Technical white paper

Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Data Warehouse Fast Track Reference Architecture using HP MSA 2040 FC HP ProLiant DL380 Gen9

Table of contents Executive summary ...................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction to Data Warehouse Fast Track Reference Architecture for SQL Server 2014 .......................................... 2

Microsoft SQL Server 2014 DWFT primary metrics ........................................................................................................... 2 Microsoft SQL Server 2014 DWFT secondary metrics ...................................................................................................... 3

Product overview........................................................................................................................................................................... 4 HP ProLiant DL380 Gen9 Server ............................................................................................................................................ 4 HP MSA 2040 Storage .............................................................................................................................................................. 5 HP StoreFabric SN6000B Fibre Channel Switch ................................................................................................................. 6

Solution overview .......................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Configuring the HP MSA 2040 ................................................................................................................................................ 7 Configuring Windows Server 2012 R2 ................................................................................................................................. 8 Configuring Microsoft SQL Server 2014 ............................................................................................................................. 11

Data Warehouse Fast Track Certification results ................................................................................................................. 13 Summary ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Bill of materials ............................................................................................................................................................................ 14 Terminology ................................................................................................................................................................................. 15 For more information ................................................................................................................................................................. 15

Technical white paper | Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Data Warehouse Fast Track Reference Architecture using HP MSA 2040 FC

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Executive summary

The objective of this RA is to highlight the customer benefits of deploying the HP MSA 2040 in a SQL Server 2014 DW environment. HP MSA 2040 provides the storage foundation that is easily managed, highly affordable, and highly scalable. And, as the business expands, the number of supported servers and total capacity can be increased to adapt to changing business needs.

SQL Server 2014 deployments with Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence (DW/BI) workloads have much more read activity than write activity, predominantly with reads during queries and heavy writes during loads. While both queries and loads are important when designing a balanced DW solution, there is generally more sensitivity to performance during query analysis than during data loads, which can be done in bulk increments overnight. Thus, the primary design criterion for a DW/BI deployment is performance—specifically the throughput that can be achieved through the storage subsystem—with the ultimate goal being to achieve a balance of compute and storage resources.

In the SMB/mid-market segment, high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) are not generally critical requirements because customers can leverage a dual-load scenario to provide satisfactory levels of redundancy.

The HP MSA 2040 can achieve and maintain baseline levels of scalable performance for DW workloads requiring sequential data access.

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 the factors that affect those options.

This Reference Architecture supports Microsoft® SQL Server 2014 Data Warehouse Fast Track Certification.

Introduction to Data Warehouse Fast Track Reference Architecture for SQL Server 2014

The SQL Server 2014 Data Warehouse Fast Track Reference Architecture (DWFT) provides a framework based on a balanced approach to implement a symmetric multiprocessor-based architecture (SMP). The goal of the DWFT Reference Architecture is to achieve an efficient resource balance between the database processing capabilities of SQL Server 2014 and the hardware throughput, using proven performance and scalable data warehouse workloads.

This Reference Architecture is based on the HP ProLiant DL380 Gen9 Server connected to an MSA 2040 storage array using 16Gb Fibre Channel. The configuration is optimized for data warehouse workloads and is rated for up to 22 TB of compressed data.

A full benchmark consists of two primary packages, IO Saturation and CPU Saturation. Each package was run at 12 and 24 concurrent sessions or streams of queries against the row store and against the column store.

Microsoft SQL Server 2014 DWFT primary metrics The certification process depends on the calculation of four primary and eight secondary metrics. The following are the four primary metrics.

• Related User Data Capacity (TB): A calculated value based on the Row Store Relative Throughput, the Column Store Relative Throughput, available storage, and the physical system memory. The calculation assumes a compression ratio of 5:1.

• Maximum User Data Capacity: Calculated value based on the total disk capacity of all disks allocated to primary storage. Assumes a 5:1 compression ratio.

• Row Store Relative Throughput: Percent ratio calculation of the Row Store throughput to the validated sample Data Warehouse Fast Track (DWFT) Row Store throughput.

