HP ProLiant DL980 G7 Quick reference guide

Technical white paper
HP 85 TB reference
architectures for Microsoft SQL
Server 2012 Fast Track Data
Warehouse: HP ProLiant DL980
G7 and P2000 G3 MSA Storage
Table of contents
Executive summary..................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Fast Track reference architecture ............................................................................................................................................................. 2
Important points and caveats............................................................................................................................................................... 2
Solution criteria............................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Storage options ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Capacity summary .................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Database configuration ......................................................................................................................................................................... 8
SQL Server 2012 performance metrics............................................................................................................................................... 8
Measured performance.......................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Queue Depth settings ............................................................................................................................................................................ 9
LUN layout ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Volume Read Ahead settings..............................................................................................................................................................11
Multi Path I/O (MPIO) .................................................................................................................................................................................11
SQL Server settings...................................................................................................................................................................................12
MAXDOP parameter..............................................................................................................................................................................12
Resource Governor...............................................................................................................................................................................13
High Availability .........................................................................................................................................................................................13
Additional storage requirements........................................................................................................................................................15
Manual storage mapping.....................................................................................................................................................................16
Disaster recovery.......................................................................................................................................................................................19
Bills of materials........................................................................................................................................................................................20
High Availability.....................................................................................................................................................................................21
Disaster recovery ..................................................................................................................................................................................22
Implementing a proof-of-concept..........................................................................................................................................................23

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Executive summary
Microsoft® SQL Server Fast Track Data Warehouse for Hewlett-Packard (HP) servers, storage and networking products
provides a prescriptive approach for balancing server, storage, network, and software configurations for architecting
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 data warehouse solutions. The reference architectures provide server and storage guidance for
various data warehouse workloads –giving you the most efficient hardware for your solution, saving you time and cost in
choosing the right technology, and giving you peace of mind that the right platform and architecture is in place.
Target audience: The target audience for this document consists of IT planners, architects, DBAs, CIOs, CTOs, and business
intelligence (BI) users with an interest in options for their BI applications and in the factors that affect those options.
This white paper describes testing performed by HP in April 2013
Fast Track reference architecture
This document is a reference architecture companion document to the Microsoft SQL Server Technical Article, “Fast Track
Data Warehouse Reference Guide for SQL Server 2012”, which describes a repeatable architectural approach for
implementing a scalable model for a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP)-based Microsoft SQL Server 2012 data warehouse.
The end result of the process described in this companion document represents a recommended minimal SQL Server 2012
configuration, inclusive of all the software and hardware, required to achieve and maintain a baseline level of “out of box”
scalable performance when deploying SQL Server data warehousing (SSDW) sequential data access workload scenarios
versus traditional random I/O methods.
This document provides specific details about the configuration and bill of materials for one such Fast Track 4.0 reference
architecture, based on the HP ProLiant DL980 G7 server using HP P2000 G3 MSA storage. This configuration is targeted at a
data warehouse or data mart environment with scan rate requirements of around 11-17GB/sec. It is optimized at up to
85TB of compressed user data capacity.
Important points and caveats
•The configuration described here and the approach detailed in the reference architecture guide is exclusively designed
for, and is only applicable to, sequential data workloads. Use of this approach on other workload types is not appropriate
and may yield configurations that are inefficient.
•ALL recommendations and best practices defined in the reference architecture guide must be implemented in their
entirety in order to preserve and maintain the sequential order of the data and sequential I/O against the data.

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Figure 1. Fast Track 85TB reference architecture with the ProLiant DL980 G7 and 16 P2000 G3 MSA storage arrays.
A complete SQL Server DBMS (Database Management System) configuration, or “stack," is a collection of all the components
that are configured to work together to support the database application. This includes the physical server hardware (with
its BIOS settings and appropriate firmware releases), memory, CPU (number, type, clock and bus speed, cache and core
count), operating system settings, the storage arrays and interconnects, disk (capacity, form factor and spindle speeds),
database, DBMS settings and configuration, and even table types, indexing strategy, and physical data layout.
The primary goal of Fast Track, which is also a common goal when designing most data center infrastructures, is a balanced
configuration where all components can be utilized to their maximum capability. Architecting and maintaining a balance
prevents over subscribing certain components within the stack to a point where the expected performance is not realized;
understanding the performance limits of your configuration can help prevent wasted cost for components that will never
realize their potential due to other constraints within the stack.

