I need to reboot the server once a week or Sims runs very slow or grinds to a halt.

[edutech4schools]

Sims runs fine for about a week at one of my primary schools but then grinds to a halt. If I reboot the server everything is normal. This started to happen about a month ago but no major changes in that time.

 

Server 2008r2

SQL 2008r2 with SQL management Studio.

 

What can i do or check so it keeps running.

 

Thanks

Edited November 14, 2013 by edutech4schools

[3s-gtech]

How much RAM does it have/is allocated?

[jinnantonnixx]

How much RAM does it have/is allocated?

 

Good point @3s-gtech, if SQL is allowed to balloon it can result in a sluggish OS.

 

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/mis-systems/112841-speeding-up-sims.html#post965532

[edutech4schools]

I will check when I am next back at the school but think it is probably the same as the other primary school servers installed by the LA which have 4gb.

[Michael]

4GB of memory isn't unreasonable, but bumping it up to 8GB can make all the difference.

 

You could also create a batch file to run in the early hours of the morning to reset the SQL Service SIMS uses. This should buy you a lot of time.

[glennda]

IMHO with Sims I have always run on the theory M$ base OS recommendations 4GB + Size of the Database 2 x i.e if you DB is 2gb assign the server 8gb.

[edutech4schools]

Is there any database maintenance plans I could run from Studio manager that would help?

 

Why would rebooting the server help Sims work for the following week?

 

I will look at getting more RAM but wonder why it is an issue at this school and not my other schools with same hardware, seeing as this school is one of my smallest with less on the server and less in Sims.

 

You could also create a batch file to run in the early hours of the morning to reset the SQL Service SIMS uses. This should buy you a lot of time.

Good idea. I will bash one together.

[Michael]

I'd certainly check SQL is fully patched, but really (in my opinion) you're using a 64Bit OS with a 64Bit version of SQL - 4GB just isn't enough. 8GB-16GB is more realistic for this sort of setup.

 

Does this particular server have more roles installed than the other identical servers in your other schools?

[jinnantonnixx]

Have you tried the memory checking scripts (mentioned in an earlier link)

 

-- SQL Server 2008 and R2 Memory Related Queries
-- Glenn Berry 
-- October 2010
-- http://glennberrysqlperformance.spaces.live.com/
-- Twitter: GlennAlanBerry

-- Instance Level queries

-- Good basic information about memory amounts and state (SQL 2008 and 2008 R2)
SELECT total_physical_memory_kb, available_physical_memory_kb, 
      total_page_file_kb, available_page_file_kb, 
      system_memory_state_desc
FROM sys.dm_os_sys_memory;

-- You want to see "Available physical memory is high"

 

 

-- SQL Server Process Address space info (SQL 2008 and 2008 R2)
--(shows whether locked pages is enabled, among other things)
SELECT physical_memory_in_use_kb,locked_page_allocations_kb, 
      page_fault_count, memory_utilization_percentage, 
      available_commit_limit_kb, process_physical_memory_low, 
      process_virtual_memory_low
FROM sys.dm_os_process_memory;

-- You want to see 0 for process_physical_memory_low
-- You want to see 0 for process_virtual_memory_low

 

 

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb510493.aspx

Edited November 14, 2013 by jinnantonnixx

[edutech4schools]

Does this particular server have more roles installed than the other identical servers in your other schools?

 

Same roles although they do run everything DC, DHCP etc so could do with more than 4gb anyway.

 

Will run the scripts on Monday pm when I am at the school.

[vikpaw]

Rebooting SIMS server is so last decade!

If it's multi-roled it could be anything causing it but SIMS suffering.

I'd look at RAM and page file usage, sims ldf size, the event log....

[PotNoodleTech]

Agree you need more RAM. 2008 will use up to 2GB just for the O/S and if your SIMS Database is 1GB or more then you do not have much left over.

 

8GB would be ideal unless your database is over 4GB in which case you'd need 12 or 16GB.

[matt40k]

Remember it's a primary school, it's only got SQL Express, which will only use 1 GB ram. So anything more then 8GB will most likely be wasted. Also worth check DISC IO - if you go into performance monitor then look at the disc queue length for reads and writes. Could be SQL installed to C: rather then another disc.

[jinnantonnixx]

Remember it's a primary school, it's only got SQL Express, which will only use 1 GB ram. So anything more then 8GB will most likely be wasted. Also worth check DISC IO - if you go into performance monitor then look at the disc queue length for reads and writes. Could be SQL installed to C: rather then another disc.

 

No, he's got the DeathStar edition.

[SHimmer45]

No, he's got the DeathStar edition.

 

 

Much LOL

[matt40k]

I found that ironic that he talks about MySQL - which is owned by Oracle - a little while ago I read an article saying basically the same thing about MySQL! Basically you should use use SQLite as MySQL is too feature bloated.

 

For education which runs Microsoft Windows, MS SQL Express makes sense. If you run linux, it wouldn't.

[edutech4schools]

Anyways, Full SQL on D drive, lol

[jinnantonnixx]

No LOLs - this is a serious thread.

 

Is your antivirus tuned to not examine reads on your data/log drives or files?

 

This is Symantec, but the principles are the same.

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH176828

Edited November 14, 2013 by jinnantonnixx

[edutech4schools]

Virus is installed and maintained by LA. I have no access to the settings which apparently are the same for all schools in the area.

 

I will order some memory and post back next week

[matt40k]

Hang on, they have SQL 2008 R2 standard, a primary school, with 4GB ram? WTF?!

 

I'd get the LA to look, could be the LDF has grown, could be a long disc queue length which point to a duff disc. Log it with them, if it's a duff disc you don't want to be wasting time waiting for people to post on a forum with ideas. Would take 10mins of a remote support session to find the problem rather, what is it now, half a day and count.

[edutech4schools]

I'd get the LA to look, could be the LDF has grown, could be a long disc queue length which point to a duff disc. Log it with them, if it's a duff disc you don't want to be wasting time waiting for people to post on a forum with ideas. Would take 10mins of a remote support session to find the problem rather, what is it now, half a day and count.

 

LA will not help as they no longer fully support the school but still support offsite backups and virus systems as the school pay them for these services separately. Previously they were under contract to look after the schools network + servers, hence LA installed servers but no longer.

[vikpaw]

All you LA bods helping out here, consider this your bit for care in our community and start wishing to those karma gods ready for xmas )

[matt40k]

LA will not help as they no longer fully support the school but still support offsite backups and virus systems as the school pay them for these services separately. Previously they were under contract to look after the schools network + servers, hence LA installed servers but no longer.

 

This is why I don't like pick and mix services. I'd start by assuming the server hdd is duff assuming nothing has changed. Check event viewer for bad blocks and such errors, then when it's not hdd you'll be jumping for joy.

[edutech4schools]

Hang on, they have SQL 2008 R2 standard, a primary school, with 4GB ram? WTF?!

 

You think that is bad. I powered up an old server I found in the school which had full SQL, 2gb ram and 10gb c drive. The thing was trashing the HDD just logging on.

 

This is why I don't like pick and mix services. I'd start by assuming the server hdd is duff assuming nothing has changed. Check event viewer for bad blocks and such errors, then when it's not hdd you'll be jumping for joy.

 

The Dell raid software should report any HDD issues when I login and also by email. I will check the logs etc.