May 14, 2009 at 11:42 am
We currently run SQL 2005 on windows 2003 both 32 bit systems. We are considering the upgrade to Windows 2003 64 bit to take advantage of the ability to use more memory. What should be the major considerations in the decision to moving to 64 bit OS. Will I see a significant improvement in performance, and what possible pitfalls might we run into.. Mainly I am looking for some Pros vs cons to this type of move. At the moment we are not considering the upgrade to SQL 2005 64 bit. Thanks
Rich
May 14, 2009 at 11:47 am
Then why not move to Windows 2003 Datacenter Edition? This will give you the chance to add more memory without having to use a mixed bit environment.
-Roy
May 14, 2009 at 11:52 am
It has more to do with the use of 16 GB of RAM that we can load into the server. We would need to upgrade the OS to utilize that memory if the research I have read is correct..
May 14, 2009 at 12:04 pm
This is what I have read about Windows 2003 Datacenter.
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition is designed[8] for infrastructures demanding high security and reliability. Windows Server 2003 is available for x86, Itanium, and x86_64 processors. It supports a maximum of up to 32 processors on 32-bit or 64 processors on 64-bit hardware. 32-bit architecture also limits memory addressability to 64 GB, while the 64-bit versions support up to 1 TB. Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, also allows limiting processor and memory usage on a per-application basis.
Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition also supports Non-Uniform Memory Access. If supported by the system, Windows, with help from the system firmware creates a Static Resource Affinity Table that defines the NUMA topology of the system. Windows then uses this table to optimize memory accesses, and provide NUMA awareness to applications, thereby increasing the efficiency of thread scheduling and memory management.
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition has better support for Storage Area Networks (SAN). It features a service which uses Windows sockets to emulate TCP/IP communication over native SAN service providers, thereby allowing a SAN to be accessed over any TCP/IP channel. With this, any application that can communicate over TCP/IP can use a SAN, without any modification to the application.
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, also supports 8-node clustering. Clustering increases availability and fault tolerance of server installations, by distributing and replicating the service among many servers. Windows supports clustering, with each cluster having its own dedicated storage, or all clusters connected to a common Storage Area Network (SAN), which can be running on Windows as well as non-Windows Operating systems. The SAN may be connected to other computers as well.It supports high capacity of data.
-Roy
May 14, 2009 at 12:11 pm
One problem I have is the cost of Datacenter.. It just might be to costly for the company to invest at this time, so I am back to the 64 bit route.. Thanks for the idea though..
May 14, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Windows 2003 Enterprise edition 32 bit can give you total of 32 GIG RAM.
-Roy
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