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Solution criteria
The Fast Track reference architectures are built on several different HP ProLiant server platforms, each targeting a different
tier of a SQL Server Data Warehousing solution. The HP Fast Track architectures gain greater throughput and scale by using
the following approach:
•Targeting query workloads patterned for large sequential data sets rather than small random data transactions
•Optimizing rapid data reads and query aggregations
HP currently supports both Fast Track 3.0 and, Fast Track 4.0 (SQL Server 2012). The configurations with external storage
leverage the HP P2000 G3 MSA FC Dual Controller SFF array, which allows for dual reads when drives are mirrored. For
sequential data reads from data warehouse queries, this capability enables tremendous throughput per storage volume.
The Fast Track approach, and supporting storage array architecture, is optimized for sequential reads. To support a non-
optimized, random I/O data warehousing workload, up to 2 to 3 times the number of drives would be required to achieve
the same throughput.
Current Fast Track 3.0 and 4.0 configurations are listed below in Tables 1 and 2. For 3.0 configurations, the entry level
ProLiant DL370 G6 configurations are aimed at new startup data marts with scan rate requirements of 1-1.8GB/sec, while
the ProLiant DL380p Gen8 and DL385 G7 configurations are ideal for data marts with a small departmental footprint of
query activity with a volume optimized at 10-30TB of compressed data capacity. The DL380p Gen8 SSD configuration is
targeted at high performance query applications with storage requirements of less than 11TB. The DL560 Gen8 along with
the DL580 G7 and DL585 G7 configurations targets the middle tier of data warehouse activity, with moderately complex
queries and concurrency. The DL980 G7 rounds out the top end at a rated capacity of 85TB. Table 1 summarizes Fast Track
3.0 configurations, while Table 2 references the Fast Track for SQL Server 2012 configurations.
Table 1. Fast Track 3.0 reference architectures with HP ProLiant servers and storage
Server
CPU
Total
Cores
SAN
Drive Count
(user data)
Recommended
Max Capacity
DL370 G6
(2) Intel® Xeon®
Model X5670
12
N/A
(12) 600GB
6G 10k SAS
5.5TB
DL370 G6
w/expansion
(2) Intel Xeon
Model X5670
12
N/A
(30) 600GB
6G 10k SAS
14TB
DL385 G7
(2) AMD Opteron
Model 6176SE
24
(3) HP P2000 G3 MSA
(48) 600GB
6G 10k SAS
20TB
DL585 G7
(4) AMD Opteron
Model 6176SE
48
(6) HP P2000 G3 MSA
(96) 600GB
6G 10k SAS
40TB
The Fast Track for SQL Server 2012 configurations are highlighted in Table 2 below.
Table 2. Fast Track for SQL Server 2012 reference architectures with HP ProLiant servers and storage
Server
CPU
Total
Cores
SAN
Drive Count
(user data)
Recommended
Max Capacity
DL380p
Gen8
(2) Intel Xeon
Model E5-2670
16
Internal SSD
(14) 400/800GB
6G SATA MLC SSD
4/11TB
DL380p
Gen8
(2) Intel Xeon
Model E5-2690
16
(4) HP P2000 G3 MSA
(64) 600GB
6G 10k SAS
30TB
DL560
Gen8
(4) Intel Xeon
Model E5-4650
32
(8) HP P2000 G3 MSA
(128) 600GB
6G 10k SAS
50TB
DL580 G7
(4) Intel Xeon
Model E7-4870
40
(8) HP P2000 G3 MSA
(128) 600GB
6G 10k SAS
60TB
DL980 G7
(8) Intel Xeon
Model E7-4870
80
(16) HP P2000 G3 MSA
(256) 600GB
6G 10k SAS
85TB

