 user database Tempdb Example of VMDK and virtual disk storage layout iSCSI or Fibre Channel (FC) Volume size VMDK folder name In virtual machine mount point User database data 400 GB \SQLServer\data C:\mountpoint\250DB_DATA250 DB_DATA SQL Server 2012 user database data pool User database log 100 GB \SQLServer\log C:\mountpoint\250DB_LOG Log and tempdb pool SQL Server tempdb 20 GB \SQLServer\tempdb C:\mountpoint\tempdb Log and tempdb pool Volume name Adding a virtual disk To add a virtual disk, use these steps: 58 1. In vSphere vCenter, right-click the SQL Server 2012 virtual machine and select Edit Settings. 2. Click Add, select Add Hardware, and then select Hard Disk. 3. Select Create a new virtual disk and specify Disk Size and Location. Do not change the remaining default settings, as shown in Figure 14. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Figure 14. 4. In the virtual machine, these disks appear as normal block SCSI devices. Format it with a 64 KB allocation unit size, as shown in Figure 15. Figure 15. 5. Creating a new virtual disk Formatting disk Click OK. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 59 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Application implementation Overview of application implementation This section includes information about how to implement SQL Server in the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. After you complete the tasks in Table 22, the new SQL Server instance is ready to be verified and tested. Before you implement SQL Server 2012, plan the SQL Server database, based on business needs. Refer to the Design Guide for guidance. Table 22. 60 Tasks to implement a SQL Server 2012 deployment Task Description Reference Installing SQL Server 2012 instances Install SQL Server 2012 instances on the SQL Server virtual machines and verify the installation. Planning a SQL Server Installation Install SQL Server 2012 from the Installation Wizard (Setup) Validate a SQL Server Installation Designing and deploy SQL Server 2012 OLTP system Design and deploy SQL Server OLTP applications and databases based on the business needs. Online Transaction Processing (OLTP)---a Technical Reference Guide for Designing Mission-Critical OLTP Solutions Configuring SQL Server 2012 Configure SQL Server 2012 database engine based on the best practices. Enable the Lock Pages in Memory Option (Windows) Add Data or Log Files to a Database EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Installing SQL Server 2012 instances This section outlines the steps for installing Server 2012 instances. After you complete these steps, the new SQL Server instance should be installed successfully on the virtual machine. Installing .Net Framework and the latest update .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and .Net Framework 4.0 are requirements for SQL Server 2012 installation. When you run the SQL Server installation wizard on a computer with the Windows Server 2012 OS, NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and 4.0 are automatically downloaded and installed. This process requires Internet access. 1. Download and install .Net Framework 3.5 SP1, 4.0, and its latest update, on the SQL Server 2012 virtual machine. 2. Review installation requirements. 3. Install SQL Server 2012 from the installation wizard. 4. Verify the SQL Server 2012 Installation. If there is no Internet access, EMC recommends that you download and install .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and 4.0 on a computer with Internet access. Copy the downloaded installation files to the computer without Internet access, and then install .NET Framework 3. SP1 and 4.0 before you run Setup.exe to install the SQL Server 2012 components. For more detailed information, refer to the MSDN Library topic Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Deployment Considerations. Reviewing installation requirements Before you start to install SQL Server 2012, EMC recommends that you review all the installation requirements, system and network configuration, and security checks. For more information, refer to the MSDN Library topic Planning a SQL Server Installation. Installing SQL Server 2012 from the installation wizard The SQL Server installation wizard provides a single feature tree for installation of all SQL Server components, so you do not need to install them individually. You can use the SQL Server installation wizard to install SQL Server 2012 instances on the virtual machine. To install SQL Server 2012, use these steps: 1. For local installation, log in as a local administrator and launch the installation wizard. If you install the SQL Server instance from a remote share, use a domain account that has read and execute permissions on the remote share. 2. To launch the SQL Server 2012 installation wizard, insert the SQL Server installation media. From the root folder, double-click Setup.exe and follow the wizard to install SQL Server 2012. 