Tuning Windows systems for IBM Spectrum Protect server performance

You can take a number of actions to improve performance for an IBM Spectrum Protect server that is running in a Windows environment.

Procedure

The following actions can help improve performance:

  • Disable NTFS file compression on disk volumes. Because of the potential for performance degradation, do not use NTFS file compression on disk volumes that are used by the IBM Spectrum Protect server.
  • Use the shared memory communication method when you are using a local client. For optimal backup and restore performance when you are using a local client on a Windows system, use the shared memory communication method. The method is used by including the COMMMETHOD option set to SHAREDMEM in the server options file and in the client options file.
  • Use the VMXNET 3 network adapter type when the IBM Spectrum Protect server is in a VMware guest environment. Provide all disks that are used for the server database, log file, and storage as mapped raw LUNs rather than using virtual disks in a VMware datastore.
  • Additional actions can affect IBM Spectrum Protect client and server performance.
    • Windows 8 Defender can significantly degrade IBM Spectrum Protect backup and restore throughput, especially for smaller files. To improve backup and restore performance on Windows 8, which might increase the security risk to the system, use one of the following methods:
      • Disable Windows 8 Defender. Click Start > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Services and Applications > Services. Locate Windows 8 Defender in the list of services. Right-click Windows Defender and then select Properties. Change the Startup Type attribute to Disabled.
      • Without disabling Windows 8 Defender Service, exclude a specific drive that has backup or restore errors. Use this method when there are multiple logical drives on the system. Excluding a drive is less of a security risk than disabling Windows 8 Defender Service.
    • Antivirus software can negatively affect backup performance.
    • Disable or do not install unused services.
    • Disable or do not install unused network protocols.
    • Give preference to background application performance.
    • Avoid screen savers.
    • Ensure that the paging file is not fragmented.
    • Ensure that any device driver is current, especially for new hardware.