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The focus of this reference architecture document is a high-end configuration, based on the ProLiant DL980 G7. Table 3
outlines the configuration details for this platform.
Table 3. ProLiant DL980 G7 configuration details
Model
ProLiant DL980 G7 E7-4870 8P
CPU
(8) Ten-Core Intel Xeon Processors Model E7-4870 (2.40 GHz, 30MB L3 cache, 130W)
Number Cores
80
PCI-E Slots
(10) x8, (6) x4, 11 FH/FL, 5 LP
Drives
(3) HP 146GB 6G SAS 15K SFF DP ENT HDD (System + hot spare)
(5) HP 600GB 6G SAS 10K SFF DP ENT HDD (Pagefile + hot spare)
Storage Controller
HP Smart Array P410i/1GB FBWC
Host Bus Adapters
(14) HP 82E 8Gb Dual Port PCI-E FC HBA
Network Adapters
One HP NC375i Quad Port Gigabit Server Adapter
RAM
768 GB PC3-10600R expandable to 4TB
Note that the recommended 768GB is the minimum RAM for this configuration. Generally, for SQL Server Data Warehousing
environments, as workload demands grow, increasing RAM provides performance benefits. If the workload consists of a
large number of small-to-medium sized queries hitting the same data (for example, last week’s sales), performance and
throughput can be increased by caching results in memory.
Storage options
The Fast Track reference architecture is based on a model of a core-balanced architecture which allows for a configuration
that is initially balanced and provides predictable performance. This core balanced architecture is sized for an optimum
number of storage components to drive a certain number of CPU cores. Each CPU core has a Maximum Consumption Rate
(MCR). The MCR is the maximum throughput of information processing for a given CPU core. Multiplying the per-core MCR
and the number of CPU cores yields the MCR for the entire system. To ensure balanced performance we must ensure that
there are no bottlenecks in the system that would prevent the CPUs from reaching their MCR. The diagram below represents
the building blocks for the HP ProLiant DL980 G7 required to achieve a core-balanced sequential data I/O scan rate of about
11-17GB/sec.

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Figure 2. Example DL980 G7 core-balanced architecture
SQL Server 2012 Minimum Server Configuration
SMP Core-Balanced Architecture
More information regarding the Fast Track Data Warehouse reference architecture approach, including the means of
calculating building blocks for other HP server and storage combinations, is included in the Microsoft SQL Server Technical
Article, “Fast Track Data Warehouse Reference Guide for SQL Server 2012”.
It is also possible to increase storage capacity without adding more CPU cores by using larger drives; however, increasing
the capacity beyond the optimized configuration will not increase performance. Rather, only capacity will be increased. It is
important to note that adding more data, but still querying the same sized ranges per query, will not decrease performance.

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Capacity summary
Several data capacities are cited in this document, including Maximum Data Capacity, and Fast Track Rated Database
Capacity. The following summarizes these values:
Maximum Data Capacity: This is raw data space minus the required minimum space for TempDB database files, multiplied
by the Fast Track compression factor (3.5). This capacity does not take into account primary staging space, or disk
headroom.
Fast Track Rated Database Capacity: This is the optimal, Fast Track certified data capacity of the configuration. Maximum
rated performance of the system is valid when Fast Track data does not exceed this capacity.
Table 4 summarizes the configuration specifics and capabilities of the fibre channel version of the P2000, the P2000 G3
MSA FC dual controller SFF array system.
Table 4. P2000 G3 MSA storage configuration
Controller Model
(16) P2000 G3 MSA FC Array with dual read controllers
Drives
(328) 600GB 6G SAS SFF HDD
Drive layout
(256) drives for user data, configured as (32) 8-disk RAID10 LUNs
(28) drives for log data configured as (7) 4-disk RAID10 LUNs
(12) drives for staging data configured as (2) 6-disk RAID5 LUN
(32) drives configure for hot spares (2 per array)
Raw space (user data)
71.4 TB
TempDB Space (30%)
14.3 TB
Maximum Data Capacity
(600GB HDD)
57 TB (no compression)
200 TB (with compression)
Notes:
1) Compression is assumed to be 3.5:1
Fast Track Rated
Database Capacity
85 TB (with compression)
Est. Log Capacity
7.8 TB
Secondary Staging Space
5.6 TB