3. In this solution, we installed a new instance in the SQL Server virtual machine. To create a new instance of SQL Server, click Installation in the left-hand navigation pane, and then click New SQL Server stand-alone installation or add features to an existing installation, as shown in Figure 16. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 61 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Figure 16. SQL Server Installation Center 62 4. Follow the wizard to run the System Configuration Checker, input the product keys for SQL Server 2012, and check the latest update. 5. In the Setup Role dialog box, select SQL Server Feature Installation (see Figure 17), and then click Next to go to the Feature Selection dialog box. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Figure 17. SQL Server 2012 Setup Role in the installation wizard 6. In the Feature Selection dialog box, select the components for your installation. In this solution, we selected the Database Engine Services component for the OLTP workload. You can select the components based on your business requirements. Specify the location to install all the features and components. The prerequisites for the selected features are displayed, as shown in Figure 18. During the installation process, SQL Server 2012 Setup installs the prerequisites that are not already installed. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 63 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Figure 18. SQL Server 2012 Feature Selection in the installation wizard 7. In the Instance Configuration dialog box, specify whether to install a default instance or a named instance. In this solution, we used the default instance for the SQL Server 2012 OLTP workload, as shown in Figure 19. Figure 19. SQL Server 2012 Instance Configuration in the installation wizard 64 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation 8. In the Server Configuration dialog box, depending on the features that you choose to install, use the service accounts created in the Creating SQL Server 2012 service accounts section to specify login accounts for the SQL Server services that are configured. 9. In the Database Engine Configuration dialog box, specify the authentication mode and administrators for the database engine. In this solution, we used Windows authentication mode for the OLTP workload, as shown in Figure 20. You can select your own authentication mode based on the application requirements and business needs. Figure 20. SQL Server 2012 Database Engine Configuration 10. Follow the wizard to run the System Configuration Checker again based on installation configuration rules. 11. In the Ready to Install dialog box, click Install to start SQL Server 2012 installation. When the installation is complete, you can view summary information and the SQL Server 2012 installation status, as shown in Figure 21. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 65 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Figure 21. SQL Server 2012 installation completed 12. Click Close to close the wizard. You may need to restart the SQL Server 2012 virtual machine. For detailed information on installing other SQL Server 2012 components, refer to the MSDN Library topic Install SQL Server 2012 from the Installation Wizard (Setup). Verifying a SQL Server 2012 installation After the installation is complete, EMC recommends that you use Installed SQL Server features discovery report to verify the SQL Server 2012 installation. This displays a report of SQL Server 2012 products and features that are installed on the local server. For detailed steps, refer to the MSDN Library topic Validate a SQL Server Installation. Deploying SQL Server 2012 OLTP system After installing the SQL Server 2012 instances, you can design and deploy your own SQL Server OLTP applications and databases on the VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. For more information about how to design SQL Server OLTP solutions with the best performance, refer to the Microsoft TechNet Library topic Online Transaction Processing (OLTP)–a Technical Reference Guide for Designing Mission-Critical OLTP Solutions. 66 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Configuring SQL Server 2012 In this VSPEX solution, we followed the best practices in the Design Guide to configure SQL Server 2012 for better performance. The following are some best practices for configuring SQL Server 2012. Granting the “Lock pages in memory” privilege to the SQL Server 2012 startup account To grant the “Lock Pages in Memory” privilege to the SQL Server startup account, use these steps: 1. Run secpol.msc on the server. 2. Expand Security Settings in the left navigation pane, and select Local Policies > User Rights Assignment. 3. Under Policy in the right-hand list view, double-click Lock pages in memory, as shown in Figure 22. Figure 22. Grant “Lock pages in memory” 4. On the Local Security Setting tab, select Add User or Group. 