Read-only volume contents update on Windows Server

[Alterant]

Hello!

We have MSA 2050 connected to two servers via FC. MPIO is enabled on both servers. One volume is mapped to the first server as read-write and at the same time to the second server as read-only.

The issue is when I create some files on that volume on the first server I do not see the changes on the second (Windows Server 2012 R2). Refresh in Windows explorer does not help. The only action which helps is bringing the disk offline and back online in the Dsik Management console. Is there any other more simple way to refresh volume contents on the second server?

The same behavior is observed with P2000 with direct SAS connectivity with MPIO. The second server is Windows 2008 R2.

[SUBHAJIT KHANBARMAN_1]

You can't connect a LUN to two Windows servers AT THE SAME TIME. The first server to see the Windows will use SCSI locking to prevent other servers seeing it.

Hope this helps!
Regards
Subhajit

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[Alterant]

Dear Subhajit,

thanks for the reply. What do you mean I can not connect? Physically? Or it's not a proper config?

I used this config on P2000 for several years and it worked with no issues. Disk is accessible from the second server but the contents can be updated only via go offline/go online.

Here are the config:

First server (read-write):

Second server (read-only):

[SUBHAJIT KHANBARMAN_1]

I am just telling you about the best practice.......you can refer the best practice whitepaper from below link (Page no 24) and it says the following,

https://h20195.www2.hpe.com/v2/getdocument.aspx?docname=a00015961enw

"

Note
Volumes should not be mapped to multiple servers at the same time unless the operating systems on the servers are cluster aware. However, since a server may contain multiple unique initiators, mapping a volume to multiple unique initiators (that are contained in the same server) is supported and recommended. Recommended practice is to put multiple initiators for the same host into a host and map the host to the LUNs, rather than individual maps to initiators.

"

Hope this helps!
Regards
Subhajit

If you feel this was helpful please click the KUDOS! thumb below!

***********************************************************************************

[Alterant]

Ok, got it, thanks!

But I am mapping the volume as read-only to the second server. So it will not corrupt the data. But the issue here is refreshing the contents ...

[Dennis Handly]

> But the issue here is refreshing the contents

Unless cluster aware, each server may cache the values and not bother refreshing, since it knows nobody else is changing thing.