Select OS for SQL Server

Question

Dear colleagues, help with not an easy choice. We in our region want to create a single database for collecting and analyzing statistical data on educational organizations, namely, on school. There are 450 schools in the region , the total number of children is 220,000 . The server we purchased. We have it in the form of a chassis with four such blades:

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The DBMS is SQL Server and will be installed on one such blade server (i.e., without any virtual divisions). True, we have not yet decided what version it will be. More inclined at least should be SQL Server Standard .

The most difficult choice and what I want to ask is, what operating system do we need - what is the answer to turn SQL Server? Windows Server or the usual client OS?

It is necessary to maintain the connection at the same time 500 clients to SQL Server to make statistics. Calculations will not be. If there will be, then at the same time 40-50 clients with over 1000 records are searched .

The difficulty is that now there is no money in the budget. We gave only 200 000 r for the server. And according to my calculations, in order to acquire only SQL Server on such a blade server goes within 600,000 rubles . Need the best option. But if the question arises: “to take the best or not to take at all”. That project should be postponed until funding.

And again the question: Do I need a Windows Server for my database? And if so, what benefits does it have? And which edition of Windows Server to purchase?

If there is a "swing" on Windows Server Datacenter , then it will also be a "pretty penny".

@HermannZheboldov, but SQL Server is installed only on Windows?

PashaPash ♦ 42.5k 9 60 130 · Accepted Answer · 2015-04-08T09:34:50

Of course, everything is better all at once, but if there is no money, then there are the following options:

Install SQL Server Standard on win 7 or 8 to save, then when they appear - migrate. The base transfer is a matter of a couple of hours.
Install SQL Server Express on Windows Server free - then when the budget appears - migrate to another edition. Moving will be easy.

Option 2 is worse because of strong limitations on performance.

at express'a the restriction on the size of the database is only 4 GB - so it is only suitable for training
@Ivan, then I have a question: Expres will use SQL Server edition of all 8 cores of my server?
Do you mean exactly when you say that the second option is worse?
One cpu and only 1 gigabyte of RAM + 10GB base size (but there can be many bases).
OS is still much less impact than the version of the server itself !!

Konst Konst 600 3 7 · Answer 2 · 2015-04-08T08:32:14

Try to contact Microsoft, they have a special program for schools: Special software licensing terms for primary and secondary education institutions for 2015

In connection with the end of December 31, 2014 of the validity of the existing School Agreement agreements (“First Aid”) for the right to use Microsoft software by institutions of the Russian Federation primary and secondary education system, as well as by education authorities of regional and municipal level, Microsoft announces new special conditions for the period from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015.

The special offer is based on the School Agreement program, which provides licensing for the entire PC fleet of an educational institution. The special offer offers a basic package, as well as a set of products for which licenses can be purchased separately. According to the rules of the School Agreement program, the minimum amount of licenses ordered is 50 points, which corresponds to an order of 13 basic packages. The basic package must be purchased on each PC of the institution.

It should be borne in mind that this licensing program does not offer the possibility of purchasing the full version of the Windows operating system. Only an Upgrade version of Windows is available, which requires a base license: OEM version or Get Genuine Windows® Agreement for Academic (GGWA-A).

The following types of educational institutions can take advantage of this special offer:

Educational institutions;
The governing bodies of education at all levels (federal, regional, municipal);
Pre-school education institutions;
Institutions of primary and secondary vocational education;
Institutions of additional education for children;
Institutions of additional education for teachers.

Thanks for the answer, but it's my fault - I did not finish.
Here it means that schools will fill the base through separately created software.
2. Version of SQL server Standard supports up to 64Gb of memory - consider this.
I now have SQL Server running on a client-side Windows 8.1 and working fine.
Or, if several users are simultaneously connected, does the client OS fail?
Of course, you can even use the Express version of SQL Server on the desktop OS as a temporary solution.

PashaPash ♦ PashaPash 42.5k 9 60 130 · Answer 3 · 2015-04-15T12:42:39

The question is what is meant by "simultaneously"? 40-50 people will actually enter data at the same time - record data packets in the same second? This is clearly an overestimate. The number of users and children does not say anything about the expected load. It is necessary to estimate the number of simultaneous requests.

For example, "40-50 clients with over 1000 records" - 1000 records SQL Server goes through a couple of tens of milliseconds (in the worst case). To get 40 simultaneous samples, you need a load of 4000 requests per second. It is 240,000 per minute. Those. To do this, you will have to sit down at the computer of all the students in your schools, and force everyone to press the "update" button every minute.

How are you going to organize access from different schools? Will they connect directly to SQL Server (judging by the estimated 500 connections)? If so, then this is a very bad idea. SQL Server must be hidden behind the Web service. Otherwise, a minor hacker from one of 500 schools will wipe you half of the base, and you cannot even find who did it :) If you are not planning to connect directly, then where does the estimated 500 connections come from?

Hosting SQL Server on your hardware is expensive. To host it with at least some kind of duplication and fault tolerance is VERY EXPENSIVE .

If you do not have ultra-strict requirements for speed, and 50 is the number of users, and not simultaneous operations, it is better to use SQL Azure .

Prices there from 1500 rubles per month for Standard S1 - should be enough for not too loaded application. Reliability of 99.95% and the possibility of recovery to any point two weeks ago.

With regards to database access: I plan to make a client application that will work directly with the database (without an application server) using LINQ queries.
It is possible to divide access at the row level in SQL Server, but it is rather difficult (as in any other database).
By making direct access from the client application, you practically provide full access to the database to unknown persons.
Consider the option with a web service, or simply with the site.
Isn't the same site the same (web) application that also directly accesses SQL Server?
Yes, but for the site to different people, you can give different passwords.
you can make forced filters on data so that a person from one school cannot see and cannot edit the data of another.
and the site removes the requirement of 500 open connections - because
The site has enough open connections, how many requests are being executed through it at the moment (most likely up to 10 with your number of users).
and the site does not need to be updated on 500 machines when a new version is released :)

Select OS for SQL Server

3 answers 3

Protected by spirit community member ♦ 22 dec '16 at 17:21 .

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