Disk Enclosures
1747980 Members
4482 Online
108756 Solutions
New Discussion юеВ

Re: Smart 5i with OS mirror and RAID5 data ??

 
Eric_274
New Member

Smart 5i with OS mirror and RAID5 data ??

I cant seem to get an answer to this question.

I am planning to build a Windows 2003 Server with Exchange 2003 for 50 users.
What is the best disk config for this on a DL380 G3 with Smart array 5i controller.

I am leaning towards 2 logical drives.
Logical drive 1: Mirrored OS (C: drive) 2x 18gb
Logical drive 2: RAID5 (D: drive) 3x 36gb

Will I have performance issues with 2 logical drives on 1 controller ???
2 REPLIES 2
JohnWRuffo
Honored Contributor

Re: Smart 5i with OS mirror and RAID5 data ??

Eric:

The DL380G3 can be configured with a "Duplex Cage". This means that the drives are split across two SCSI channels. Using just the 5i Plus is called "Integrated Duplex". Take a look at page 101 from the Users Guide:
http://h200002.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/UCR/SupportManual/TPM_303130-003/TPM_303130-003.pdf

If you configure the server in this manner, then the I/O will be split and the performance and possible disk contention will be reduced.

The duplex configuration will disable the external VHDCI port, so if you want to attach a tape drive to the server, you will need to add another SCSI card.

Here is what I would do...

SCSI Disks by Bay Number:

DISK 1: Mirror - ID 0
DISK 2: Mirror - ID 1
--------- Duplex Bus
DISK 3: RAID5 - ID 2
DISK 4: RAID5 - ID 3
DISK 5: RAID5 - ID 4
DISK 6: OPEN - ID 5

or like this...

DISK 1: Mirror - ID 0
DISK 2: RAID5 - ID 1
--------- Duplex Bus
DISK 3: Mirror - ID 2
DISK 4: RAID5 - ID 3
DISK 5: RAID5 - ID 4
DISK 6: OPEN - ID 5

If you use this second option, you can spread the Arrays over multiple channels.

I hope this helps! -john
Enjoy!
__________________________________________
Was the post useful? Click on the white KUDOS! Star.

Do you need help with your HP product?
Try this: http://www.hp.com/support/hpgt
JohnWRuffo
Honored Contributor

Re: Smart 5i with OS mirror and RAID5 data ??

oops... hit enter to soon...

You should also consider installing the BBWCE option if you have not already:
Battery Backed Write Cache Enabler Option Kit - 255514-B21

This can give your RAID a little more performance to count on.
Enjoy!
__________________________________________
Was the post useful? Click on the white KUDOS! Star.

Do you need help with your HP product?
Try this: http://www.hp.com/support/hpgt