5. From Select Users, Computers, or Group: 6. a. Select Locations and choose either your local computer name (for local groups/standalone) or your domain (for domain groups/clusters). b. Select Object Types and select Groups. c. From Enter the object names to select, enter your SQL Server group name created by the SQL Server Setup program (standalone) or your cluster domain group (for clusters). d. Click OK. Restart the SQL Server instance. For more detailed steps, refer to the MSDN Library topic Enable the Lock Pages in Memory Option (Windows). EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 67 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Granting the “Perform volume maintenance tasks” privilege to SQL Server 2012 startup account To grant the “Perform volume maintenance tasks” privilege to the SQL Server 2012 startup account, use these steps: 1. Run secpol.msc on the server. 2. Under Security Settings, select Local Policies > User Rights Assignment. 3. Under Policy, navigate to and double-click Perform volume maintenance tasks, as shown in Figure 23. Figure 23. 4. Click Local Security Setting, then click Add User or Group. 5. From Select Users, Computers, or Group: 6. 68 Grant “Perform volume maintenance tasks” a. Select Locations and choose either the local computer name (for local groups or standalone) or the domain (for domain groups or clusters). b. Select Object Types and select Groups. c. In Enter the object names to select, enter the SQL Server group name that you created in the SQL Server Setup program (standalone) or your cluster domain group (for clusters). d. Click OK. Restart the SQL Server instance. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Setting the maximum server memory To set the maximum server memory, use these steps: 1. Open the SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the SQL Server instance. 2. Right-click the SQL Server instance and select Server Properties. Then select Memory in the left pane. 3. Set the maximum server memory (in MB), as shown in Figure 24. Figure 24. Set the maximum server memory 4. Restart the SQL Server instance. Creating multiple data files for SQL Server 2012 databases EMC recommends that you create multiple data files for large SQL Server databases. For more detailed steps, refer to the MSDN Library topic Add Data or Log Files to a Database. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 69 Chapter 4: Solution Implementation Backup and recovery implementation All VSPEX solutions are sized and tested with EMC backup and recovery products, including EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain. If your solution includes backup and recovery components, refer to EMC Backup and Recovery Options for VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Design and Implementation Guide for detailed information on implementing your backup and recovery solution. 70 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 5: Solution Verification Chapter 5 Solution Verification This chapter presents the following topics: Baseline hardware verification ............................................................................... 72 SQL Server 2012 OLTP performance verification ..................................................... 73 Backup and recovery verification ........................................................................... 78 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 71 Chapter 5: Solution Verification Baseline hardware verification Overview of baseline hardware verification This section provides a list of items that you need to review after you configure the VSPEX solution. The goal of this section is to verify the configuration and functionality of specific aspects of the solution, and to ensure that the configuration supports core availability requirements. Table 23 describes the required verification tasks that you must complete. Table 23. Tasks for verifying the VSPEX installation Task Description Reference Verifying ESXi functionality Verify the basic ESXi functionality of the solution with a post-installation checklist. Using EMC VNX storage with VMware vSphere Verifying solution components redundancy Verify the redundancy of the solution components: Vendor documentation Storage ESXi host Network switch Monitoring the health of solution Verifying ESXi functionality Use tools to monitor the health of solution, as shown in Table 24. EMC recommends that you verify the ESXi configurations before deployment to production on each ESXi server. For more detailed information, refer to appropriate documents in VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. Verifying solution components redundancy To ensure that the various components of the solution maintain availability requirements, it is important that you test specific scenarios related to maintenance or hardware failure. EMC recommends that you verify redundancy of the solution components including storage, ESXi hosts, and network switches. For details, refer to the appropriate documents in VSPEX Proven Infrastructure. 