Allen White

Fun with Data

Sometimes technology is just too cool. I ran the Derby Festival Marathon in Louisville, Kentucky this morning, and used the chronometer on my new Timex DataLinkUSB sports watch to record my splits. I'm excited because this was my most consistent marathon, probably ever, but the watch exported the data to my laptop after the race without any difficulties. Here are my splits, directly from the watch:

Lap 1: Lap Time: 00:09:45.05 SplitTime: 00:09:45.05
Lap 2: Lap Time: 00:09:53.63 SplitTime: 00:19:38.68
Lap 3: Lap Time: 00:10:18.18 SplitTime: 00:29:56.86
Lap 4: Lap Time: 00:10:21.52 SplitTime: 00:40:18.38
Lap 5: Lap Time: 00:10:05.80 SplitTime: 00:50:24.18
Lap 6: Lap Time: 00:09:50.62 SplitTime: 01:00:14.80
Lap 7: Lap Time: 00:09:45.68 SplitTime: 01:10:00.48
Lap 8: Lap Time: 00:10:06.84 SplitTime: 01:20:07.32
Lap 9: Lap Time: 00:10:08.10 SplitTime: 01:30:15.42
Lap 10: Lap Time: 00:10:17.50 SplitTime: 01:40:32.92
Lap 11: Lap Time: 00:09:41.07 SplitTime: 01:50:13.99
Lap 12: Lap Time: 00:10:14.69 SplitTime: 02:00:28.68
Lap 13: Lap Time: 00:10:12.51 SplitTime: 02:10:41.19
Lap 14: Lap Time: 00:10:59.80 SplitTime: 02:21:40.99
Lap 15: Lap Time: 00:10:32.76 SplitTime: 02:32:13.75
Lap 16: Lap Time: 00:10:49.24 SplitTime: 02:43:02.99
Lap 17: Lap Time: 00:10:24.81 SplitTime: 02:53:27.80
Lap 18: Lap Time: 00:11:00.20 SplitTime: 03:04:28.00
Lap 19: Lap Time: 00:11:16.30 SplitTime: 03:15:44.30
Lap 20: Lap Time: 00:10:39.76 SplitTime: 03:26:24.06
Lap 21: Lap Time: 00:11:49.18 SplitTime: 03:38:13.24
Lap 22: Lap Time: 00:11:34.37 SplitTime: 03:49:47.61
Lap 23: Lap Time: 00:12:07.27 SplitTime: 04:01:54.88
Lap 24: Lap Time: 00:11:13.80 SplitTime: 04:13:08.68
Lap 25: Lap Time: 00:11:06.24 SplitTime: 04:24:14.92
Lap 26: Lap Time: 00:10:13.44 SplitTime: 04:34:28.36
Lap 27: Lap Time: 00:01:56.50 SplitTime: 04:36:24.86

Now, the runners who look at these splits will notice that I didn't run negative splits, but I've never been able to do that in a full marathon, and only once in a half marathon. Being a data guy, though, I find it to be SO much easier to analyze my race with a tool like this.

Allen

Cluster Upgrade Complete

Well, after all the interesting things encountered along the way of testing the cluster upgrade, the actual upgrade itself went quite smoothly and gave me no errors. I also applied SQL Server 2005 SP1 to the servers, and it updated both servers in the cluster, which saved me some time.

I went into Configuration Manager afterward to change the service accounts to a least-privileged user and noticed that the Integration Services service was NOT running on the virtual server, but on the physical server. A quick Google search to http://www.sql-server-performance.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11522 confirmed this.

I changed the service accounts to the non-admin user and restarted the server and it's performing quite well.

Wish me luck tomorrow - I'm running the Derby Festival Marathon in Louisville, Kentucky. (We get to run on the infield at Churchill Downs between the 8 and 9 mile mark!) Derby Festival Marathon

Allen

P.S. One of the BI developers in my office pointed me to these links, which explain how to set up SSIS as a clustered service:
How to: Configure Integration Services on a Cluster
Making SSIS a Clustered Service
Thanks, Mike!

More Good Times with Clusters

I've been in Las Vegas most of the last week, and for the first time actually took more money from the tables than I put in. That was very cool!

After the troubles I had with the clustered server upgrades I decided to set up a test environment to make sure I had everything working perfectly before attempting the upgrade in production again.

My ace network guy, Dan, set up a test server with Windows 2003 SP1 and MS Cluster Services, and two groups, one for each virtual server I was going to set up. I keep a set of directories with my installation media for SQL Server so I don't have to enter the server room to load the CDs/DVDs. (I don't have access to the room, so it's much easier this way.) I've been using these directories without problems for most of three years now.