• Column Store Relative Throughput: Percent ratio calculation of the Column Store throughput to the validated sample DWFT Column Store throughput.

Technical white paper | Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Data Warehouse Fast Track Reference Architecture using HP MSA 2040 FC

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Microsoft SQL Server 2014 DWFT secondary metrics Table 1 shows the secondary row metrics and table 2 shows the secondary column metrics used for the DWFT certification process.

Table 1. Data Warehouse Fast Track secondary row metrics

Secondary row metric Description

Measured Throughput (Queries/Hr/TB)

Calculated from the measured number of Row Store benchmark queries completed during the measurement interval, normalized to a 1 TB database, expressed in Queries/Hr/TB.

Measured Scan Rate Physical (Mbps)

Measured physical I/O reads from disk during the measurement interval of the benchmark, expressed in Mbps.

Measured Scan Rate Logical (Mbps)

Measured user query throughput which includes reads from RAM/buffer cache, expressed in Mbps.

Measured I/O Throughput (Mbps)

Calculated midpoint of the measured Scan Rate Physical and the measured Scan Rate Logical, expressed in Mbps.

Measured CPU Utilization (Avg.) (%)

Average CPU utilization measured during the measurement interval of the benchmark, expressed in percentage of total CPU.

Table 2. Data Warehouse Fast Track secondary column metrics

Secondary column metric Description

Measured Throughput (Queries/Hr/TB)

Calculated from the measured number of Column Store benchmark queries completed during the measurement interval, normalized to a 1 TB database, expressed in Queries/Hr/TB.

Measured Scan Rate Physical (Mbps)

Measured physical I/O reads from disk during the measurement interval of the benchmark, expressed in Mbps.

Measured CPU Utilization (Avg.) (%)

Average CPU utilization measured during the measurement interval of the benchmark, expressed in percentage of total CPU.

More information on SQL Server 2014 DWFT can be found here: microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/data-warehouse-fast-track.aspx

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Product overview

HP ProLiant DL380 Gen9 Server HP ProLiant servers deliver industry-leading compute innovation. Building on 25 years of proven features and functions, the HP ProLiant portfolio is designed to improve cost savings while providing more compute per watt per dollar to meet the new demands of today’s marketplace.

This solution is based on the HP ProLiant DL380 Gen9 Server, which provides exceptional performance and value in a 2U form factor, offering various processor, memory, disk, and networking configuration options.

Figure 1. HP ProLiant DL380 Gen9 Server

The HP ProLiant DL380 Gen9 Server offers the perfect solution for the dynamic compute requirements of both growing small businesses and demanding data centers. This ProLiant server offers many key features and benefits, as shown in table 3.

Table 3. Key features

Feature

Intel® Xeon® E5-2600v3 processor family

24 total DIMM slots (12 per processor), 4 channels per processor, 1.5 TB maximum capacity

DDR4 Registered (RDIMM) or Load Reduced (LRDIMM) SmartMemory

Up to 26 small form factor (SFF) or 15 large form factor (LFF) hard drives

Up to 6 PCIe 3.0 slots

HP Smart Storage solution

HP iLO Management Engine

Table 4 shows the configuration of the DL380 Gen9 server used in this DWFT certification. The DL380 Gen9 server can support two processors. This certification used one processor. The remaining socket can be populated with a similar processor model for future expansion of the solution.

Table 4. HP ProLiant DL380 Gen9 Server configuration

Quantity Description

1 HP DL380 Gen9 E5-2698v3 FIO Kit

8 HP 32GB 4Rx4 PC4-2133P-L Kit

3 HP 1.2TB 6G SAS 10K 2.5in SFF HDD

2 HP 450GB 12G SAS 15K 2.5in SC ENT HDD

2 HP SN1000Q 16Gb 2P FC HBA

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HP MSA 2040 Storage The HP MSA 2040 shown in figure 2 is the next-generation entry-level array. Designed for entry-level and midrange customers, it features the latest in functionality and host-connect technology and offers an excellent price and performance. The HP MSA 2040 is ideal for companies with small budgets or limited IT expertise. Larger companies with departmental or remote requirements can also use the HP MSA 2040. Each solution using the HP MSA 2040 deploys easily and securely, provides lower management costs, and drives rapid return on investment (ROI) through efficient storage consolidation.

