Efficient storage and server management are crucial for optimizing IT infrastructure performance. This guide synthesizes insights from various community discussions regarding Dell EqualLogic storage systems, highlighting best practices and strategies for enhancing resource allocation and system performance.
Understanding Cache and Storage Allocation
When integrating multiple applications on shared storage, it is essential to consider how cache allocation impacts performance. For instance, if two applications—one with high cache efficiency due to small data size, and another that performs large sequential reads—share the same storage, overall performance could degrade. This is because the shared cache will be quickly consumed by the cumulative data load, reducing the benefit of caching and increasing physical disk reads. Therefore, thoughtful segmentation of storage resources can maintain performance levels for both applications.
Storage Configuration Recommendations
Dynamic and Application-Specific Storage Solutions
- Internal Disk Utilization: Consider employing internal SATA disks configured in RAID 10 for high-performance, cost-effective storage solutions. This setup provides faster read/write speeds and could offer additional space for backup and maintenance tasks, which should remain inaccessible to end-users.
- Appropriate Use of Central Storage: Utilize centralized storage systems for extensive databases that exceed internal disk capacity, or when the workload patterns do not benefit from disk caches, requiring high IOPS from multiple disk heads.
- Prioritize Server RAM: Instead of investing heavily in storage cache, allocate resources to increase server RAM, optimizing performance for applications with intense memory usage.
Optimizing Database Performance
- Avoid RAID 5/6 for Mission-Critical Databases: For high-performance database environments, RAID 10 is preferable. It significantly improves read speeds due to its mirrored disk configuration, allowing simultaneous reads from two disks.
- Dedicated Disk for Database Logs: Position the database write-ahead log (WAL) on a dedicated physical disk. This approach minimizes seek time, as the log writes are sequential, ensuring efficient disk head positioning. This strategy is applicable to databases like PostgreSQL and MySQL.
Improving Virtualization Environments
Virtual Machine Configuration
Transitioning from VMware to KVM can sometimes resolve performance and stability issues experienced with large virtual machines. While different environments may yield varied results, certain practices can enhance VM performance:
- Direct Disk Access: Use direct SCSI forwarding for VM disk images to potentially improve throughput, although performance gains depend on specific usage patterns.
- Host Disk Caching: Disable host-level disk caching for virtual machines in KVM to prevent unnecessary cache duplication and optimize performance.
For further reading and technical resources, refer to the official Dell EqualLogic Resources.