I started the installation but it kept failing, and removing the installation as it exited. Dan thought that setting up MSDTC as a separate group would solve the problem, but that wasn't it. Finally I scrolled through the info messages in the Application log and found that Win2003 SP1 was disabling the TCP/IP ports because of security concerns, and when cluster services attempted to contact the newly installed server on those ports it timed out, so the installation failed.

In all the installations of SQL Server I'd done I'd never run into a problem like this before, but this was the first attempt I'd made to install SQL Server 2000 directly onto a server running Windows 2003 SP1.

I found a SQL2000 distro more current than the original RTM, but before the release of SQL2005 and I copied the Developer's Edition files from the DVD to the c: drive of the physical cluster server. That did the trick, and I installed both virtual servers, then applied SQL2000 SP4 to both. Now I can test the upgrade in a clustered environment.

Allen White - Marathon SQL Guy
Sr. Database Administrator

SQL 2005 Failover Cluster Upgrade Fun

When I learned to fly (airplanes) one of the rules drilled into us was to make use of ALL available information before heading out to the plane. With this in mind, I went to Books Online when I was ready to upgrade our production servers, which are set up using Microsoft Cluster Services. Based on the information I found there I felt I was ready to start the upgrade.

Now, we don't use clusters in our development or QA environments because they're not mission critical, but I would have been much better off if we did.

Imagine my surprise when, during the upgrade, while I've got our production databases offline, when a dialog page pops up asking me for the Domain Groups for Clustered Services. What? I'll let you use the link to read up on the details, but during an installation it certainly caught me by surprise.

I clicked on Help, and the Setup Help document popped up. Within that document are all the things I should have done before starting the upgrade. What bothers me is that the document is only available while Setup is running. (Try this yourself - run SQL Server 2005 Setup and click on the Help button. When the Setup Help guide is open, cancel Setup. The Setup Help guide will close itself!) I abandoned the upgrade until I fully understood the information I need to provide during the upgrade, and am in the process of getting a test cluster server set up so I can make sure I don't run into any more surprises.

I guess I didn't learn that lesson about "all available information" as well as I'd thought, but it'd really be nice if the Setup Help guide was available BEFORE I run setup.

Allen White - Marathon SQL Guy
Sr. Database Administrator

Installing SQL Server 2005 on Windows Server 2000 SP4

There's one interesting thing I found when attempting to upgrade SQL Server 2000 running on Windows Server 2000.

My company has a volume license agreement with Microsoft, so we get installation media with that nasty product key already embedded in the installation program, which is very cool. I've created a directory on a file server where I've copied all my installation files so I don't have to put the CD/DVD for software I'm installing into the drive on servers I'm upgrading. (This is a good thing, especially since a lot of my servers don't have DVD drives, and the new version is distributed on DVD media.)

The thing I found out, though, is that on Windows Server 2000 you CAN'T install from a mapped network drive. It works fine on Windows Server 2003 (and Windows XP, for the Developer's Edition) but I've had to copy the installation files to one of the fixed drives on the Win2000 servers I'm upgrading for the setup program to work.

Allen White - Marathon SQL Guy
Sr. Database Administrator

I'm in it for the long run

MarathonSQLGuy? Yes. I run marathons, and I've worked with SQL Server (both Sybase and Microsoft) since 1992.

There have been a lot of changes in SQL Server in that time, but at the same time the most important thing, the relational database engine, still gives us basically the same thing - relational data.

I'm really excited about SQL Server 2005. Microsoft asked me to help with the process of creating the certification exams for the new version, and I was able to help define the objectives for what are now the 71-441 and 71-442 exams, then I returned to Redmond and helped in the Alpha review of the 71-444 exam. The time there was interesting, a bit overwhelming, but I came to understand better the certification process. I also got a chance to know some really great people.

At this time I'm working on getting my company's servers upgraded to SQL Server 2005. It's usually pretty straightforward, but there have been some bumps. Third-party software vendors haven't been quick to certify their applications on the new version, so there are a number of servers I can't upgrade at this time. (I used to work at a couple of software development companies, so I understand that their priority is on their code, not testing already working code on Microsoft's newest set of bits. It does make life interesting, though, for we who have to maintain those environments and want to maximize the tools available.)

I'll try to keep this updated with the interesting things I find as we upgrade, and as I learn more about the product.

Quick Plug: I'll be presenting at the next meeting of the Ohio North SQL Server User's Group, on May 11, 2006, at the Microsoft Office. Details are at this URL: http://www.bennettadelson.com/technicalresources/sqlsig.aspx

Allen White - Marathon SQL Guy
Sr. Database Administrator