SQL Server 2005 Performance Tips - Clustering

SQL Server 2005 Performance Tips - Clustering

I found it pretty difficult to find any articles that just gave you the facts when it comes to performance tuning and configuring SQL Server 2005. I have a Microsoft Technology Technology Specialist in SQL Server 2005 but try to read as many tips and technique articles on SQL Server 2005 as I can.

Then I came across these two great articles SQL Server clustering best practices and
Active/Active clusters in SQL Server by Hilary Cotter with Geoff Hiten. These articles provide information such as:

• Clustering basics
• Clustering topologies
• Clustering dependencies
• Clustering best practices

• Distinct cluster configurations
• Pre-installation
• Cluster installation
• Post-installation
• Minimize fail overtime
• Performance considerations

One comment that resonates with my experience is

Today, clustering on SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005 is a highly reliable technology, but it still has many dependencies that prevent it from meeting your high-availability goals. Foremost among these dependencies is a staff that is
trained and knowledgeable.

SQL Server clusters can be configured in four distinct configurations:

• Single instance – formerly called Active/Passive
• Multi-instance – formerly called Active/Active
• N+1 – multiple instance clusters, where multiple nodes all share the same failover node
• N+M – multiple instance clusters where multiple nodes all share the same failover nodes

The articles provide a good overview of clustering topologies, when each is useful and touches on real world issues such as performance vs budget vs Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) requirements.