SQL Server : Enable Instant File Initialization

Enable Instant File Initialization

You may want to consider enabling Instant File Initialization (via SE_MANAGE_VOLUME_NAME a.k.a. “Perform volume maintenance tasks”) for your SQL Server startup/service account. This option allows for much faster data file allocations (CREATE AND ALTER FILE) but DOES NOT WORK FOR LOG FILE ALLOCATIONS. This is enabled for each instance via the “Perform volume maintenance tasks” local security policy. In a cluster you have to grant the right on all nodes. If there are multiple instances on a server or cluster, you should grant this right to each instance’s security group.

This permission keeps SQL Server from “zeroing out” new space when you create or expand a data file (it is not applied to log files).  This helps performance for CREATE DATABASE, ALTER DATABASE, RESTORE, and AUTOGROW. It can have a significant positive impact on how long it takes to create or expand a data file, but there is a small security risk in doing so. That is because a file “delete” really just deallocates the space and a new allocation can reuse that space which may still have data in it. When you do not zero out the existing space there is a possibility that someone could read data that you thought had been deleted. It is very common to turn Instant File Initialization on. Many shops consider the increased performance benefit to far outweigh the small security risk, but you must weigh the cost and benefits within your own environment.

Steps:

1. Expand the Local Policies Folder.
2. Click on User Rights Assignment.
3. Go down to the “Perform Volume Maintenance Tasks” option and double click it.
4. Add your SQL Server Service account, and click OK out of the dialog.

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