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Database grows very fast!

I have SQL 2005 standard in 2008 R2 64bit server, 12GB RAM, 34GB db partition size.

The problem is db creates very large tempdb.mdf and NetPerfMon_log.LDF files. Backup doesn't shrink them, should it do that? HDD space is running out because of these files. NetPerfMon.mdf itself is quite normal size. Those other two files have started to get bigger lately.

File sizes:

NetPerfMon.mdf = 11,8 GB

tempdb.mdf = 10,6 GB

NetPerfMon_log.LDF = 9,6 GB

I'm using 64GB SSD "disks" so there is no space for those huge temp-files! Any advices? Our server manager told that temp files should be erased (or get smaller) after some db backups, but it doesn't seem to work. They only clean up in boot, but grow back within 24 hours!

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Accepted answers

netlogix

The ldf is basically a file that contains a journal of what is going to be done to the main data file. If SQL lets you purge/shrink the ldf, then it has committed the changes everywhere it was told. The conversion to 10.0 caused my temp db and ldf to grow a lot because of some structure changes in the syslog (i think it was the syslog), but that was just for the conversion process and it didn't need the extra space after the conversion.

And basically tempdb is another place for sql to use as a scratch pad to plan what is doing at that time.

All comments

m_roberts

First thing to check is that your Database is configured to log in Simple mode. Unless you are clustering the SQL Server and using log shipping this only adds overhead to the database and is an unnecessary strain on the high transaction load

pacetti

Ismo,

The following SolarWinds Knowledge Base articles may be helpful:

HTH,

Ismo

What these two files do? tempdb.mdf and NetPerfMon_log.LDF

I shrinked NetPerfMon_log.LDF from 9GB to 2GB and now I am interested what information I am losing now? I assume it was 9GB because of some good reason, not just for fun. But it was grown to that 9GB size during 24 hours after have been much smaller for months. I don't know what caused that, but it eaten HDD space. Tempdb.mdf has always been grown in same speed as primary db, so I assume db changes are saved in that tempdb.mdf. But in the other hand, after backup tempdb.mdf doesn't shrink at all, so does it anything to do with NPM db at all, or is it some kind of internal db object on mail SQL level?

netlogix

And basically tempdb is another place for sql to use as a scratch pad to plan what is doing at that time.

Ismo

I think I understand this. But if I limit (as I did) NetPerfMon_log.LDF file size from 2TB (must be some kind of bug in SQL 2005!) to 2GB so file cannot grow bigger than that, where all the data goes after file reach its maximum size. To simplify the question, what if I limit that for 5kB? What stops working? I mean, file size must have some reason to be 9GB instead of 5kB. Now file size is constantly 2GB and never smaller and I'm afraid, something is overflowing all the time...