Features: Simple: Flexible architecture. Easy to set up. Easy to manage. • Choice of 8Gb/16Gb FC, 1Gb/10GbE iSCSI and 6Gb/12Gb SAS to match the customer environment configuration.

• The MSA 2040 offers single-controller models for low initial investment, or dual-controllers for higher data protection. The FC controller allows resource sharing between different departments with the most cost-effective protocol. A wide choice of drive types means a high ROI.

• The MSA 2040 offers a choice of drives: high-performance and high-speed SSD drives, enterprise-class SAS, and SAS Midline drives. The array head comes with either 12 or 24 drive bays, able to simultaneously accommodate all three drive types.

Start small and grow in number of supported servers and total capacity—adaptable to changing needs • The MSA 2040 allows customers to grow their storage as demands increase, up to a raw capacity of 384 TB with 4 TB LFF

Midline drives. The MSA 2040 can support eight LFF enclosures supporting 96 drives or eight SFF enclosures utilizing 199 drives. Single or dual controllers accommodate any budget.

• Powerful new controllers and 4 GB of read/write cache each provide support for up to 64 hosts. The latest 16Gb Fibre Channel means that users will have fast, reliable, and affordable access to their data.

• With 1,024 LUNs and maximum volume size of 64 TB, the MSA 2040 has more than sufficient LUN flexibility for a wide variety of configuration choices.

Comprehensive data protection in an easy to manage SAN environment • Reduce risk of IT failure with dual-active and active controllers, dual-ported drives, and redundant hardware components.

• For increased data protection, the MSA 2040 comes standard with 64 snapshot and Volume Copy cloning capability-enabled. Snapshots can be optionally increased to 512 snaps, and all MSA 2040 controller models support the Remote Snap replication software option.

• Reduce time-to-operation with easy and secure deployment. Operator errors are reduced, resulting in less downtime and data loss, while increasing customer satisfaction.

• The MSA 2040 supports data-in-place upgrades, protecting the user’s investment in JBODs and drives, enhancing performance and functionality.

Figure 2. HP MSA 2040

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HP StoreFabric SN6000B Fibre Channel Switch The HP StoreFabric SN6000B Fibre Channel Switch meets the demand of customer environments by delivering market-leading 16Gb Fibre Channel technology and performance. The SN6000B Switch is configurable in 24, 36, or 48 ports and supports 4, 8, 10, or 16 Gbps speeds in a 1U package.

In this configuration, HP SN6000B was used for SAN connectivity between the DL380 Gen9 server and the HP MSA 2040 storage.

Figure 3. HP StoreFabric SN6000B Fibre Channel Switch

Solution overview

This Reference Architecture describes the Data Warehouse Fast Track solution for SQL Server 2014. The solution includes the HP ProLiant DL380 Gen9 Server connected using Fibre Channel to the MSA 2040. Figure 4 shows the DWFT environment.

Figure 4. DWFT Test environment

Technical white paper | Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Data Warehouse Fast Track Reference Architecture using HP MSA 2040 FC

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Configuring the HP MSA 2040 The HP MSA 2040 used in this Reference Architecture uses a dual-controller configuration with two addition D2700 drive enclosures. The HP MSA 2040 was filled with 74 HP 600GB 6G SAS 10K 2.5 in DP enterprise hard disk drives.

Figure 5 shows the HP MSA 2040 system view from the Storage Management Utility.

Figure 5. Front view of the HP MSA 2040 from the Storage Management Utility

Figure 6. All volumes on the MSA 2040

Technical white paper | Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Data Warehouse Fast Track Reference Architecture using HP MSA 2040 FC

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The disks were configured into RAID 10 disk groups formatted in 64k chunks. Each disk group consists of four (1+1) RAID 1 subgroups. The data is striped across the RAID 1 subgroups. Each subgroup has only one disk in each shelf, protecting the data from a shelf failure. Figure 7 shows the Adg01 disk group from the Storage Management Utility.

