Question

DB Set Up - Recommend Hardware

Asked by: Rerodrig

I'm an amateur programmer that has written several apps with a SQL back end.  My next project will require robust hardware since I will be working with tables millions of lines long and with complex statistical calcs.  I plan to use SAS, SQL Server and several sources of financial data.  I however have no clue how to set up the hardware.  Can you recommend specifically hardware that I can use for storage (100+ GB) and very fast calculation (think multi-variate regressions on several normalized tables of 1 million plus rows.  I'm not in a production environment so I don't have duplicity, although I would like to recover my data should a drive go down.  I'm mostly focused on very fast calculations.  My budget is around $5000.  Thank you!!

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Asked On
2007-04-16 at 15:13:43ID22514934
Topic

Computer Servers

Participating Experts
2
Points
250
Comments
5

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Answers

 

by: warrenbucklesPosted on 2007-04-16 at 19:29:20ID: 18922008

Hello Rerodrig:

I assume you are looking for a test platform for your exclusive use.  This would be a server with moderate computing power and a reasonably fast disk sub-system - probably something like a dual-processor unit running AMD Opterons or the more recent Intel Xeons with a RAID 5 disk array.  I could rattle off a list of processor/RAM/disk suggestions but they are only the tip of the iceberg.

Before you jump into the hardware you should look at the SAS modules you are planning to use and learn their suggested hardware platforms - I assume you will be using a Windows server OS since you mention SQL Server.

Your best option would be to buy a pre-configured server from a system integrator who is familiar with SAS and database work and who is able to support you.  There are many vendors out there - Dell, HP and IBM are the biggies but you need someone to set up the system and keep it running.  A lack of duplicity [sic] and a $5k budget can buy you some significant hardware but I would go for more moderate hardware and a support contract - assuming you don't have in-house IT support.

wb

 

by: RerodrigPosted on 2007-04-17 at 11:19:13ID: 18926307

Warren,

Pardon my ignorance, on the hard drives: what is the advantage of a RAID 5 disk array over other drives?

Rodman.

 

by: manualvinPosted on 2007-04-18 at 05:57:33ID: 18931233

Hi Rodman,

Ques:
what is the advantage of a RAID 5 disk array over other drives?

Ans:

With a RAID 5 setup, you cater for hardware disk failure

RAID 5 definition:

# RAID 5: Striped Set (3 disk minimum) with Distributed Parity: Distributed parity requires all but one drive to be present to operate; drive failure requires replacement, but the array is not destroyed by a single drive failure. Upon drive failure, any subsequent reads can be calculated from the distributed parity such that the drive failure is masked from the end user. The array will have data loss in the event of a second drive failure and is vulnerable until the data that was on the failed drive is rebuilt onto a replacement drive.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redundant_array_of_independent_disks

Good physical diagram to understand RAID 5:
Reference: http://www.acnc.com/04_01_05.html

This results in excellent performance and good fault tolerance.

Best Regards,
Alvin

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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