HP and Microsoft Deliver Cost-Effective Active Backup Solution

Strategic Insights -

In a breakthrough collaboration, Hewlett-Packard Company and Microsoft Corporation have developed a cost-effective solution to address one of the most significant challenges faced by enterprises with large databases: active backup. This innovative solution enables databases to continue processing transactions with minimal impact on transaction throughput. Working closely with Adaptec, HP created an environment that ensures the highest levels of database throughput while allowing concurrent high-performance backup.

Key Takeaways:

  • HP and Microsoft demonstrated exceptional active database-backup performance of over 100GB per hour while 250 simulated users continued processing online transactions.
  • The companies achieved online transaction throughput at a remarkable rate of 88 percent during the backup operation with a medium transaction-processing workload.
  • The configuration used to test the backup throughput consists of an HP NetServer LX Pro system, running Windows NT Server 4.0, up to 12 HP SureStore DLT 70 tape drives, Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 beta 3, and Adaptec's 3940A-UW dual port UltraSCSI interface cards.
  • The database size was 144GB residing on 44 disk drives.
  • HP and Microsoft aim to create cost-effective solutions for all aspects of enterprise computing, addressing the needs of 24 by 7 applications such as online transaction processing, Web serving, and decision support.
  • The active backup solution demonstrated minimal impact on transaction throughput while delivering impressive backup performance, including a hourly backup rate of 103GB with a medium transaction-processing workload and 195GB with the database online without any transaction-processing workload.

Statistics:

  • 100GB per hour: Exceptional active database-backup performance with 250 simulated users processing online transactions.
  • 88 percent: Online transaction throughput rate during backup operation with a medium transaction-processing workload.
  • 144GB: Database size residing on 44 disk drives.
  • 103GB: Hourly backup rate with a medium transaction-processing workload.
  • 195GB: Hourly backup rate with the database online without any transaction-processing workload.
  • 158GB: Restore rate for the entire database per hour.
  • 250: Number of simulated users processing online transactions.

Sources:

  • Hewlett-Packard Company
  • Microsoft Corporation
  • Adaptec
  • http://www.hp.com/netserver/techlib
  • http://www.microsoft.com/SQL/beta/whtepprs.asp
  • http://www.hp.com/go/tape
  • http://www.hp.com
  • http://www.microsoft.com