SMSP RBS / SQL Enterprise / Filestream

[ricardoduarte]

Hi there,

We currently have a SharePoint 2010 farm running on top of SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition, and would like to externalize our blobs. We have SMSP licenses, and all the databases and stores are on NetApp storage.

As far as I know, the SMSP RBS provider will require us to move to SQL Enterprise Edition, so it is out of the question.

What I would like to ask is the following:

- Is there any way to make SMSP RBS work with SQL Standard?

- Will SMSP backups work with the Microsoft FILESTREAM provider? Is there something special I have to do to make backups of the blob store? Will SMSP backups automatically create snaps of it?

- Does SMSP EBS works with SQL Standard Edition?

- What should be better: Microsoft Filestream RBS or SMSP EBS?

Thanks.

[beaupre]

Ricardo,

EBS is a SharePoint API so you can use this with SQL Standard Edition.

SP 2010 does support the use of EBS.

The SMSP EBS/RBS provider works with EBS. In the SMSP Storage Optimization, you select the use of EBS instead of RBS.

From a performance perspective, Microsoft FILESTREAM RBS and SMSP EBS is about the same. FILESTREAM performance is marginally better performing. However, the actual performance will depend on your environment.

From an operational perspective, I would recommend SMSP EBS as you can manage the externalization of SP content from within SMSP. With EBS, you can set more granular externalization policies.

With FILESTREAM RBS, you need to ensure that the SQL layout is correct or the database backups won't work. Basically, you are not going to be putting databases configured with FILESTREAM RBS on the same LUNs as database that are not enabled.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Mark

[ricardoduarte]

Thanks for your insight.

I would still need to clear some things.

- Do I backup the blob store manually, or will SMSP create the snap (this for both FILESTREAM and EBS)?

- Will EBS provider do "garbage collection" of unused blobs?

Thanks.

[beaupre]

SMSP 6.1 will create the snapshot of the EBS BLOB store when it backs up the SP databases.

SMSP will not create a snapshot of the RBS FILESTREAM.

The SMSP EBS provider performs garbage cleanup of orphaned and unused BLOBs.

Thanks,
Mark

[ricardoduarte]

Thanks again for your help.

If Microsoft happens to disable EBS on the next release, will I be able to move the EBS blobs back to the SQL database?

[beaupre]

SMSP 6.1 has the ability to convert SMSP EBS stubs to SMSP RBS stubs without having to re-ingest the content back into the SQL database.

SMSP also can convert FILESTREAM RBS to SMSP RBS stubs without having to re-ingest the content back into the SQL database as well.

If you need to migrate the BLOBs back into the SQL database, SMSP has the ability to move the BLOBs back into the SQL database.

Thanks,
Mark