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Summary:
In extremely high performance applications, attempting to remove Windows
bottlenecks using traditional methods may be ineffective, including:
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increasing server and processor performance,
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tuning SQL statements, and
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increasing the number of physical disks
The most effective solution to the Windows performance gap
in mission critical environments is often to implement solid state disks for
the most frequently accessed application components.
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Recommended Reading
Faster SQL Server Access with Solid State Disks 
Improve SQL Server database performance using solid state disks to accelerate
the most resource intensive data that slows performance across the board. This
whitepaper describes methods for identifying I/O performance bottlenecks
and points out components that are the best candidates for migration to a solid
state disk, including:
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transaction logs,
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temporary database (tempdb),
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indexes, and
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frequently accessed tables.
The paper also includes an in-depth explanation of solid state disk technology
and possible implementations.
Storage Performance Testing (PPT Presentation)
This presentation provides an in-depth technical discussion of storage
performance testing.
Conducting storage performance tests is essential to selecting storage for
tiered storage environments. Some applications require endless hours of
constant data acquisition, while others experience peak bursts of small block
I/O. The best storage device for one application is almost never the right
storage device for another.
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Windows Case Studies
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic
OLAP Data Warehousing With Cognos Data Cubes
COESfx, Inc.
E-Commerce Acceleration using Microsoft SQL Server
Chatsworth Products, Inc.
700% Faster Queries
News Corporation
SQL Server-based Business Reporting
EVE Online
17,000 concurrent users causing sluggish OLTP response
Recommended Tools
Diagnosing Windows I/O Bottlenecks Using Performance Monitor
Provides a technical guide to using the Windows Performance Monitor ("perfmon")
to identify I/O performance bottlenecks. To gather relevant data, you will
monitor the following key variables:
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Processor: % processor time (total, by CPU)
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Physical disk: avg. disk queue length (total, read and write)
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Physical disk: disk bytes/sec (total, read and write for each monitored disk)
Iometer 
Iometer is an I/O subsystem measurement and characterization tool for single
and clustered systems. It was originally developed by Intel. They turned over
Iometer to the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL) in November 2001. The project
is driven by an international group of individuals who are continuously
improving, porting and extending the product.
SQLIO Disk Subsystem Benchmark Tool
SQLIO is a Microsoft tool that you can use to determine the I/O capacity of a
given configuration.
hIOmon® File I/O Performance Monitor
hIOmon® enables you to easily and quickly determine how your particular,
individual files are being accessed. Beyond the basic read and write I/O
operation counts, hIOmon® provides you with a robust set of I/O operation
performance metrics (including response times, throughput, data transfer
sizes/amounts, system file cache metrics, plus much more) -- all from the
perspective of individual files within your own particular computer system
environment, and using your very own applications and files as you normally do.
hIOmon® gives you the ability to easily, quickly, precisely, and reliably both
measure and monitor the performance of your disk storage I/O operations upon an
individual, specific file basis up at the application level.
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The World's Fastest Storage?
What is a Solid State Disk?
Success Stories
RamSan Benefits
Solutions and Applications
Articles and Whitepapers
Press Releases
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