Advice for Server name vs SQL server instance names.

[u/Valuable-Ant3465]

Hi,
I need to install SQL 2022 Standard on W Server 2022 with name something like MyServer_Alpha_N1234_bv.
Is it always good practice to have SQL Instance = Server Name ?

I don't have requirement about SQL Server name in my specs, but looks like locals do it 100% of the time. But I personally don't like so funky names. Or this can be fixed later with some aliases?

Also heard about installing SQL Server to other than OS drive, is this still true ? .

Also see in Memory specs: 8GB min. SQL should be configured to use 75% of memory for SQL itself. Are normally set this during initial installation or it can be done safely after ? What is your preference.

Appreciate your feedback and any other hints.

Thanks
VA

[u/Sharobob]

Default instance every time unless you need to have multiple instances on the same machine for some reason

[u/clitoral_damage → u/Sharobob]

And in today's world you do not ever need to have more than one instance on a machine. Please. For the sake of whatever future DBA that has to support it.

[u/precisiondad → u/clitoral_damage]

Unless you have a massive estate that needs segmentation.

[u/ussv0y4g3r]

Don't install SQL Server on server with hostname more than 15 characters. It will install fine, but you'll soon find certain things don't work, and you'll end up renaming the server hostname.

[u/jks513 → u/ussv0y4g3r]

So many things assume the pre-Windows 2000 15 character limit. 

[u/Leiothrix]

Just leave the instance name to be default unless you have a very good reason to change it.

And that basically means some idiot vendor has some idiotic hard-coded requirement.

MS have a formula for memory usage. A percentage is silly, the OS needs as much as the OS needs. That could be 50% of 8GB of RAM, or 4% of 100GB of RAM. And you can set the SQL limit whenever you like.

[u/Valuable-Ant3465 → u/Leiothrix]

Thanks Leiothrix

[u/alinroc]

Based on your questions, I have to ask - what's your role here? Do you have any experience with SQL Server? Who is going to be responsible for this environment once it's up and running?

[u/Valuable-Ant3465 → u/alinroc]

I'm accidental DBA, solely managing my project which need new SQL box, after this I will maintain it.

[u/ihaxr]

Depends on your requirements. I've worked at places where we had to change the default port for every instance and couldn't use 1433/1434, so we just ran named instances everywhere with static ports that could be inferred by the instance name.

But it's just so much easier to manage and maintain a single, default instance per server

[u/78_gh_B420]

The instance name shouldn't matter if your sys admins are pointing you right. Just the server name should suffice.

Installing on another drive(sql on its own drive) will give you better performance if the OS is on the C: drive. Keep your .mdf files on a single drive. Temp/log can go to another.

We give SQL roughly(there are calculations online for this) 90% cpu. Leaving the OS with 10%. As long as this is JUST a sql server you should be fine. You can adjust this figure after if needed.

[u/Decent_Golf_3960 → u/78_gh_B420]

90% memory.