72 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 5: Solution Verification Monitoring the solution’s health Health monitoring is a simplified measurement that reflects the reliability, stability, and performance of the entire VSPEX solution. Table 24 lists some tools for you to monitor and troubleshoot your VSPEX solution. Table 24. Tools to monitor the VSPEX for virtualized SQL Server 2012 solution Tools Description esxtop The esxtop tool provides a real-time view (updated every five seconds, by default) of ESXi hypervisor performance metrics, such as CPU. It is important that you understand the performance for hypervisor in order to measure or troubleshoot the SQL Server performance-related issues. Unisphere Analyzer Unisphere Analyzer software is preloaded on all VNX storage systems with the FLARE or block bundles (or later). It is an easy to monitor, collect, and analyze the all aspects of storage related data from it. perfmon Performance Monitor tool in the Windows operating system, commonly referred to as perfmon. It is beneficial to collect this data from deployed applications at regular intervals to analyze trends and to have baseline measurements, which can be useful in investigating problems that are related to I/O performance. Event Viewer Event Viewer is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in. It lets you browse and manage event logs. It is a handy tool for troubleshooting problems. You can filter for specific events across multiple logs, and reuse useful event filters as custom views. EMC recommends that you use the test tools to verify the performance for the entire SQL Server environment. For details about performance verification and test methodology, refer to the Design Guide. SQL Server 2012 OLTP performance verification Overview of SQL Server 2012 performance verification This section provides an example of a SQL Server environment in this solution. The purpose is to measure the performance of SQL Server to ensure the VSPEX solution meets your business requirements. Before you verify your own solution, to understand test methodology better, refer to the Design Guide. Test scenario and configuration The test objectives are: Baseline performance: To verify that the current SQL Server environment can satisfy the business requirement in the baseline test without FAST VP engagement. FAST VP performance acceleration: To verify that the VSPEX solution can satisfy the business requirement in the performance promotion test with FAST VP engagement. EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 73 Chapter 5: Solution Verification Baseline performance verification The baseline performance verification built a SQL Server data pool, log and tempdb pool on the SAS 10k rpm disk, without FAST VP enabled on the data pool. Key metrics After you identify whether or not to use FAST VP, and the business requirements can be satisfied, you need to know which SQL Server testing key metrics to capture and what thresholds must be met for each metric when running the SQL Server verification tests. To identify the SQL Server key performance metrics, as shown in Table 25, refer to the VSPEX Sizing Tool. Table 25. Example of key metrics in a SQL Server 2012 deployment Metrics Thresholds Average CPU utilization (%) Less than 85% The average disk latency Less than 20 ms The SQL Server virtual machine profile shown in Table 26 was used to verify the compute and storage infrastructure that can satisfy the performance requirement. Table 26. 74 SQL Server virtual machine profile Profile Value Total SQL Server database capacity 250 GB Number of SQL Server instances 1 Number of user database per instance 1 Number of virtual machines 1 Type of datastore VMDK SQL Server virtual machine configuration Four virtual processors (vCPUs) with 16 GB memory (no over-commitment), reserved 14 GB to SQL Server buffer pool Concurrent users Mixed workloads EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 5: Solution Verification Table 27 shows the SQL Server LUN design for above profile. The design follows these best practices: Distribute the data and logs to different LUNs on the shared thin pools. Use separate file groups for large databases. Table 27. SQL Server 2012 LUN design Item Component LUN capacity (GB) RAID type Quantity Total capacity (GB) SQL Server Tempdb 50 RAID 10 1 50 Data File 400 RAID 5 1 400 Log File 100 RAID 10 1 100 Test results After obtaining the test results, you need to interpret your results based on the key metrics. In the example shown in Table 28, all the key metrics have been achieved, which means the current SQL Server environment could meet the business requirements. Table 28. Key metrics for SQL Server 2012—250 GB Performance metric Baseline performance results Thresholds Host CPU 35% Less than 85% ESXi CPU 23% Less than 85% Host IOPS 1,613 N/A Data LUN Latency (ms) (read/write/transfer) 19/3/18 Less than 20 ms EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 75 Chapter 5: Solution Verification FAST VP performance acceleration The FAST VP performance acceleration verification used the same data, log, and tempdb pool as shown in the baseline performance