Diskeeper 2007Server/Administrator

The subject of disk-defragmentation software can be contentious, but any heavily utilised server can have very fragmented drives, giving rise to increased response times as the drives spend more time chasing fragments of data before transferring them to the program. A further performance hit occurs when the system has to spend time trying to find free space for new files.

But disk defragmentation software comes with all current versions of Windows, so why buy it from a third party, especially when Windows defragmentation software was written by the makers of Diskeeper 2007? Well, there are some limitations with the built-in version, which can affect its usefulness when it comes to defragmenting server disk drives. Most servers run 24/7, so scheduling even essential routine maintenance tasks such as backups can be problematic. Major tasks such as defragmentation runs on large disks may have to wait for the Christmas holidays before there will be enough time to run them, by which time the drives could be almost completely fragmented and performance seriously affected.

The advantage of Diskeeper 2007 Server is it can run all the time without interrupting normal working, avoiding the need to set aside a large period of time for a defragmentation run. Diskeeper Corporation refers to this as InvisiTasking, which essentially makes use of any unused machine cycles to carry out defragmentation without affecting normal performance. This feature has been in Diskeeper for some time, and is one of the reasons for its popularity. With the new release, it's enabled by default, but it's possible to set exclusion periods when the process will be suspended, perhaps during the time allocated for scheduled backups.

Diskeeper 2007 has another trick up its sleeve in the shape of Intelligent File Access Acceleration Sequencing Technology (I-FAAST). This observes disk activity and builds up a picture of usage patterns. It then uses this information to relocate frequently used data files and apps to the fastest parts of the drives to improve access times. Diskeeper claims this can improve file access and creation times by 80%. Further performance improvements can be obtained with the Frag Shield option, which allows the administrator to configure the Master File Table (MFT) and paging file sizes on NTFS volumes to minimise the chances of fragmentation occurring.

Installing Diskeeper 2007 Administrator is uncomplicated. The installation program can locate and download any required components such as .NET 2 and requires little user input. Once installed, it can search the network for target systems and determine if the detected systems already have Diskeeper 2007 Server installed. The Server software can be remotely installed to selected systems from the Administrator console.

Diskeeper 2007 Administrator lets you monitor Diskeeper performance on the systems on your network. Monitoring facilities are good, displaying graphical performance data for individual systems, and the system also offers a remote- control option for ad hoc defragmentation analysis and operation. In all, it's a comprehensive package.

Author: Ian Parsons