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Recommendations for SQL Server and Hyper-V over SMB configurations

Contributors

To be sure that your SQL Server and Hyper-V over SMB configurations are robust and operational, you need to be familiar with recommended best practices when configuring the solutions.

General recommendations

  • Separate application server files from general user data.

    If possible, devote an entire storage virtual machine (SVM) and its storage for the application server's data.

  • For best performance, do not enable SMB signing on SVMs that are used to store the application server's data.

  • For best performance and improved fault tolerance, enable SMB Multichannel to provide multiple connections between ONTAP and clients in a single SMB session.

  • Do not create continuously available shares on any shares other than those used in the Hyper-V or SQL Server over SMB configuration.

  • Disable change notify on shares used for continuous availability.

  • Do not perform a volume move at the same time as aggregate relocation (ARL) because ARL has phases that pause some operations.

  • For Hyper-V over SMB solutions, use in-guest iSCSI drives when creating clustered virtual machines. Shared .VHDX files are not supported for Hyper-V over SMB in ONTAP SMB shares.