Home > Workload Solutions > SQL Server > Guides > Reference Architecture Guide—Implementing SQL Server 2022 on Dell Integrated System for Azure Stack HCI > Storage recommendations
The storage layer is an important factor for any SQL Server deployment, especially OLAP workloads. OLAP workloads must process a large amount of reads in a short time, which results in high throughput requirements.
This solution focuses the tuning the entire stack from the bottom-up. Storage Spaces Direct is the initial layer that provides the capability to make internal drives available for our software-defined storage solution. It is automatically configured and managed, and it creates a storage pool that includes cache, tiers, resiliency, and erasure coding. For more information about how storage spaces direct functions, see the following HCI Azure Stack storage and cluster information from Microsoft.
In an HCI infrastructure, the server is central for both compute and storage resources. For this reason, users should carefully evaluate the specifications of the components within a server. The processor chosen for the server could handle the storage overhead associated with HCI and the compute requirement for workloads that the customers intend to run on the servers. By having pre-designed, certified components that complement each other, customers can fully experience the benefits of HCI with the lowest possible data center footprint.
Drive selection plays a vital role in this deployment, we recommend All-Flash configurations. Ideally a mix of NvME SSDs and traditional SSDs will provide sufficient performance using the S2D caching feature while maintaining HA. Microsoft recommends creating a single pool for ease of management and deployment.
Volumes are data stores used to hold files for workloads running on the server. They are used to store Hyper-V files including VHD and VHDx files. All volumes are accessible to all servers within a cluster. While configuring volumes, pay attention to the following factors:
Note: Microsoft recommends limiting the size of each volume to a maximum of 64 TB.
For more information, see recommendations from Microsoft.
Storage Spaces Direct provides two options for deploying volumes, using either three-way mirroring or mirror-accelerated parity. Details about different S2D resiliency settings can be found on the Microsoft webpage. We recommend creating mirrored volumes for hot SQL Server data because they provide the maximum performance with lowest overhead.
DIS for Azure Stack HCI used in our solution uses dedicated NICs for solution management, and VM communication and one dedicated for the backend storage Spaces Direct traffic—enabling resiliency and performance benefits.