Summary

In this chapter we covered a lot of ground - from introducing performance to the various resources you need to consider when configuring a server.

We started by looking at the key things any DBA needs to know about performance, before discussing the performance tuning process. Then we dug into the specifics of server hardware, looking at the different attributes of CPUs, memory, networks, and disk I/O.

The discussion on CPUs examined the different types of processors you might encounter, and explained the differences between processor types and the various options available. The memory section looked at the different memory settings you might need to use, and covered all the scenarios you might encounter, including how to set the server to enable SQL Server to utilize the available memory. The disk I/O section examined the many details involved in storage subsystem configuration. You looked at how to design a storage system, and at some of the considerations necessary when working with large SAN systems. Finally, you learned how to configure the server side of the storage system.

In the next chapter you will learn how to optimize your T-SQL/SQL Server configuration.