Network accelerators

  • Hi All,

    I'm working on a new SQL Server landscape for the region I'm responsible for, today we have 14 MS SQL Server installations spread across 7 different physical sites.

    The sites are all connected trough our Corporate WAN, which for most sites gives us only 512kbit to 1Mbit connection speed.

    Now we want to centralised some of the SQL Server databases so that we can reduce the total number to 7 SQL Server installations, most of them will be centralized into 1 big SQL Server in the main site of the region (which currently has a 4Mbit connection).

    Connection speed is not that fast, but it is sufficient today. After centralization we will need to upgrade some lines, but actually I would like to look at other solutions which could improve SQL Server communication.

    Does anybody have any experiences with this?

    http://www.nitrosphere.net/

    If it works it sound like a pretty good solution, and not that expensive. The only problem is that their website doesn't really give me confidence...

    Does anyone have any other solutions?

    Thanks,

    Koen

  • Any input? Does anyone have the same situation were you have to connect multiple instances in a high latency, low bandwidth WAN environment? And how do you cope with this?

  • You can't. Wan is wan, you can't make it "faster" with any hardware nor software, you can only make it slower. The thing to remember is that you want a low latency or a fast ping.

  • Actually, we can, I tested the NitroSphere software, and it make a huge difference.

    We have not implemented it in our production environment yet, but we will definitly deploy it in the next few months.

    This software results in 60% to 80% compression of the data stream, and reduces the number of packets, which result in far better response times.

    One of the test queries which took 48 seconds to run off site, was now finished in 7 seconds. That is a satisfying result.

    rgds,

    Koen

  • I was referring to just the normal use of an sql server with each query being less than a few KB. Compressing and uncompromising a few hundred or thousand queries per second is not optimal. In your situation however, compressing large queries is a good alternative than upgrading your connection. May I ask what type of queries are you guys running that take 48 seconds? I hope that query is run on a slave server 😉

  • The 48 seconds is not CPU waiting time, just waiting for the data to get throug the freakin WAN. The query itself runs only for +/- 4 seconds. Our environment is focused on reporting and analysis. It's mature enough the handle big requests. Midnight invoicing calculation take about 3 hours :-D, before you say, thats bad, we managed to optimize this process, it used to take 9 hours...

    But the WAN in general is so bad, that any improvement in the network traffic results in a performance improvement on the users side.

    If you have many small transactions, then this software could indeed have a negative impact.

  • Koen Wuys (7/27/2012)


    The 48 seconds is not CPU waiting time, just waiting for the data to get throug the freakin WAN. The query itself runs only for +/- 4 seconds. Our environment is focused on reporting and analysis. It's mature enough the handle big requests. Midnight invoicing calculation take about 3 hours :-D, before you say, thats bad, we managed to optimize this process, it used to take 9 hours...

    But the WAN in general is so bad, that any improvement in the network traffic results in a performance improvement on the users side.

    If you have many small transactions, then this software could indeed have a negative impact.

    You must not be from the states then...I would only get a few milliseconds when using remote sql servers. Now I see why you would want to compress your queries.

  • I'm in Europe, at home I get the same quick reponse as you have in the US, I have a 100Mbit internet connection at home, like most people.

    It's just the really really cheap corporate WAN. Made up of very expensive, very slow leased lines. I have complained numerous times that they should change the network setup since we can get alot better for alot less.

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