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Database configuration
The testing for this DL980 G7 solution was performed using a 6.5 TB test database and a workload simulation program. The
performance numbers depicted in this document are output from the simulation tool running both a simple and complex
workload. The test database uses a master filegroup and 7 additional filegroups which represent the 7 partitions.
Table 5. DB Filegroups
Filegroup
Files
Note
PRIMARY
1
Contains master DB file (MDF)
Part_ci1FG
32
1 file on each LUN
Part_ci2FG
32
1 file on each LUN
Part_ci3FG
32
1 file on each LUN
Part_ci4FG
32
1 file on each LUN
Part_ci5FG
32
1 file on each LUN
Part_ci6FG
32
1 file on each LUN
Part_ci7FG
32
1 file on each LUN
SQL Server 2012 performance metrics
SQL Server 2012 features new indexing features based on columnar storage technology. This new index improves query
performance for a wide range of queries. Throughput performance is now measured using traditional indexes and columnar
indexes (CSI). These metrics are shown below as “Fast Track Average CSI I/O”.
Measured performance
During our performance testing, we use simulated sequential read workloads to gauge performance on each Fast Track
configuration. These tests use workloads with varying sizes ranging from 5 to 40 concurrent queries, running from 30
minutes to 1 hour each. From the results of these tests we determine both logical (how fast data can be read from buffer
cache) and physical (how fast data can be read from physical disk) scan rates. Table 6 below lists the observed scan rates
for this configuration.
Table 6. Measured Scan Rates
Scan Rate Type
Scan Rate
Comment
Benchmark Logical Scan Rate
14516 MB/sec
Benchmark Physical Scan Rate
8117 MB/sec
Fast Track Average I/O
11317 MB/sec
This is the average of the physical and logical scan rates
Fast Track Average CSI I/O
33444MB/sec
This is the average of the physical and logical scan rates with
Column Store Indexing enabled
Maximum Observed Logical Scan Rate
16515 MB/sec
Maximum average scan rate observed during testing
MAXDOP setting used for these results was 30
Resource Governor was set to 5%
These performance metrics were attained using a set of SQL Server 2012 configuration parameters. These parameters are
detailed below in Table 7. Further explanations of some of these settings are found throughout this document.

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*Note –Column Store Index (CSI) testing was performed without Trace Flag 834. Microsoft does not recommend turning on
T834 when using CSI. For more information, see Microsoft KB article 920093 at the following link:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/920093
Table 7. SQL Server Parameters
Parameter
Setting
Comment
Max Degree of Parallelism (MAXDOP)
30
Optimal settings for our testing
Resource Governor Memory Allocation
5%
The default is 25%
Fast Track Required Startup Parameters
-E and -T1117
These settings are required for ALL Fast Track
configurations
Optional SQL Trace Flags
-T834
The T834 trace flag enables large pages in
memory. This provides significant performance
increases with 4 and 8 socket systems. Not
enabled when testing using Column Store
Indexing.
HP P2000 G3 MSA Volume Read Ahead Setting
1MB
Change from Default setting
Queue Depth settings
Several tests were run to determine the optimal Queue Depth settings using the HP 82E Host Bus Adapters (HBAs). All tests
performed for this reference configuration used a Queue Depth setting of 64. Testing found optimal Queue Depth settings
ranging from 48 to 64. This is a change from the default setting of 32 on the HBAs.
LUN layout
All primary data LUNs were configured using 8-disk RAID10 volumes. Log LUNs were configured with 4-disk RAID10
volumes using 7 arrays, while the dual staging LUNs used 6-disk RAID 5 volumes on Arrays 8 and 16. All volumes on the
P2000 array were created using the maximum amount of space available (1 volume per Vdisk). Figure 3 below depicts the
LUN layout for this 85TB Data Warehouse architecture.

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Figure 3. P2000 G3 MSA FC LUN Layout

