Problem HP3par Volume to multiple hosts ( Win 2008 R2 )

[coolirc]

Hello Everyone

We have an HP 3Par StoreServ 7200 configured and working , i created a virtual Volume of 1 TB and exported it to 2 mutiple hosts the problem is when i do this the remote servers are getting very slow and the disk management become inaccessible but if i try to export the volume to only 1 host it works perfectly . ..

i tried the scenario with 2 servers ( hosts ) with HP Proliant DL380 G7

and HP Proliant DL380 G8 with Windows 2008 R2 installed on both and the same problem . is there any configuration i should do to get the same volume working as a clustered volume on each host ?

i mean if i do some changes on the virtual volume i get the changes on the 2 servers simultanously

thanks for clearing me out .

[Sheldon Smith]

It is unclear from your message; Are the 2 Windows servers configured as a cluster?

[coolirc]

well i'm not totally sure but i think the main idea is to get the same volume available for the two hosts

and i think the two servers are configured as a cluster how can i check if they are configured as a cluster or not .  and the other servers i tested are not configured as a cluster they are 2 seperate servers on the same lan .

[Sheldon Smith]

You would create your two hosts with either their FC port-WWNs or iSCSI QDNs, then create a host set for the cluster and add the two hosts.
Next, create your 1 TB (thin) virtual volume and export that to the host set.

After a re-scan on each host, you would use Microsoft Cluster Admin to add the volume as a cluster-shared resource.

If you do not have a cluster configured, and you should know if a cluster has been configured, you would probably also create a 1 GB (thin, RAID 1) virtual volume and export that to the host set as well.
The configuration process should recognize the small volume as being a Good Place to make a quorum disk.

You can google Windows 2008 cluster admin for further information.

[coolirc]

Ok thanks for your reply

i was reading about it in the night i'll follow the tutorial found on https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731844%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

as your information i've already set a host set and we're using an FC port and everything is setup . i think the problem is in the cluster setup or something , i thought it would work without a cluster setup , anyway i thought it was a configuration in the hp 3Par ...

just one question : so if the hosts are not configured as a cluster it won't work properly ?

i'll setup the cluster and get back to you if it worked or not .

[Sheldon Smith]

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@coolirc wrote:

... 

just one question : so if the hosts are not configured as a cluster it won't work properly ?

...

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Definitely not! 

The 3PAR is a block-server, not a file-server. It has no understanding of what is in the exported LUNs. Whatever the host tells it to do, it does.  All volume coordination is performed on the hosts by Windows Clustering. Not being part of a cluster, each host assumes it has total control over the LUN. And, two separate clusters would assume each has total control over the LUN.

They have to be one cluster.

Create a second volume, (thin, RAID1, 1 GB) and present that to both as well before you start the Cluster configuration. As I recall, the configuration process should choose that for the "quorum" volume.

Note: While I work for HP, all of my comments (whether noted or not), are my own and are not any official representation of the company.
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