Figure 7. Disk group Adg01

Configuring Windows Server 2012 R2 This section describes the Windows Server® 2012 R2 tuning options selected for this DWFT Reference Architecture.

Configuration information covered includes:

• Windows® volumes

• Multipathing (MPIO) policy

• Power plan

• BIOS configuration

Windows volumes The disk groups created in the MSA 2040 are mounted as Windows volumes on the DL380 Gen9 server. DiskPart was used to create primary partitions aligned to 1024 KB. The NTFS were created with 64K units. The database files were spread over the nine mount points. There were also eight tempdb files, one on each of the mount points except the mount point for the logs. Four of the mount points were connected to Controller A and five of the mount points were connected to Controller B. See table 5 for the database configuration.

Table 5. Database configuration

Disk group Controller # of drives Physical drive location Capacity (GB) Database files

Adg01 Controller A 8 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.25 (Spare)

2398.0 FT_Demo_Base_1, Stage_1, Tempdev

Adg02 Controller A 8 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.4, 2.5, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5

2398.0 FT_Demo_Base_2, Stage_2, Temp02

Adg03 Controller A 8 1.7, 1.8, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8

2398.0 FT_Demo_Base_3, Stage_3, Temp03

Adg04 Controller A 8 1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11, 3.9, 3.10

2398.0 FT_Demo_Base_3, Stage_4, Temp04

Adg05 Controller A 8 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 2.12, 2.13, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13

2398.0 Logs

Bdg01 Controller B 8 1.15, 1.16, 2.14, 2.15, 2.16, 3.14, 3.15, 3.16

2398.0 FT_Demo_Base_5, Stage_5, Temp05

Bdg02 Controller B 8 1.17, 1.18, 2.17, 2.18, 2.19, 3.17, 3.18, 3.19

2398.0 FT_Demo_Base_6, Stage_6, Temp06

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Multipathing (MPIO) policy The MPIO policy used on the volumes which have the SQL Server database and tempdb files is “Round Robin with Subset.” The “Round Robin with Subset” policy executes the Round Robin policy only on paths designated as active or optimized. The non-active or non-optimized paths will be tried on a Round Robin approach upon failure of all active or optimized paths.

Figure 8. MPIO policy

Power plan The power profile setting used for this Reference Architecture was the “Balanced” option. This option automatically balances performance with energy consumption.

Figure 9. Power options

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BIOS configuration • Hyper-Threading was enabled.

• Turbo Boost Technology was enabled.

• HP Power Profile was set to Balanced Power and Performance.

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Configuring Microsoft SQL Server 2014 This section describes the settings used in running the DWFT tests.

Configuration information covered includes:

• Resource Governor settings

The Resource Governor is a feature that can be used to manage SQL Server workloads and system resource consumption. This feature enables the user to specify limits on the amount of CPU, physical IO, and memory that incoming application requests can use. Figure 10 shows the Resource Governor settings used during these tests.

Figure 10. Resource Governor settings

• SQL Server MAXDOP set up

The Maximum Degree of Parallelism (MAXDOP) controls the number of logical cores that the SQL Server uses for the parallel execution of a query. Figure 11 shows the MAXDOP value used.

Figure 11. SQL Server MAXDOP set up

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• SQL Server memory settings

Figure 12 shows that 92 percent of the available memory was allocated to the SQL Server.

Figure 12. SQL Server memory settings

Technical white paper | Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Data Warehouse Fast Track Reference Architecture using HP MSA 2040 FC

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Data Warehouse Fast Track Certification results

Figure 13. DWFT Certification

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Summary

This solution, in partnership with Microsoft, enables customers to deploy a tested, reliable, and validated DWFT Reference Architecture configuration. The solution combines the industry-leading HP ProLiant server (DL380 Gen9) with the entry-level array (MSA 2040) to provide a Microsoft-certified SQL Server 2014 DWFT solution.

