The 64-Bit Tidal Wave

In 2002, shortly after the release of Intel's 64-bit Itanium processor and Microsoft Windows Server 64-bit, I concluded in this column that unless you were running a very large database (VLDB) or a high-end business intelligence (BI) system, 64-bit wasn't for you. The Itanium-based servers simply cost too much and had limited ability to run existing 32-bit software. If you needed maximum scalability, the performance advantages of running SQL Server 2000 64-bit Edition and Windows Server 64-bit on Itanium 2 were well documented. But organizations that could benefit from such scalability were the exception—not the norm.

That was then. Unlike the Itanium, which was optimized for 64-bit processing at the expense of 32-bit compatibility, AMD's 64-bit Opteron and Intel's EM64T Xeon processors offer full 32-bit performance along with 64-bit compatibility. Both chips extend the design of the 32-bit x86 architecture to 64 bits, with the new 64-bit extensions generically called x86-64 or x64. Although these chips don't offer the scalability of the 64-bit Itanium, systems built around these chips are a major upgrade from today's 32-bit systems.

RAM is one of the most important factors in database performance, and running in 64-bit mode (aka long mode), x64 chips can access much more RAM than a 32-bit processor. The Opteron can access up to 1TB of RAM, and the Xeon EM64T can access up to 64GB of RAM—a huge jump over the 32-bit architecture's 4GB limit. Add improved processing power and system prices in line with those for current high-end 32-bit systems, and you have a compelling argument for upgrading your SQL Server systems to 64-bit.

Microsoft is in step with the emerging x64 platform. Windows Server 2003 for 64-Bit Extended Systems and Windows XP for 64-bit are in customer-preview release and should be generally available in early 2005. Unlike the 64-bit Windows Server releases for Itanium, Windows 2003 for 64-Bit Extended Systems is completely compatible with the 32-bit release, so you don't lose any functionality in the move to a 64-bit OS. Even better, 32-bit applications run seamlessly on the 64-bit platform with no performance degradation. And thanks to the 64-bit platform's wider data path, most 32-bit applications will actually run faster on the x64 platform. In addition, for customers who've purchased 64-bit Opteron or EM64T systems with the 32-bit version of Windows 2003, Microsoft will provide a no-charge license swap to move to the new 64-bit extended version. The 64-bit extended version can run both the 32-bit versions of SQL Server as well as the native 64-bit version of SQL Server 2005 for extended systems. However, Itanium-based SQL Server 2000 64-bit Edition won't run on Windows 2003 for 64-Bit Extended Systems.

One stumbling block still stands in the way of a smooth move to the 64-bit platform: native 64-bit drivers. To install Windows 2003 for 64-Bit Extended Systems, you must have native 64-bit drivers for your system's peripheral devices, including video and network adapters and removable devices such as CD/DVD and tape drives. Those 64-bit drivers are in short supply today, but you should be able to find more of them by the time the new 64-bit OS ships.

The 64-bit wave is about to break. And if you're considering a SQL Server system upgrade in the next year, one of these 64-bit platforms should be on your short list.