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Volume Read Ahead settings
The P2000 G3 arrays contain provisions that allow for the setting of custom Read Ahead cache settings for each volume.
Several variations of read ahead settings were tested with Fast Track configurations, and we have found that the setting of
1MB provides the best performance. The Read Ahead setting must be set on EACH volume in the configuration. Figure 4
below details the process for setting read ahead on a P2000 G3 volume.
Figure 4. P2000 G3 Volume Read Ahead Setting
Simply highlight a volume, then select “Configuration” “Modify Volume Cache Settings” and then modify the box labeled
“Read Ahead Size”. Repeat for each volume in the configuration.
Multi Path I/O (MPIO)
The solution presented here presents a total of 88 paths per LUN (22 HBA ports X 4 storage ports). This number of paths is
greater than the 32 paths supported by Microsoft Windows® Server 2008 R2 MPIO. For this reason, manual path
configuration must be employed. Using the management interface on the P2000 arrays, explicit mappings must be created,
matching up a single storage port with a single HBA port on the server. Two paths per HBA can be set up, with the MPIO
policy “Failover Only”. This will direct MPIO to use a single path only and failover to the second or secondary path when the
first one fails. For more detailed information, refer to the HP published document: “Microsoft SQL Server Fast Track: HP
P2000 G3 MSA Multipath I/O configuration and best practices”,
http://h20195.www2.hp.com/V2/getdocument.aspx?docname=4AA0-9466ENW.
Since this configuration uses 2 Data LUNs per array rather than the typical 4, we must adjust the manual MPIO mapping
scheme. In order to take advantage of the load balancing capability in the P2000 arrays, each LUN must be mapped across 2
storage ports residing on the SAME storage controller. Each LUN can have mappings to more than 1 HBA or HBA port, but it
cannot be mapped across storage controllers (port A1, and port B2 for example). Table 8 below shows an example of the
correct mappings for DL980 G7 LUNs residing on a P2000 array:
Table 8. Manual Mappings for DL980 G7 LUNs
LUN
Storage Port
HBA Port
Array1, LUN1
A1
HBAport 2A
Array1, LUN1
A2
HBAport 3B
Array1, LUN2
B1
HBAport 3A
Array1, LUN2
B2
HBAport 4A

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Note: In other architectures with 4 LUNs per array, we only have to have 1 map per LUN. Now with 2 LUNs per array we
MUST have 2 maps per LUN to maintain performance.
SQL Server settings
The processors in the DL980 G7 server use Intel Hyper-Threading technology. This technology allows the server to see and
use more logical CPU cores than what is physically available in the system. With higher intensity workloads using a large
number of parallel queries, this leads to a condition where SQL Server can over-subscribe the amount of CPU and memory
resources given to queries during run time. For example in this DL980 G7 configuration, the server has 80 physical CPU
cores. With Hyper-Threading (HT) turned on, SQL Server will see the system having 160 logical CPU cores, and will allocate
resources accordingly. To mitigate this, we can change the maximum amount of CPU cores that SQL will use for parallel
execution plans.
MAXDOP parameter
SQL Server defaults to a maximum degree of parallelism (MAXDOP) of 0, which dictates that SQL Server will dynamically
allocate work up to the total number of CPU cores seen by the SQL Service. With HT turned on for a system with 80 physical
cores, SQL Server will see a total of 160 logical cores which can, for many workload mixes, lead to a sub-optimal allocation
of SQL threads. To address this, we can simply change the “Max Degree of Parallelism” parameter in SQL Server Advanced
properties to equal the number of physical CPU cores (80 in this case) or lower. During our testing, the best results were
achieved using a DOP setting of 30. Figure 5 below depicts the process to change the DOP parameter.
Figure 5. MAXDOP Parameter
With a fixed DOP value, SQL Server would assign worker threads to no more cores than the DOP setting specifies, for a
single query. Note that any additional cores (physical or Hyper-Threaded) above the DOP value are still available to receive
work from other queries. In general, the best Fast Track benchmark results are seen for higher core count systems (4 socket
and greater servers) with DOP fixed between 16 and 32. Hyper-Threading, if available, should be turned ON. As with all Fast
Track performance benchmarks actual results for customer data and workload may vary. Testing at various DOP settings
can reveal best results for specific situations.
In addition, memory resources in these larger systems, with higher amounts of memory, can be over-committed as well.
This can lead to excessive waits for memory grants and releases, etc. To mitigate this, a SQL Server Resource Governor (RG)
policy can be implemented. The details on implementing this policy are shown in the section below.