With a rated user capacity of 22 TB, this configuration can expand storage capacity as the customer’s data warehouse requirements increase. This solution is also able to increase performance as well as capacity. The MSA 2040 can expand to support up to 7 drive trays, either small form factor (SFF) or large form factor (LFF). The SFF tray can support up to 25 drives; the LFF tray can support up to 12 drives each. The MSA 2040 can also support 8Gb/16Gb Fibre Channel, 1GbE/10GbE iSCSI or 6Gb/12Gb SAS connections to the host.

The results highlight how HP can deliver a DWFT Reference Architecture for Microsoft SQL Server 2014.

Bill of materials

Major components used in testing this DWFT Reference Architecture are listed here. The list is not exhaustive, but provides guidance. For example, power distribution units (PDUs) and interconnecting cables are not listed. Often these items will already be present, or ordered as needed.

Table 6 lists the hardware components.

Table 6. Hardware bill of materials

Part # Description Quantity

HP ProLiant Server

719064-B21 HP DL380 Gen9 8-SFF CTO Server 1

781913-L21 HP DL380 Gen9 E5-2698v3 FIO Kit 1

726722-B21 HP 32GB 4Rx4 PC4-2133P-L Kit 4

718162-B21 HP 1.2TB 6G SAS 10k 2.5in DP ENT SC HDD 3

759210-B21 HP 450GB 12G SAS 15K 2.5in SC ENT HDD 2

QW972A HP SN1000Q 16Gb 2P FC HBA 2

629135-B22 HP Ethernet 1GbE 4P 331FLR Adptr 1

719073-B21 HP DL380 G9 3Slot PCIe Rsr Kit 1

733660-B21 HP 2U SFF Easy Install Rail Kit 1

720478-B21 HP 500W FS Plat Ht Plg Pwr Supply Kit 2

755996-B21 Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2

HP MSA 2040 Storage

K2R80A HP MSA 2040 ES SAN DC SFF Storage 1

AJ941A-0D1 HP D2700 Disk Enclosure 2

C8S58A-0D1 HP MSA 600GB SAS 10K 2.5in DP ENT HDD 74

HP StoreFabric SN6000B Fibre Channel Switch

QK753B HP SN6000B 16Gb 48/24 FC Switch 1

Technical white paper | Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Data Warehouse Fast Track Reference Architecture using HP MSA 2040 FC

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© Copyright 2015 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

Intel Xeon is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Server are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

4AA6-2180ENW, October 2015

Terminology

Table 7 provides a short list of common terms used in this paper.

Table 7. Glossary of common terms

Term Description

Disk group Group of one or more disks inside the MSA 2040

DWFT Data Warehouse Fast Track

FC Fibre Channel

iSCSI Internet Small Computer System Interface

PDU Power distribution unit

SAS Serial Attached SCSI

SCSI LUN SCSI Logical Unit Number, which is used with FC devices, along with their World Wide Name (WWN) for identification

For more information

HP Servers and services • HP Servers, hp.com/go/servers

• HP Services, hp.com/go/services

HP Storage Arrays • HP Enterprise Storage Information Library, hp.com/go/storage/docs

• HP MSA Storage, hp.com/go/MSA

HP StoreFabric Storage Networking • HP StoreFabric Storage Networking, hp.com/us/en/products/data-storage/storefabric.html

• HP StoreFabric SN6000B Fibre Channel Switch, hp.com/h20195/v2/GetPDF.aspx%2Fc04111492.pdf

HP Storage Solutions • HP Storage Solutions, hp.com/go/storagesolutions

• Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Data Warehouse Fast Track Reference Architecture using HP MSA 2040 h20195.www2.hp.com/V2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=4AA5-9236ENW&cc=us&lc=en

Microsoft links • Microsoft SQL Server, microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/default.aspx

• Microsoft Data Warehouse Fast Track SQL Server 2014, microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/data-warehouse-fast-track.aspx

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