November 30, 2011 at 9:56 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Fast Migrations
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December 1, 2011 at 1:53 am
For me this is not an option. There is actually another department that handles this.
However, I do agree one should at least have a basic understanding about it. It is a good tech that is commonly used today. I would however argue that one should also have an understanding about how the tech works to better be able to utilize it, but not knowing about it can probably still get you far. Just like I know how to use a car and dont really know exactly how the internal combustion engine works in detail, I still get somewhere. But if I wanted to trim it up, make it more smoth, better, I'd need a better understanding of it.
December 1, 2011 at 2:28 am
A more mundane aspect of virtualization is Windows licensing. Windows licenses are 'attached' to the physical host, not the VM, and each physical host has to be licensed for the maximum number of Operating System Environments it can host at any one time. By comparison, SQL Server licensing is more straightforward (and potentially less costly) with Application Server License Mobility which allows instances or processors to be counted by server farm.
Not one of my favourite topics as a SQL developer, but one I've had to bone up on as we've moved to virtualization.
December 1, 2011 at 3:27 am
A thing to watch with licensing is the change in sql 2012
you will need to license per core not per processor with a minimum of a 4 core license per virtual server even if it uses less.
December 1, 2011 at 6:33 am
We use VM for our SSIS server and so far it is great. I can't tell when the admin moves it a different physical server. It solves serveral issues for us and makes disaster recovery testing very easy.
We have not had the same success with our larger RDBMS servers. So far, both MS and VM are far below our performance requirements. Hopefully, the next release will be better.
December 1, 2011 at 7:48 am
One of our reasons to use it is DR. Our DR contractor is contracted to supply the VM environment, but we can load any of our servers without concern for details of installation or underlying hardware. So much faster than trying to rebuild a server in a new hardware environment.
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-- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers --
December 1, 2011 at 9:13 am
Just in case you did not notice: Azure is all about VMs. Or, to say the same in different words, if you don't have virtualization internalized -- nice expression, isn't it? --, you will not get far with SQL Azure.
December 1, 2011 at 9:48 am
As someone who spends a vast amount of time learning about not just SQL Server but all sorts of technologies, virtualization has completely changed how I learn and for the better. With so many existing images for stuff, I can now learn by reverse engineering as well as building and I find that amazingly rewarding.
With regards to the workplace, virtualization has helped us a ton by getting so much red tape out of the way. There isn't any attempt at new hardware procurement or anything... we just build. Whether it be on someones machine in a VM or something we push up to Amazon (AWS), we spend our time building rather than waiting and that is a wonderful feeling.
Chomping at the bits
December 1, 2011 at 3:06 pm
Virtualization is great but certainly there are limits (currently). In a past job, I was convinced by the lead DBA to migrate the data warehouse from a physical instance to a virtual instance (rather than buy new hardware). Instinctively, I was against this. But since I wasn't familiar with the VM capabilities, I reluctantly agreed. The performance wasn't even close. It fell far short on every mark - I/O, CPU, and memory. The ETL load times doubled and all of our OLAP queries were timing out. The DBA was surprised by this since there were no problems with any other apps that were virtualized. Fortunately this was a test scenario. However, extra budget had to be allocated for a new physical server, rack space, licensing, labor costs etc. Plus, the migration timeline had to be adjusted.
The lesson is threefold:
1) As Steve says, VM's aren't always appropriate. Test first.
2) Get familiar with the functionality, capabilities, and limitations of VM software.
3) Require the DBA to jump through 20-foot flaming hoops before agreeing to any virtualization of your database. 🙂
James Stover, McDBA
December 2, 2011 at 12:54 am
Revenant (12/1/2011)
Just in case you did not notice: Azure is all about VMs. Or, to say the same in different words, if you don't have virtualization internalized -- nice expression, isn't it? --, you will not get far with SQL Azure.
Azure is a joke.
You do not know how much performance you get for the money.
The security is questionable.
The agreement, only a crazy person would sign it.
December 2, 2011 at 9:47 am
IceDread (12/2/2011)
Revenant (12/1/2011)
Just in case you did not notice: Azure is all about VMs. Or, to say the same in different words, if you don't have virtualization internalized -- nice expression, isn't it? --, you will not get far with SQL Azure.Azure is a joke.
You do not know how much performance you get for the money.
The security is questionable.
The agreement, only a crazy person would sign it.
Nothing Microsoft worked in v.1. It is usually v.3 that kills the competition.
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