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Resource Governor
Resource Governor settings control the amount of CPU or memory resources that can be allocated to a given query. For
running workloads with higher parallelism on the DL980 G7, the “default” workload group can be modified to reduce the
maximum amount of memory that can be allocated to a query from the default of 25% to 5-6% for example. Our testing
with this setting has shown to improve I/O throughput and response on our high parallel workloads. The following query in
Figure 6 can be run to implement this policy and turn Resource Governor on with an example setting of 5%.
Figure 6. Resource Governor
High Availability
HP has designed and tested a High Availability (HA) solution for all its Fast Track solutions. This HA solution leverages
Microsoft Windows and SQL Server failover clustering to provide local, shared storage failover capability.
Failover clustering utilizes a shared SAN storage model whereby 2 or more servers connected to the same set of storage
arrays act as a single SQL application server. The 2 nodes communicate via an Ethernet “heartbeat” in order to detect when
one of the servers has a problem or hardware failure. In the case that the heartbeat is not received by one of the servers,
the cluster will initiate an automatic failover to the standby node. This failover is transparent to the user, and results in a
temporary pause in SQL Server activity as the resources are brought online to the secondary server, and SQL Server
transactions are replayed and brought back to the exact state before the failover occurred.
To ensure cluster communication, and proper failover, the SQL failover cluster must reside in the same local area network
or site. Figure 7 below depicts the connectivity between both cluster nodes and the connectivity between the servers and
storage for this DL980 G7 solution.
Note: For practical purposes, the picture below depicts only 4 P2000 arrays. This DL980 G7 configuration uses a total of 16
arrays. Table 9 below depicts the overall wiring guidance for this HA solution.
Table 9. DL980 G7 Wiring Guidance
Components
Fibre Switch
Ethernet Switch
P2000 Arrays
Arrays 1-8 port A1
8/40 Switch #1
Arrays 1-8 port A2
8/40 Switch #1
Arrays 1-8 port B1
8/24 Switch #2
Arrays 1-8 port B2
8/24 Switch #2
Arrays 9-16 port A1
8/40 Switch #2
Arrays 9-16 port A2
8/40 Switch #2
Arrays 9-16 port B1
8/24 Switch #1
Arrays 9-16 port B2
8/24 Switch #1
Mgmt Port A
2510-48G Switch
Mgmt Port B
2510-48G Switch
DL980 G7 Server
iLO Ethernet
2510-48G Switch
ALTER WORKLOAD GROUP "default"
WITH (REQUEST_MAX_MEMORY_GRANT_PERCENT =5)
GO
ALTER RESOURCE GOVERNOR RECONFIGURE
GO

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Components
Fibre Switch
Ethernet Switch
NIC Port #1
2510-48G Switch
HBAs #1-5 Port #1
8/40 Switch #1
HBAs #1-5 Port #2
8/24 Switch #2
HBAs #6-10 Port #1
8/24 Switch #1
HBAs #6-10 Port #2
8/40 Switch #2
HBA #11 Port #1
8/40 Switch #1
HBA #11 Port #2
8/40 Switch #2
Since we have a total of 4 fibre switches, each storage array controller will connect to a different switch, providing fault
tolerance down to the storage controller. The 16 arrays are divided in half so that 8 arrays will use 2 switches and the other
8 arrays will use the 2 other switches. HBAs are also divided for redundancy, with HBAs 1-5 and 11 using 2 switches and
6-10 using 2 switches also.
Figure 7. High Availability Overview

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Additional storage requirements
This HA solution also requires additional storage components for cluster functionality and transaction logging.
Quorum disk
Microsoft Windows clustering uses a voting method to ensure cluster quorum. Each cluster node, along with a cluster
quorum disk is used to establish cluster quorum. This solution utilizes the “Node and Disk Majority” quorum type in which
either both nodes, or 1 node and the quorum disk must be online for the cluster to continue. In addition to the Fast Track
storage, 1 RAID1 LUN is used for this quorum functionality.
Root disk
Since SQL Server system and database files will be shared between 2 systems in this configuration, these files can no longer
be housed or mounted to the C: drive. These files must reside on the SAN. For this we allocate an additional RAID1 LUN for
the volume mount points, and for the SQL Server system files.
SQL transaction logging
SQL Server Fast Track solutions utilize the “Simple” recovery model which provides for limited transaction logging and no
“point in time” database restoration. Transaction log files are truncated at each checkpoint. One of the requirements for SQL
clustering is that the databases run in “Full” recovery mode, in which transaction logs are kept until they are backed up, and
the database can be restored to a point in time using these logs. This method requires more disk space to store the logs and
potentially more disk bandwidth, since the system is writing more logs. For this solution we added two additional
transaction log LUNs to ensure that we have enough bandwidth and storage for the additional overhead.
Figure 8 below depicts the HA storage configuration for this solution.
Figure 8. HA Storage Overview
Additional details on setting up and configuring an HP Fast Track HA solution can be found in the following white paper
published on the HP website, http://h20195.www2.hp.com/V2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=4AA4-2740ENW
Table 12 in this document depicts a bill of materials for the DL980 G7 Fast Track HA solution.

