Deployment Considerations HP Aio1200 3,6 TB

[Verhaege Kenny]

Dear,

I am planning to reconfigure / reinstall our SAN system. This is now configured wiht 8 logical disks, some of them in RAID0+1, others RAID5, spread over SAS Array A, B and C.

I want to use the SAN dedicated for ESX so I want to create LUNs for my ESX Server. I am thinking about making one RAID 5 array set with one spare disk and create a couple of LUNs within in.

Anybody knows how the SAN will be configured when I initially deploy  it from scratch? Is the OS configured on a RAID0+1 set? WIll I be able to define a RAID5 set over all other disks?

What about the SAS Array A, B and C? Are these different controllers?

I already read "Using HP StorageWorks All-in-One Storage System with VMware ESX Server Solution – overview and configuration guide" but this not give me an answer to my questions.

Any best practises are very welcome!

Kind regards,

Kenny

[Johan Guldmyr]

Hi, the SAS arrays are on the same controller. Unless you have an external disk enclosure, then maybe you have a second controller.

Unsure how the disks are created when you reinstall it, but there is most likely a smaller logical drive where you're supposed to install the OS. On the x1000 you got to create whatever you wanted with the rest of the disks, unsure how it was in these aio1200. 

[Verhaege Kenny]

Ok, there are now 3 Arrays configured and 8 logical drives (some ot them are RAID0+1, others RAID5). Any idea why 3 arrays?

1 Array with one spare disk and 1 logical drive RAID5 gives me the most storage?

[Johan Guldmyr]

Hi, no I do not know why that's the case. It seems strange to me if that was done by default.. but then these AIO are a bit alien to me.

Is this the model with 12x250GB disks?

So that's one RAID1 for OS and a RAID5 with the rest? Sure, that'd give you the most. But that'd give you what, 10 disks in a RAID5? That's dangerous.