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BP1014 Enhancing SQL Server Protection using Dell EqualLogic Snapshot Smart Copies
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 The MGMT server was a Dell PowerEdge R710 server running Windows 2008 R2 natively. It
was used to host the following management and monitoring tools: EqualLogic SAN
Headquarters
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(SANHQ), VMware vCenter, remote desktop access to the workload VMs, and
SQL Server® Management Studio
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.
 The SAN switches consisted of two Dell PowerConnect 6248 switches, configured as a single
stack. As shown in Figure 1, we used redundant connection paths from the database server
virtual machine via each switch in the stack. We also created redundant connection paths
from each array controller to each switch in the stack.
 Network configuration details for ESX01:
o The on-board 4-port LOM (“LAN on motherboard”) Broadcom 5709 network
controller was used for the Server LAN connection paths.
o An additional Intel Gigabit VT Quad Port network adapter was installed and used for
the connection paths between the database server (SQLDBVM01) and the volumes in
the Data Pool on the PS6000XV array. Via this path, the Windows 2008 iSCSI initiator
within the SQLDBVM01 virtual machine was used to connect to the Data Pool
volumes. This path is labeled “vSwitch1: guest iSCSI path” in Figure 1.
o Another additional Intel Gigabit VT Quad Port network adapter was installed and used
for the connection path between the database server and the Backup Pool on the
PS6500E array. The ESX based iSCSI initiator was used in this path. A single pool was
created on the PS6500E and a volume in this pool was presented to SQLDBVM01 as
the backup target. This path is labeled “iSCSIESX: host iSCSI path” in Figure 1.
 We used one (1) EqualLogic PS6000XV
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consisting of 16 x 600GB 15K RPM SAS disk drives in a
RAID 10 configuration to host SQL Server® volumes in the Data Pool and its snapshots.
 We used one (1) EqualLogic PS6500E
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consisting of 48 x 1TB SATA drives in a RAID 50
configuration to host the Backup Pool data volume and other SQL Server® components.
Detailed configuration specifications for each test system component are provided in Appendix B
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http://www.equallogic.com/products/default.aspx?id=5829
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http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms174173.aspx
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EqualLogic PS 6000XV details: http://www.equallogic.com/products/default.aspx?id=7897
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EqualLogic PS 6500E details: http://www.equallogic.com/products/default.aspx?id=7905