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Manual storage mapping
All Fast Track architectures require a Microsoft Multipath I/O (MPIO) manual mapping scheme. This manual mapping scheme
uses the “Fail over Only” MPIO policy for SAN connected storage. Each LUN has a primary and one or more secondary maps.
Since we are using redundant SAN switches for the Fast Track HA configurations, primary LUN mappings should be spread
out over the available SAN switches. Careful attention should be paid to ensure that LUNs are mapped using controller ports
and HBA ports that are physically connected to the same switch. This DL980 G7 reference architecture is unique in that
there are only 2 Data LUNs per array, rather than the usual 4. In order to provide the best performance, each Data LUN must
map through 2 storage ports rather than one. Table 10 below details a redundant manual mapping example for this DL980
G7 HA architecture.
Table 10. DL980 G7 Example HA manual cross-mapping scheme
LUN
Primary Map
Secondary Map
Comment
Array #1
Data LUN #1
Port A1,A2; HBA 1 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 2 Port#2
In case of switch Loss, ½ of LUNs failover
to secondary map
Data LUN #2
Port B1,B2; HBA 2 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 1 Port#1
Log LUN #1
Port A1,A2; HBA 1 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 2 Port#2
Cluster Root
Disk
Port B1,B2; HBA 1 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 2 Port#1
Root disk holds only SQL and mount point
files.
Array #2
Data LUN #3
Port A1,A2; HBA 2 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 1 Port#2
Data LUN #4
Port B1,B2; HBA 1 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 2 Port#1
Log LUN #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 2 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 3 Port#2
Cluster Quorum
Disk
Port B1,B2; HBA 2 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 3 Port#1
Quorum disk does not house any files;
Cluster use only
Array #3
Data LUN #5
Port A1,A2; HBA 3 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 4 Port#2
Data LUN #6
Port B1,B2; HBA 4 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 3 Port#1
Log LUN #3
Port A1,A2; HBA 3 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 4 Port#2
Array #4
Data LUN #7
Port A1,A2; HBA 4 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 3 Port#2
Data LUN #8
Port B1,B2; HBA 3 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 4 Port#1
Log LUN #4
Port A1,A2; HBA 4 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 3 Port#2
Array #5
Data LUN #9
Port A1,A2; HBA 5 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 11 Port#2
Data LUN #10
Port B1,B2; HBA 11 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 5 Port#1
Log LUN #5
Port A1,A2; HBA 5 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 11 Port#2

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LUN
Primary Map
Secondary Map
Comment
Array #6
Data LUN #11
Port A1,A2; HBA 11 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 5 Port#2
Data LUN #12
Port B1,B2; HBA 5 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 11 Port#1
Log LUN #6
Port A1,A2; HBA 11 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 5 Port#2
Array #7
Data LUN #13
Port A1,A2; HBA 1 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 2 Port#2
Data LUN #14
Port B1,B2; HBA 2 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 1 Port#1
Log LUN #7
Port B1,B2; HBA 3 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 1 Port#1
Array #8
Data LUN #15
Port A1,A2; HBA 3 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 4 Port#2
Data LUN #16
Port B1,B2; HBA 4 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 3 Port#1
Stage LUN #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 4 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 3 Port#1
Array #9
Data LUN #17
Port A1,A2; HBA 6 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 7 Port#2
Data LUN #18
Port B1,B2; HBA 7 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 6 Port#1
Log LUN #8
Port A1,A2; HBA 6 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 7 Port#2
Array #10
Data LUN #19
Port A1,A2; HBA 8 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 9 Port#2
Data LUN #20
Port B1,B2; HBA 9 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 8 Port#1
Array #11
Data LUN #21
Port A1,A2; HBA 10 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 6 Port#2
Data LUN #22
Port B1,B2; HBA 6 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 10 Port#1
Array #12
Data LUN #23
Port A1,A2; HBA 7 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 8 Port#2
Data LUN #24
Port B1,B2; HBA 8 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 7 Port#1
Array #13
Data LUN #25
Port A1,A2; HBA 9 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 10 Port#2
Data LUN #26
Port B1,B2; HBA 10 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 9 Port#1
Array #14
Data LUN #27
Port A1,A2; HBA 6 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 7 Port#2
Data LUN #28
Port B1,B2; HBA 7 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 6 Port#1

