Increasing Windows Performance

Postgres MUST be on a stand alone server so that it can be left alone to do its job. If this is possible, then the only thing that needs to talk to it is Theatre Manager clients through port 5432. Under that scenario:

On Windows machines:

• Enable Windows Firewall to allow incoming on port 5432 for the database and turn off other non-essential ports. Alternatively, make sure that your IT personnel have opened the correct ports through the firewall between computers as per these firewall/router rules.
• Turn off auto-updates completely
  • Windows Automatic Updates is now found in Services in Windows 10. -and-
  • You may have to set the internet connection to metered as per this help page to really tell Microsoft that you don't wan updates, unless you want them.

  These are something to be done manually and on a periodic scheduled basis. You do not want servers restarting in the middle of the night, nor do you want downloading to affect performance of your servers.

• Turn off:
  • microsoft indexing for all directories and sub directories. by looking at the properties of the drive that database is running on
  • And go to Services to find Windows Search and disable that.
• Disable any disk quota management on the disk drive
• turn off any virus scanning for ports and data directories used by postgres

  NOTE: if using windows 10 pro, you need to permanently disable windows defender using one of the methods in the link. In win 10 Pro, use gpedit.msc to disable by group policy editor since windows 10 turns it back on later if you only temporarily disable it (Another stupid idea form Microsoft)

Note: turn off any virus scanning against the database directory which is usually

C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL
or
D:\Program Files\PostgreSQL (if there are two drives)

• Do not install active directory or join it to a domain. Only local access is required to this machine
• Turn off file sharing or any means that might allow a file to be added to the machine, other than via the postgres engine
• turn off any energy saving options
• do not use the machine for saving snapshots of files by turning off 'use shadow copies' on the appropriate drives. (This is set in the properties of the drive)
• set best performance options to maximize background performances.

Leaving any of those on will affect performance of the server for the database