Running Defrag on a SQL server with RAID

[Guest]

I have a Win2K server running SQL and the drives are in a RAID 5 config is
there any problems that I might have running defrag on this server?

Thanks

 

[Leythos]

I have a Win2K server running SQL and the drives are in a RAID 5 config is
there any problems that I might have running defrag on this server?

The SQL files, the actual database files for each database, will not be
defragged while online - you have to stop the database while defragging
them or they won't be moved.

 

[Greg Hayes/Raxco Software]

Actually, Microsoft's defrag APIs full support defragmenting SQL database
devices without first having to stop SQL services. Whether a particular
defragmenter takes advantage of this ability is a different story.

- Greg/Raxco Software
Microsoft MVP - Windows File System

Disclaimer: I work for Raxco Software, the maker of PerfectDisk - a
commercial defrag utility, as a systems engineer in the support department.

Want to email me? Delete ntloader.

 

[Leythos]

Actually, Microsoft's defrag APIs full support defragmenting SQL database
devices without first having to stop SQL services. Whether a particular
defragmenter takes advantage of this ability is a different story.

I have 7 Windows 2000 / SQL 2000 servers in our development center, and
when growing/shrinking the databases, or adding new ones, in my
experience, windows defrag utility on 2000 server does not defrag ANY
files that are in-use. The MS SQL database files, as long as SQL Server
is running, are always in use. The same is true for the Exchange
2000/2003 server database files.

Unless you are going to write a custom app to make use of the API, then
there is no point in discussing the API - Diskeeper does a great job of
packing the free space and doing defrags once you stop the service.

Putting your reply at the bottom of a usenet post would be proper and
allow us to maintain the thread readability.

 

[Greg Hayes/Raxco Software]

I use Outlook Express and simply replied to the post. I dont' know why it
showed up as a separate post.

"Unless you are going to write a custom app to make use of the API, then
there is no point in discussing the API - Diskeeper does a great job of
packing the free space and doing defrags once you stop the service."

There is no need to write a custom app. Some defragmenters take advantage
of the fact that you don't need to stop SQL services in order to defragment
database devices.

- Greg/Raxco Software
Microsoft MVP - Windows File System

Disclaimer: I work for Raxco Software, the maker of PerfectDisk - a
commercial defrag utility, as a systems engineer in the support department.

Want to email me? Delete ntloader.