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LUN
Primary Map
Secondary Map
Comment
Array #15
Data LUN #29
Port A1,A2; HBA 8 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 9 Port#2
Data LUN #30
Port B1,B2; HBA 9 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 8 Port#1
Array #16
Data LUN #31
Port A1,A2; HBA 10 Port #1
Port B1,B2; HBA 6 Port#2
Data LUN #32
Port B1,B2; HBA 6 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 10 Port#1
Stage LUN #2
Port B1,B2; HBA 7 Port #2
Port A1,A2; HBA 6 Port#1
Note: Each HBA has 2 ports, Port #1, and Port #2. Each storage array has a total of 4 ports and 2 controllers. Ports A1 and
A2 refer to the top controller, while ports B1 and B2 refer to the bottom controller.

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Disaster recovery
This reference architecture can be duplicated across 2 different sites for disaster recovery purposes. The HP P2000 G3 MSA
arrays provide native snapshot capability and allow for the simultaneous replication of incremental changes throughout the
system. The diagram in Figure 9 below provides a high level overview of this multi-site configuration.
Figure 9. Disaster Recovery Overview
The P2000 G3 FC/iSCSI Combo MSA controllers allow for the replication of snapshot data using the P2000 iSCSI links, while
communication between the Fast Track server and the P2000 arrays is done using the Fibre Channel links between the
P2000 arrays and the Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) installed in the server. This separation of duties prevents data access traffic
and replication traffic from interfering with each other, providing optimal speeds for both functions.
Through the use of the HP P2000 VSS (Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service) Provider for Windows x64, the Fast Track
server can be “paused” while a snapshot is taken, then resumed once it is complete. This allows the databases that are
contained within the snapshot to be in a consistent state for the replication process. Once these databases are replicated to
the DR site, they can be attached to the DR server, and mounted in the same state as they were during the initial snapshot.
In order for end users to access the databases on the secondary server, Domain Name Services (DNS) aliases are used for
connection. This allows for user connections to be directed to the new server during the failover process. In order for end
users to access the database on the DR server, many processes must happen behind the scenes to ensure that the data is

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replicated and accessible. HP provides a step-by-step document to assist in the configuration of a script based disaster
recovery failover for Fast Track. The document is available at: “Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Fast Track: A Multi-Site Disaster
Recovery Architecture using the HP P2000 G3 MSA Storage Array”,
http://h20195.www2.hp.com/V2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=4AA3-6489ENW
The bill of materials for a disaster recovery configuration is detailed in Table 13 of this document.
Bills of materials
Table 11 includes the bill of materials for the server, storage, and switching components of the reference architecture.
Table 11. Bill of materials
Qty
Part Number
Description
Server Configuration
1
AM451A
HP ProLiant DL980 G7 CTO Chassis
1
650770-L21
Intel Xeon E7-4870 4P Kit
1
650770-B21
Intel Xeon E7-4870 4P Kit
1
AM450A
DL980 CPU Assembly
4
AM470A
HP 1200W 12V HE AC Power Supply
1
534562-B21
1G FBWC Module
1
588137-B21
DL580 G7 PCI-E Expansion Kit
1
AM434A
DL580 G7 LP PCIe Expansion Kit
3
512547-B21
HP 146GB 6G SAS 15K SFF DP ENT HDD
5
581286-B21
HP 600GB 6G SAS 10K SFF DP ENT HDD
14
AJ763B
HP 82E 8Gb Dual Port PCI-E FC HBA
8
A0R60A
DL980 G7 Memory Board
96
A0R56A
8 GB Dual Rank x4 PC3-10600R Dimm
Storage Configuration
16
AP846B
HP P2000 G3 MSA FC DC SFF Modular Smart Array
328
581286-B21
HP 600GB 6G SAS 10K SFF DP ENT HDD
Switch Configuration
2
AM869B
HP 8/40 40-Ports / 24-Active Enabled SAN Switch
2
AM868B
HP 8/24 24-Ports/ 16-Active Enabled SAN Switch
2
T5518A
HP 8/40 SAN Switch 8-Port Upgrade Activation License
92
QK733A
2m LC-LC Cable
3
263474-B22
HP Cat 5e Cables –6ft 8 Pack
2
263474-B23
HP Cat 5e Cables –12ft 8 Pack
92
AJ716B
HP 8Gb Shortwave FC SFP+ 1 Pack
1
J9280A
HP 2510-48G Switch