verification, with FAST VP enabled on the data pool only. Table 29 shows the FAST VP configuration for the verification test. In this test, two flash disks with 183 GB of usable space in total were configured. Table 29. FAST VP configuration Component Disk number RAW disk size (GB) RAID Usable size (GB) FAST VP 2 200 RAID 10 183 When you consider using FAST VP to accelerate the SQL Server performance, the preferred application workloads are: Small-block random I/O application and high frequency of access to the same data Avoid enabling FAST VP when the primary workload is sequential Note: For more FAST VP best practices, refer to the Design Guide. The primary I/O of the log LUN is sequential, and the OLTP-like application has minimal requirements of the tempdb, so we excluded the log and tempdb LUN from the FAST VP verification. Key metrics After enabling FAST VP on the existing database, the following performance improvement is expected: Reduction of the I/O access latency in milliseconds IOPS and TPS increments To identify the SQL Server key performance metrics, as shown in Table 30, refer to the EMC VSPEX Sizing Tool. Table 30. Example of key metrics in a SQL Server deployment Metrics Thresholds Average CPU Utilization (%) Less than 85% The average disk latency Less than 20 milliseconds Test results After you get the test results, you need to interpret the results based on the key metrics. In the example shown in Table 31, all the key metrics have been achieved, which means the current SQL Server environment could meet the business requirements. 76 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 5: Solution Verification Table 31. Key metrics for SQL Server 2012 – 250 GB Performance FAST VP performance Thresholds Host CPU 84.7% Less than 85% ESXi CPU 67% Less than 85% Host IOPS 8,352 N/A Data LUN Latency (ms) (read/write/transfer) 1/2/2 Less than 20 ms Performance comparison before and after using FAST VP for SQL Server 2012 This section compared the performance before and after FAST VP was enabled to verify the performance acceleration by FAST VP. Compared to the baseline performance results as shown in Table 32, adding two 100 GB flash disks to the VNX array, the SQL Server data LUN IOPS increased from 1,613 to 8,352, while disk latency reduced from 18 ms to 2 ms. Table 32. Comparison between the baseline performance and the FAST VP accelerated performance Performance Baseline performance FAST VP performance SQL Server data LUN IOPS 1,613 8,352 Average Data LUN Latency (ms) 18 2 9000 8000 18 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 8352 7000 IOPS 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1613 2 1000 0 Baseline performance SQL Server data LUN IOPS Figure 25. Latency (ms) Figure 25 shows the comparison between the baseline performance and the FAST VP accelerated performance. FAST VP performance Average Data LUN Latency (ms) Comparison between the baseline performance and the FAST VP accelerated performance EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 77 Chapter 5: Solution Verification Backup and recovery verification All VSPEX solutions are sized and tested with EMC backup and recovery products, including EMC Avamar and EMC Data Domain. If your solution includes backup and recovery components, refer to EMC Backup and Recovery Options for VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Design and Implementation Guide for detailed information on verifying the functionality and performance of your backup and recovery solution. 78 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 6: Reference Documentation Chapter 6 Reference Documentation This chapter presents the following topics: EMC documentation ............................................................................................... 80 Product documentation.......................................................................................... 80 Other documentation ............................................................................................. 80 Links ..................................................................................................................... 81 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 79 Chapter 6: Reference Documentation EMC documentation The following documents, available from the EMC Online Support or EMC.com websites, provide additional and relevant information. If you do not have access to a document, contact your EMC representative. VNX Installation Guide VNX3150 System Installation Guide VNXe Series Installation Worksheet EMC VNXe Series Using a VNXe System with NFS Shared Folders VNX File and Unified Worksheet Using EMC VNX Storage with VMware vSphere TechBook EMC Avamar 6.1 Administration Guide EMC Avamar 6.1 for SQL Server User Guide EMC Avamar 6.1 for VMware User Guide EMC FAST VP for Unified Storage Systems Top Reasons Customers Virtualize with VSPEX Top Reasons Why Customers Virtualize Their Servers with EMC VSPEX EMC VNXe Series Using a VNXe System with VMware NFS or VMware VMFS EMC Backup and Recovery