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Conference amcucs::ms-sqlsvr

Title:Microsoft SQL Server Support
Notice:Please Registar, Note #11
Moderator:AMCUCS::BETTS
Created:Tue Aug 23 1994
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:382
Total number of notes:1233

334.0. "400GB on Alpha" by MKOTS3::DUDEVOIR (Carl DuDevoir) Mon Feb 03 1997 09:38

    Has anyone heard of this limitation:
    
    
    One of my customers heard that NT has a limitation of 400 GB of disk
    storage. Storage beyond this limitation effects performance - at least on an
    Intel platform.  I hadn't heard this before.  The customer asked if we had
    the same problem on the Alpha platform?  I haven't seen anything in the 
    internal doc. on this so I thought I would ask you.  Are you aware of any 
    limitations on disk storage with NT and Alpha?
    
    Thanks,
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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334.1CSC32::HOEPNERA closed mouth gathers no feetMon Feb 03 1997 15:2211
    
    Huh?
    
    400GB for the entire system?   For one database?  For one file?
    
    What version NT is he talking about?  
    
    SQL Server supports over a terabyte.
    
    Where did your customer get his information?
    
334.2certain statements make me suspicious...DECWET::LENOXAttack the future!Tue Feb 04 1997 16:159
 
from .1 CSC32::HOEPNER wrote:
> SQL Server supports over a terabyte

Has anyone ever really run something this large?
From what I've heard around DECwest, it doesn't
sound like anyone has much experience with
a server this large (and that should include
Bill's evil empire).
334.3CSC32::HOEPNERA closed mouth gathers no feetTue Feb 04 1997 17:2015
    
    I certainly haven't seen or heard of a SQL Server db that large. 
    And under the current features of SQL Server I hope I don't see 
    one that large.   ;-}
    
    Most folks figure about the largest functional SQL Server is 
    a max of 100 gig.  I have customers that are maxing at 10 gig and
    have multiple dbs. 
    
    Someday if SQL Server becomes a multifile database, then the
    maintenance and disaster recovery options would be more
    enterprise-class friendly. 
    
    Mary Jo 
    
334.4SQL Server is not an Enterprise product yet IMOTBC001::DROVERHEDGEHOGWed Feb 12 1997 13:1314
    We are setting up a 1 T-byte benchmark at this very time, and just from
    laying this one out on 2 clustered 8400s (using Oracle), I would not want 
    to try it on the current release of SQL Server. Hell I still can't find 
    a way to give SQL Server all 4 gig of ram on the 4100 here.
    
    With all the talk of NT5, does anyone know of plans to take SQL Server
    to the next (VLM) level? Or is it dependant on the O/S for memory
    limitations?
    
    As it is, I don't think SQL Server is there yet when compared to its
    competitors. Too bad really because I prefer it. But when I think small
    to low end systems, up to 30, 40 gigs of data I can think MS SQL
    Server, when I think big installs with heavy transaction loads, I think
    Oracle, Informix.....
334.5CSC32::HOEPNERA closed mouth gathers no feetWed Feb 12 1997 18:3233
    
    SQL Server will get there eventually. 
    
    2 Gig memory is MAX for WNT 3.51 and 4.0.  And you need to give 
    SQL somewhat less than what is on the system. 
    
    From a practicle standpoint, most of the large databases I know of
    and have worked with (Oracle and Oracle Rdb), we try to leave the 
    Terabyte databases as historical databases.  
    
    For an intense OLTP environment, most DBAs and system developers have
    found that it is better from performance and disaster recovery to have
    multiple smaller databases as part of one large schema.  That way if 
    you lose a db, the rest can keep going.
    
    Even with Rdb's feature of being able to restore just a page, it still 
    takes a bit of time to determine WHICH page to restore on a terabyte 
    db. 
    
    Again, if the database and application are well designed, the actual
    size of the database does not concern me. 
    
    What is a BIG, BIG, BIG concern is disaster recovery.  How do you 
    restore even parts of a terabyte sized database in a couple of hours?
    In Oracle and Oracle Rdb, the area files are likely to be of rather 
    large sizes, the tables are likely to be of large sizes...
    
    Eventually, I believe SQL Server will be multi-file, and with that we 
    should have better options to plan for disaster recovery.  And we
    should have better options for performance tuning. 
    
    
    Mary Jo
334.6for over a TeraByte of storage with NT & SQL, seeDECWET::montlake.zso.dec.com::lenoxDigital's suing Intel, best brand marketing there isTue May 13 1997 19:398
check out 

www.alliance.digital.com/alliances/microsoft/scalability

The mention of 1TB of data means the database is larger
than 1TB.  They don't mention which version of SQL they
are using in the page above but it isn't 6.5.
334.7kinda interestingFLEXEM::HAGGERTYKevin, NSIS, Stow MA USAWed May 21 1997 14:244
    also
    http://www.imc.das.dec.com/swrks/sw_mktg/presents/geron497.htm
    for a presentation entitled "A TeraByte SQL Server Built on
    StorageWorks" by Tom Barclay (MS) and Jim Geronaitis (DEC).
334.8SQL version is "Sphinx"NESBIT::16.194.144.78::SloanJust Another Manic MondayWed May 21 1997 20:2120
334.9DECWET::montlake.zso.dec.com::lenoxthis note posted from NetNotesThu May 22 1997 13:3511
The VLM demo was separate from the TB database demo.
They were using the next version of SQL for the TB database
demo but I couldn't find a public description of that to post
before the scalability day and I was not privy to what info
was public and what wasn't.  I have gotten the chance to drool
over the amount of storage Digital has loaned to Microsoft for
it tho'.  It is impressive to see many fully loaded storage cabs.

I don't think one should come away thinking that Microsoft/Digital
had an easy time setting up any of this.