Shared Cluster Storage - Oracle RAC

[Richard Moakes]

I have just configured a pair of DL380's to a RA4100 Shared Cluster Storage System.

In order to provide private NTFS formatted disks for backups etc.. I enabled SSP, with most drives available to both servers, which will be formatted with OCFS or Oracle RAW, and a separate NTFS backup drive selectively presented to each server.

95% of the time this works just fine, however occasionally on reboot, all the disks in the RA4100 are unavailable to one of the servers sharing the shelf. Another reboot and hey presto they are back.

Oddly, even though they are not visible using logical disk administrator, if you take a peek with ACU, the logical drives are visible on the controller configuration.

The RA4100 is connected to individual SA532's on each server and all firmware for controllers and shelves are at top revision. The lastest SA532 driver has also been loaded on each server?

I understand the issues about uncoordinated access without a MSCS configuration, however Oracle RAC does not need MSCS and at no time will any disk be filesystem mounted on both servers.

Anyone got any clues? It feels like timing issue on reboot, particularly as another reboot immediately fixes the problem.

Richard