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Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP

Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP. Deloitte Consulting SNET Larry Rapisarda – Technical Architecture. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP. These settings apply to both ESX 2.5.x and 3.0.x. The SNET is developing a SAP benchmarking environment.

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Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP

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  1. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP Deloitte Consulting SNET Larry Rapisarda – Technical Architecture

  2. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • These settings apply to both ESX 2.5.x and 3.0.x. • The SNET is developing a SAP benchmarking environment. • Opportunities for tuning ESX. • Develop best practices. • Create sizing and configuration standards for supporting various SAP \ ESX architectures. • Current support for SAP on ESX. • “VMware Announces Support from SAP of VMware ESX Server for Production Environments“ • SAP will now provide immediate and full support to its solutions in 64bit Windows and Linux environments running on Vmware ESX.

  3. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Testing and benchmarking. • Run benchmarking tests for each application environment. • This gives an understanding of the overhead and defines what the expected performance will be for each application. • Benchmarking will also assist in determining the SLA each environment is able to meet.

  4. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Standard hardware for the SNET • 4 way dual core • 32 GB RAM • (2) Qlogic HBA cards • (2) 72 GB Hard drives • ESX Filesystem: • / 10GB • /boot 300MB • /var/log 2GB • Swap 2 - 32GB

  5. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Server Hardware • HP BL45p • HP 585 • HP DL380 • IBM x366 • IBM x3650 • Storage • HP EVA5000 • HP MSA1000 • IBM DS4800 • IBM DS4000 • IBM SVC

  6. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Boot from SAN • Functionality is available in ESX for boot from SAN • The suggested configuration is to dedicate 1 controller to ESX and a separate controller for the guest LUNs. • When booting from SAN we have found: • Contention between VMs and the VMkernel. • Running a 4 way dual core 32 GB host with about 15 to 20 guests. The guest VM would experience degraded performance due to the vkernel managing IO and queuing on the SAN. To the user this would look and feel like the network had been dropped.

  7. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Disk Space • Multi – VM LUNs • Presenting a single LUN to support building multiple virtual machines. • Less management required • Space is can go un-used. • Single LUN per VM. • One LUN formatted as VMFS for each virtual machine and it’s memory. • Will required additional management. • Space can be reclaimed. • LUN Space • Ensure there is available disk space on each LUN being used for each VM. • When ESX starts its kernel it scans each LUN for space. If a VM is in use and it’s memory makes up the “free” space on the LUN the kernel will see this as full and not start correctly.

  8. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Provisioning LUNs • Traditionally • Mass LUN is provisioned. • A single LUN per guest • With SAP • Provision LUNs just like a physical machine. • A LUN per partition to distribute database files over different physical disks. Use at least 2 VMFS partitions. • Follow SAP standards

  9. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Disk Space (cont.) • ESX host file system. • Running out of space in any of the mount points can cause ESX kernel not to load and VM performance issues. • VMWARE recommends: /boot 100MB ext3 / 2560MB ext3 swap 544MB

  10. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Resource Pools • Configuring resource pools can adversely impact VM performance. • Configuring clusters. • Configuring clusters provides flexibility for supporting HA and DRS. • Configure clusters between multiple blade chassis. • Increases the number of guests you can support in a cluster and will protect against a chassis and\or blade failure. • Clusters need available space for failover. • When configuring a cluster remember you need to set your priorities for failover. You want to be able to support the entire cluster.

  11. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Memory • Insufficient memory in the service console will cause poor VI client response. • Configure enough space for SWAP. • The swap partition allows ESX Server and third-party add-ons to use disk space when more memory is needed than the physical RAM allows. • The minimum value allowed is 100MB. • Physical Memory. • When creating virtual machines you have the opportunity to over commit the physical memory.

  12. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Memory with SAP. • Do not commit more memory than is physically available on the host. • Use the memory reservation to commit the full amount you have provisioned to each vm.

  13. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • vCPU \ CPU • Use the latest processor available. • This will give you greater support for virtual infrastructure. • Virtual machines should be configured with the least number of vCPUs. • Increased load balancing • More flexibility • vCPU \ CPU with SAP • Do not over commit the physical CPU. • Committing CPU cycles. • Use this functionality to resolve performance issues or set priority.

  14. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Setting the HAL • When going from 1 vCPU to multiple vCPUs be sure the HAL is updated to reflect the change. • When adding a vCPU the guest OS will normally detect the change and update the HAL. When removing a vCPU this does not happen. • Guest placement • Similar guest operating system should be configured on the same ESX host or cluster. • Linux and Windows on the same host can cause contention. • Provision supported guests. • Balance provisioning between applications.

  15. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Screen savers and x-server. • Screen savers, and X servers consume extra CPU. • Impacts performance of other VMs. • Impacts DRS. • Disconnect devices. • For example: Windows polls CD devices regularly. When multiple guests poll simultaneously it impacts guest performance.

  16. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • SAP w\ SQL • Dynamic Allocation • Admin can set a range of memory sizes; SQL can allocate up to the max amount of memory and in theory release it when not used. • Fixed \ Static Allocation • Creates a fixed memory space for SQL to work with. • Choose fixed \ Static memory allocation. • This will avoid the allocation overhead of dynamic memory allocation.

  17. Performance Tips for ESX & Configuring VMware for SAP • Links • http://www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/sap_fullsupport.html • http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/partners/VMware_SAP_Software_Solutions_Deployment_Guide.pdf • http://pubs.vmware.com/vi301/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm • http://www.vmware.com/partners/alliances/technology/sap.html

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