Help Setting up VA7100 with L3000 RAID 1+0

[Eric Firkey]

I need to setup a VA7100 with RAID 1+0 with an L3000. What are the configuration steps I need to follow? What software do I need to manage the VA7100? What is the minimum amount of drives I can use for RAID 1+0? I believe I have to create a LUN 0 with 50MB. What size should LUN 1 be if I use 4 x 18 GB drives and I want to use all availble space? Thanks for any replies. Also I have all hardware necessary. Thanks again, Eric

[V.Manoharan]

Hi Eric,
1. For managing VA7100 you need command view SDM to be installed. This will give command line option as well as graphical web interface.

2.you can't have mutiple raid levels in the VA. it han be either set as of autoraid or raid 1 +0.

3.You may require minium 4 disk to have raid 1+0 . but preferably 5 disk will good where one can provide as hotspare.

4. you can create 36GB if you have 4 x 18 Gb.

regards
Manoharan

[Eric Firkey]

I read that if I setup the raid to vfpmgr -B autoraid through virtual front panel that it will automatically use Raid 1+0. Is this correct? or how else do I set it to raid 1+0? Thanks

[Sameer_Nirmal]

Refer the link below to set the RAID 1+0 explicitly as you required. As mentioned , you need to use command
# mgr -B raid1

This would set the RAID 1+0 as the striping (RAID 0) is implicit when you select raid1 on this array.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/CoreRedirect.jsp?redirectReason=DocIndexPDF&prodSeriesId=33737&targetPage=http%3A%2F%2Fh20000.www2.hp.com%2Fbc%2Fdocs%2Fsupport%2FSupportManual%2Flpg28975%2Flpg28975.pdf

[Eric Firkey]

That link is dead but thanks for your explanation. Do I have to create a 50MB lun 0? or can I just create a 36GB lun 1? and if I have 4 x 18gb disks in the RAID1 array will a 50mb lun 0 and 36gb lun 1 fit? Sorry for all the newbie questions.

[V.Manoharan]

Hi Eric,
If you have installed command view SDM. you can run command following command which will give you clear picture and understanding about the status of the array.

armdsp -i ==> this will give array details
armdsp -a ==> arrayid can be taken from output of armdsp -i command.

in that out put you can see what is the maximum size of lun you can create.

thanks and regards
Mano

[Mike Shilladay · Accepted solution]

Hi Eric,

We have a VA7110 and previously a VA7100 before that. In both instances the 'armdsp -i' command failed to produce any results, the following was what I had to do after I had installed Command View SDM software. Just for the record it is a direct attach to an rx2620 with two x2 fibre channal controllers.

(a hash represents the start of the command)

search for any arrays
# armdiscover
format the disk pack
# armfmt -f -h
show the array summary
# armdsp -i
show the array detailed summary
# armdsp -a

If the previous armdsp -a does not work (which happened in our case) then the following two commands had to be issued.

# HA_Dial_Stop
# HA_Dial_Start

The 'armdsp' commands should now work.

As a hangover from the FC-60 disk arrays I always create a LUN 0 of minimal amount and never use it, however, this I believe may be personal preferance, as I like to have the LUN's number match with the VG number, hence LUN 1 is VG01. As VG00 is internal disk, LUN 0 has been created but is minimal.

To create your new LUN then the following commands can be used, I will assume that you do not want to reboot, and that LUN 1 will be created with 36GB size and will be used as vg01.

By the way as a general rule I have heard but cannot comment on is that the VA arrays work fine as long as you do not use all of the available space. This is the way in which AutoRAID use the free space to reorganise the data.

Here are the commnands ....

# armcfg -L 1 -a 36G -g 1
# ioscan -fn
# insf -e
# pvcreate /dev/rdsk/
# cd /dev
# mkdir vg01
# cd vg01
# mknod group c 64 0x010000
# vgcreate /dev/vg01 /dev/dsk/
If you have an alternate link then do the following....
# vgextend /dev/vg01 /dev/dsk/

Hope that helps

Mike.

[Eric Firkey]

Thanks for the great information. We are now thinking of going to a VA7110. Is there any difference in setting it up? is it still managed with Commandview SDM? what is the difference between the VA7100 and the VA7110? Thanks all.

[Mike Shilladay]

Hi Eric,

The only differences I have come across is more cache memory for the VA7110, double the previous max for the VA7100, and triple the disk spindle capacity, 3 drive trays of 15 disks in each, rather than the limit of 15 disks on one tray for the VA7100. Obviously the VA7100's will command a lower price than the newer VA7110.

Both units still use the same Command View software as well as sharing many other features.

Point worthy of note for the AutoRAID followers, the VA7110 and VA7410 are the last arrays to support AutoRAID. Though rumour has it that the technology will be back in a future generation of disk array.

Mike.

[V.Manoharan]

Hi Eric,
Mike is correct and apart from that 7110 got 2 redundant groups which makes it possible for load balancing with both the controllers ie active/active where is in 7100 the controllers works in active passive mode.

regards
Mano.