Configuring Sql Server Processor Settings - VMware VCENTER CONFIGURATION MANAGER 5.3 - SOFTWARE REQUIEREMENTS GUIDE Configuration

Configuring SQL Server Processor Settings

1. Select Start | All Programs | Microsoft SQL Server 2005 | SQL Server Management Studio.
Connect to the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.
2. Right-click the SQL instance that you installed, then select Properties.
3. In the left pane, select Processors.
4. Select the Automatically set I/O affinity mask for all processors check box, located below the
processor list, and then select all I/O Affinity check boxes for all processors in the Enable processors
list.
5. In the right pane, configure the following, as needed:
To remove a processor from SQL Server, simply clear the check box next to the processor you
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want to reserve for the OS. It is best if you remove the processor that the network card will
utilize so network communication will not affect SQL Server. Most cards use the first processor,
although some Intel cards do use the last processor. It is important to remember that the SQL
Server service must be restarted for the changes to take effect.
If Hyper-threading is enabled, then the list of processors will normally start at 0 through the
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number of physical cores and repeat to cover the Hyper-thread-created "processors." So, to
unlink the first core from SQL in a four-CPU Hyper-threaded system (eight processors according
to the OS), clear the check boxes next to CPU 0 and CPU 4.
N This is the preferred logical processor enumeration sequence recommended to BIOS
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vendors by Intel as part of it's Netburst architecture. There are, however, some BIOSes that do
utilize this preferred sequence, and instead would show the two threads of the first Hyper-
threaded CPU as logical CPU's 0 and 1. To be absolutely sure which algorithm is used may
require checking with the BIOS vendor, or comparing SQL Server processor affinity options with
and without Hyper-threading enabled.
6. Click OK to save the settings.
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Configuring SQL Server 2005 for VCM
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