MSA 1000 and SPOF!

[Chris_733]

Hi there,
i want to configure a MSA1000 with these Components:

42Drives á 300GB
2 extra Shelfes
Full Redundancy
3 OS Windows/Linux/Netware

and got some questions:

1. Which component upon failure will cause a malfunction in the entry system? (SPoF)

2. How many Global Hot Spares at this Systemconfiguration are meaningfully??

Thx for answerin

[Vincent Fleming]

Assuming that you have a dual controller unit, and dual path it (and use SecurePath)...

To answer your questions:

1. The operator.
2. one to two per shelf.

I say in #1 that the operator is the SPOF - which is actually very true - you are more likely to cause it to go offline by touching it than any other single factor. You can also configure the unit in ways that reduce it's availablility.

For example, to maximize availability, you can create 3-drive RAID 5 sets where each of the 3 drives sit in different shelves (vertical alignment) - this will protect you in the unlikely event of a shelf failure.

Most people don't get that extreme. However, shelf failures can occur, even if it is extremely unlikely.

Otherwise, it's a fully redundant system.

I suggest 2 drives per shelf for spares because they're such big drives, and would take a while to rebuild.

Good luck,

Vince