SQL Server 2000 Consolidation: a business case

• It offers protection against constant reactive bottleneck detection efforts.
– Scaling up to 128 processors on the HP Integrity Superdome (64 maximum processors per
partition)
– Memory up to 1 TB
– Lower license cost when multi-instance Microsoft SQL Server 2000, 64-bit is used
• It enables better business continuity and reliability through support of eight-node clusters.
• It provides a superior platform for large-scale server consolidation.
– Up to 1 TB
– Up to 64 processors per partition
– Up to 16 instances on a single server, with SQL Server Enterprise Edition, 64-bit
• It offers online transaction processing (OLTP) performance advantages.
– Better parallelism and scheduling
– Larger memory (better page life expectancy)
– Faster I/O (multi-path I/O, 64-bit PCI extensions)
• It enables superior performance for online analytical processing (OLAP) applications, like Microsoft
Analysis Services, and data warehouse applications.
– Large memory to hold very large cubes and/or databases
– Faster I/O
– Faster complex queries
Case study 1: ebm-papst Germany
The challenge
In 1996, PAPST-MOTOREN (PAPST) introduced SAP R/3 on UNIX
®
in parallel with the SAP R/2
application running on a mainframe system that had been in use since 1984. Running two separate
systems was proving time-consuming and costly to support. In 1997, PAPST decided to migrate all of
the SAP R/2 functionality running on the mainframe to the R/3 system and shut down the mainframe.
Supporting two different architectures was proving both costly and inefficient. The company needed to
streamline and simplify IT operations by implementing a homogeneous, cost-efficient environment
based on industry standards.
The solution
PAPST decided to build its new, standardized platform on Intel-based HP servers running Microsoft
Windows NT
®
. The migration from SAP R/2 to R/3 was completed in 2001, and the mainframe was
switched off in 2002. The company could now reap the benefits of a homogeneous, cost-efficient IT
environment based on industry standards. PAPST linked its computer-aided design/product lifecycle
management solutions, CATIA and Autodesk, to the SAP system to support seamless integration across
the entire enterprise.
When analyzing IT investments, PAPST always looks beyond the purchase price to the total cost of
ownership. The company was as impressed by the low administration requirements of HP products
and solutions as it was with their performance and availability. The excellent manageability of HP
products is best illustrated by the IT headcount at PAPST. Back in 1984, 10 employees worked in the
IT department. Today, there are 20; however, 10 of these are software developers. In other words, a
four-fold rise in the number of users and a strong increase in the reach and functionality of the mySAP
Business Suite can be managed by the same headcount. In fact, the company’s IT administration team
even has time to look after a help desk for the local PAPST offices. The new architecture is easy to
manage, and infrastructure support only requires 2.5 employees (the same number as in 1996 when
there were only 150 users).
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