Options for VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Design and Implementation Guide VSPEX with EMC Backup and Recovery for Private Cloud and End User Computing solutions Design and Implementation Guide Product documentation For additional information, see the product documentation listed below. EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Storage Viewer Product Guide EMC VSI for VMware vSphere: Unified Storage Management Product Guide EMC VNX Host Connectivity Guide for VMware ESX Server VNX Operating Environment for File Release Notes Version EMC VSPEX Private Cloud VMware vSphere 5.1 for up to 100 Virtual Machines EMC VSPEX Private Cloud VMware vSphere 5.1 for up to 1,000 Virtual Machines Other documentation For documentation on Microsoft SQL Server 2012, refer to the Microsoft website. 80 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Chapter 6: Reference Documentation Links Note: The links provided were working correctly at the time of publication. MSDN Library Refer to the following topics in the MSDN Library: Add Data or Log Files to a Database Administering Servers by Using Policy-Based Management Basic Navigation in Database Engine Tuning Advisor Basic Navigation in SQL Server Management Studio Books Online for SQL Server 2012 Change Server Authentication Mode Client Network Configuration Configure Database Engine Instances Configure Windows Service Accounts and Permissions Connecting to the Database Engine Database Engine Service Startup Options Database Properties (Files Page) Diagnostic Connection for Database Administrators Enable the Lock Pages in Memory Option (Windows) Install SQL Server 2012 Install SQL Server 2012 from the Installation Wizard (Setup) Log File Viewer Manage the Database Engine Services Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Deployment Considerations Online Transaction Processing (OLTP)—a Technical Reference Guide for Designing Mission-Critical OLTP Solutions Optimizing tempdb Performance Planning a SQL Server Installation Resource Governor Enhancements (Database Engine) Scalability and Performance Enhancements (Database Engine) Security Requirements for Managing Services Server Configuration Options (SQL Server) Server Network Configuration SQL Server Monitor Overview EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 81 Chapter 6: Reference Documentation Troubleshooting Performance Problems in SQL Server 2008 Using Database Engine Tuning Advisor Validate a SQL Server Installation View or Change Server Properties Microsoft TechNet Refer to the following topic on the Microsoft TechNet website: 82 Install the guest operating system EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Appendix A: Configuration Worksheet Appendix A Configuration Worksheet This appendix presents the following topic: Configuration worksheet for SQL Server 2012 ........................................................ 84 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 83 Appendix A: Configuration Worksheet Configuration worksheet for SQL Server 2012 Before configuring SQL Server for this solution, you need to gather some customerspecific configuration information such as IP addresses, hostnames, and so on. The following tables provide a worksheet that you can use to record the information. You can also print and use the worksheet as a customer “leave behind” document for future reference. To confirm the customer information, cross-reference with the relevant array configuration worksheet: EMC VNXe Series Configuration Worksheet or VNX File and Unified Worksheets. Table 33. Common server information Server name Purpose Primary IP address Domain Controller DNS Primary DNS Secondary DHCP NTP SMTP SNMP SQL Server Table 34. Server name ESXi server information Purpose Primary IP address Private net (storage) addresses ESXi Host 1 ESXi Host 2 ESXi Host 3 ESXi Host 4 … 84 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Appendix A: Configuration Worksheet Table 35. Array information Object Description Array name Array type Admin account Management IP iSCSI Server IP SPA IP address SPB IP address VSPEX private cloud pool name Infrastructure datastore name SQL Server user databases storage pool name SQL Server user databases datastore name SQL Server user databases log and tempdb storage pool name SQL Server user databases log and tempdb datastore name Table 36. Name Network infrastructure information Purpose IP address Subnet mask Default gateway Ethernet Switch 1 Ethernet Switch 2 … Table 37. Name VLAN information Network purpose VLAN ID Allowed subnets Virtual machine networking management iSCSI storage network vMotion EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide 85 Appendix A: Configuration Worksheet Table 38. Account Service accounts Purpose Windows Server administrator Array administrator SQL Server administrator 86 EMC VSPEX for Virtualized Microsoft SQL Server 2012 with VMware vSphere Enabled by EMC Next-Generation VNX and EMC Backup Implementation Guide Password (optional, secure appropriately)