Disk Partition Alignment Best Practices for SQL Server
Writers: Jimmy May, Denny Lee
Contributors: Mike Ruthruff, Robert Smith, Bruce Worthington, Jeff Goldner, Mark Licata, Deborah Jones, Michael Thomassy, Michael Epprecht, Frank McBath, Joseph Sack, Matt Landers, Jason McKittrick, Linchi Shea, Juergen Thomas, Emily Wilson, John Otto, Brent Dowling
Technical Reviewers: Mike Ruthruff, Robert Smith, Bruce Worthington, Emily Wilson, Lindsey Allen, Stuart Ozer, Thomas Kejser, Kun Cheng, Nicholas Dritsas, Paul Mestemaker, Alexei Khalyako, Mike Anderson, Bong Kang
Published: May 2009
Disk partition alignment is a powerful tool for improving SQL Server performance. Configuring optimal disk performance is often viewed as much art as science. A best practice that is essential yet often overlooked is disk partition alignment. Windows Server 2008 attempts to align new partitions out-of-the-box, yet disk partition alignment remains a relevant technology for partitions created on prior versions of Windows.
The following topics are also included:
- Background information
- Implementation
- Vendor considerations
- Two essential correlations
- Valid starting partition offsets
The paper also covers the simple protocol to align partitions, define file allocation unit size, and assign drive letters.
Disk Partition Alignment Best Practices for SQL Server
Abstract courtesy : Microsoft
Reference: Pinal Dave (https://blog.sqlauthority.com)
