Hi Team, I am using windows server 2003 x64bit OS with SQL Server 2008 installed in it. I have 16GB RAM installed in it. the pagefile size, I have set is 16GB(which is in C: drive). Due to space crunch in OS drive, I want to split the pagefile into two different physical drives. Is the splitting of pagefile will impact anything on performance of SQL Server or OS ?

try this To create multiple paging files http://support.microsoft.com/kb/237740 Try the below its not mentioned in the KB article but still its worth trying it... On the drive or volume you want to hold the paging files, create folders for the number of paging files you want to create on the volume. For example, C:\Pagefile1, D:\Pagefile2, and E:\Pagefile3. Click Start, Click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK. In the left pane, locate and click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\MemoryManagement Find the Pagingfiles value, and then double-click it to open it. Remove any existing values, and add the following values: c:\pagefile1\pagefile.sys 3000 4000 D:\pagefile2\pagefile.sys 3000 4000 E:\pagefile3\Pagefile.sys 3000 4000 Click OK, and then quit Registry Editor. Restart the computer to cause the changes to take effect. Access the virtual memory settings to check the properties of the paging file. To do this, follow these steps. http://www.virmansec.com/blogs/skhairuddin

Hi Syed, Thanks for your reply. Instead of changing the registry can we follow the below path to split the pagefil: 1. Goto systemproperty->Advanced->performance settings->Advanced tab->virtual memory(set) please let me know, do splitting of pagefile have any impact on performance of OS ?

I don't think its going to have performance issue on your operating system but as a matter of fact i don't know much about the sql server you may try posting it here as well http://social.technet.microsoft.com/forums/en-us/category/sqlserver/ http://www.virmansec.com/blogs/skhairuddin

It is supported and will not impact performance (at least you will not notice if there is any impact). http://support.microsoft.com/kb/99768 Note: There is no point in splitting up the paging file between multiple partitions as it does not increase the ability of the hard disk to access the paging file. This may be a good idea, however, if your logical drives aren't large enough for the entire paging file.TechNet Subscriber Support in forum |If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tnmff@microsoft.com.

Hi Shao, We are splitting the pagefile because of space crunch in OS drive. This time, I am going to split into two different physical drive, and going to change it from SystemProperty. Hope this process wont create any issue in my production environment.

From the article, split is actually helpful if your 2 disks have the same speed: If you have multiple hard disks, splitting up the paging file is a good idea, as it will speed up the access time. If you have two hard disks, and you split the paging file, both hard disks can be accessing information simultaneously, greatly increasing the throughput. However, if you have two hard disks, and one hard disk is faster than the other, it may be more effective to store the paging file on only the faster hard disk. Some experimentation may be necessary to arrive at the best configuration for your system. TechNet Subscriber Support in forum |If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tnmff@microsoft.com.

From the article, split is actually helpful if your 2 disks have the same speed: If you have multiple hard disks, splitting up the paging file is a good idea, as it will speed up the access time. If you have two hard disks, and you split the paging file, both hard disks can be accessing information simultaneously, greatly increasing the throughput. However, if you have two hard disks, and one hard disk is faster than the other, it may be more effective to store the paging file on only the faster hard disk. Some experimentation may be necessary to arrive at the best configuration for your system. TechNet Subscriber Support in forum |If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tnmff@microsoft.com.