Microsoft KB Archive/935396

= Recommendations for using SQL Server 2005 as the metadirectory data store for MIIS 2003 SP2 and for ILM 2007 =

Article ID: 935396

Article Last Modified on 11/20/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003 Service Pack 2
 * Microsoft Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007
 * Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition
 * Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition
 * Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Enterprise X64 Edition
 * Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems

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INTRODUCTION
This article describes the recommendations for using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 as the metadirectory data store for Microsoft Identity Integration Server (MIIS) 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) and for Microsoft Identity Lifecycle Manager (ILM) 2007.



MORE INFORMATION
When you use SQL Server 2005 as the data store for the MIIS metadirectory for or for the ILM metadirectory, follow these recommendations to obtain the highest possible performance.

SQL Server maximum server memory
When you set SQL Server maximum server memory to a higher limit, swapping to disk is reduced. The result is generally better performance. Therefore, the maximum server memory property should be set to the highest practical value given how much physical memory is on the server.

To set the maximum server memory property, follow these steps:
 * 1) Open SQL Server Management Studio, and then connect to the instance of SQL Server.
 * 2) In Object Explorer, right-click , and then click Properties.
 * 3) In the left panel, click Memory.
 * 4) In the Max server memory (in MB) box, type the desired memory size.
 * 5) Click OK to confirm. The changes are effective immediately. You do not have to restart the server.

Note This change is applied not only to the MIIS database but across all databases on the instance of SQL Server.

Protocol configuration
When you configure the protocol that is used by the metadirectory to connect to SQL Server, the bandwidth that is required for communication is optimized. The result is the highest performance. The protocols that we recommend for the metadirectory are as follows:
 * Named Pipes
 * TCP/IP

If SQL Server 2005 is running on a local computer, the Named Pipes protocol will generally result in the best performance. If SQL Server 2005 is running on a remote computer, either the Named Pipes protocol or the TCP/IP protocol will generally result in the best performance. Which protocol will result in the best performance depends on the network topology and on the network speed. We recommend that you run tests in your own environment to determine which configuration performs best.

The SQL Server 2005 default configuration enables the Shared Memory protocol and the TCP/IP protocol. To enable the Named Pipes protocol on SQL Server 2005, follow these steps:
 * 1) Open SQL Configuration Manager.
 * 2) Expand SQL Server 2005 Network Configuration, and then click Protocols for MSSQLSERVER.
 * 3) Right-click Named Pipes, and then click Enable.
 * 4) Right-click TCP/IP, and then click Enable.

Note In order to use the Named Pipes protocol together with the metadirectory, you must enable both the Shared Memory protocol and the Named Pipes protocol.

In SQL Server 2005, the client configuration can specify the priority of protocols. To configure the metadirectory to connect to SQL Server 2005 by using a specific nondefault protocol, follow these steps:
 * 1) Open SQL Server Configuration Manager.
 * 2) Expand SQL Native Client Configuration, right-click Aliases, and then click New Alias.
 * 3) Create a new alias to be used together with the metadirectory.
 * 4) Click OK to confirm. The changes are effectively immediately. You do not have to restart the server.
 * 5) Reinstall the metadirectory. When you are prompted for the name of the instance of SQL Server during setup, use the alias that you created in step 3.

