Description of the software-based RAID-5 performance improvements in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (898414)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003

INTRODUCTION

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) includes many changes to the memory management that reduce the memory use and improve the transfer speed with Software Redundant Arrays of Individual Disks-5 (RAID-5) controllers.

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003, high cache consumption would occur if you transfer files that are larger than 3 gigabytes (GB) to a software-based RAID-5 array. This transfer would cause the available memory to decrease to several megabytes (MB). Additionally, moving the files to a non-RAID-based device would require significantly less time and system resources.

Windows Server 2003 SP1 includes many changes to the memory management. After you install Windows Server 2003 SP1, software-based RAID-5 arrays use less memory and have a faster transfer speed.

Additionally, the high cache consumption issue has been seen with some hardware-based RAID-5 controllers. In some cases, installing Windows Server 2003 SP1 also increases the performance of hardware-based RAID-5 controllers.

For more information about how to obtain the latest Windows Server 2003 service pack, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

889100 How to obtain the latest service pack for Windows Server 2003

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:4/29/2005
Keywords:kbservicepack kbPerformance kbhowto kbinfo KB898414 kbAudITPRO
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