Domestic SAN lab

[SM_3]

Hello SAN folk

I'm a unix admin and have always had a keen interest in storage work.

I'm looking to create a home san lab and ask of you what sort of kit I could get?

I know it depends on budget and would not be willing to buy an EMC cabinet :-).

I'd ideally like to use the san kit on unix.

What could you suggest if anything (including switches)?

Thanks in advance.

[Chris Rosan2]

Depending on how much you want to get into it, you could get a second hand MSA. The management of it isn't up there with units such as the EVA but if it's just for a lab it should be fine.

Depending on which model you get you'll need to buy some switches. I'd just pickup a couple of B series switches.

I'd check out EBAY, and also other auction houses. We've got one here in Australia that sells a lot of stuff for HP.

[SM_3]

ok thanks

[Sivakumar MJ._1]

Hi SM,

Try for MSA Arrays or EMC Clariion Arrays and Brocade Switches ...

Hope lot of Refurbished Arrays and Switches are available for sale.. You can try for it..

Most of the EMC and EVA arrays you have simulators.

If you really needs HOME SAN for specific purpose try in setting up with MSA & Brocade Switches..

[Jozef_Novak]

Hello,

as you say you would like to set up your SAN in conjuction with UNIX machines, be careful when selecting an MSA array. HPUX support has been added only recently (January 2009) so you won't be able to use older models with HPUX. Support of other UNIX flavors (AIX and Solaris) is missing completely. If you decide to go for an EVA, then you get support of wide range of operating systems (VMware ESX, HPUX, AIX, Solaris, OpenVMS). The drawback here would of course be a higher cost.

J.

[Uwe Zessin]

The MSA1000/1500 has been supporting HP-UX for quite some time _before_ January-2009 - limited support started in late March-2004.

[Jozef_Novak]

Correct, I had MSA2000 in mind, apologize. Limited HPUX support is available for 1000/1500.

J.

[Uwe Zessin]

By 'limited support' I meant that it was restricted to single controller configurations, because the MSA1000/1500 series did not have active/active firmware at that time.

There never was Secure Path (for active/passive MSA1) made available on HP-UX and PVlinks in LVM requires an active/active array, because it does not 'know' how to tell an array to do a failover.