Raid levels in XP arrays

[Ninad_1]

Hi,

Please can anyone tell me what raid levels (Raid1 (1D+1D ? 2D+2D ?) , Raid 0+1 ? , Raid 5 (3D+1P ? 7D+1P ?) , Raid 6 (6D+2P ?) )can be configured on XP1024 arrays.
If I want to have Raid 0+1 using XP arrays how to do this ? Is it possible through LVM ?

Thanks,
Ninad

[Joshua Scott]

You don't use LVM to configure the XP, you must use CommandViewXP to do this. You should have the software installed on a system to manage the XP. If you don't, you should get in touch with HP to get in installed on your system.

Josh

[Ninad_1]

Yes , I am aware that LVM is not a management sw for XP arrays. What I wanted to know is if I can implement RAID 0/1 or 1/0 whatever on XP arrays. If not possible does anyone know if this is possible through LVM at the OS level.

Thanks,
Ninad

[Ninad_1]

Hi,

Any help please.

Thanks,
Ninad

[Torsten.]

The XP array is supporting mirroring and RAID5 configurations by itself for it's disks - it's an array. You only have to handle the mapped LUN from your server like a normal physical volume (disk) and add an alternate path to the vg. Now you have a high available and mirrored/RAID5 volume.

[Ninad_1]

Hi Torsten,

So at XP array the only Raid level available are RAID1 and RAID5 - right.
Now the option you suggested of having alternate path is fine but it just gives redundacy for path. What I was looking at is if I need to have good performace/throughput from the array disks - the Oracle preferred way is RAID 0+1 for databases and not RAID5, so I was trying to understand how this type of configuration can be achieved - at arrays level and at OS/LVM level.
It struck me that this can be achieved by mirroing disks at array level and creating stripped volumes at LVM level. This seems to be way out.
Please advice.

Thanks,
Ninad

[Alzhy · Accepted solution]

Ninad, the only supported RAID configurations are:

RAID1: 2D+2D or 4D+4D
RAID5: 3D+1P or 7D+1P (except 300GB disks)
RAID?: 6D+2P (Dual Parity for 300GB+ disks)

8 disk configurations are only supported on XP1024 upwards for the HP Flavours OR 9980 upwards for the Hitachi flavour.

[Alzhy]

"If I want to have Raid 0+1 using XP arrays how to do this ? Is it possible through LVM ?"


Essentially you only need to do a RAID0 (striping) which is best practice anyway for XP/HDS arrays. And such is always done ON the host using its volume manager be it LVM or VxVM. Since the disks you see on your hosts are already protected - you do not need double protection (double RAIDing) - you only need to build your volumes soit touches more spindles/array groups as possible. Our standard is either a 4 or 8 way stripe with each lun/ldev component of the striped volume coming from different ACP's and/or Fibre channel presentations.

Hope this helps.

[Chris Callihan_1]

don't bother with the 4D+4D on the XP1024, it is a concatination of 2 - 2D+2D, it is a true 4D+4D on the newer arrays

[ionic_tease]

Bringing this back up...the D in Raid 5 (3D+1P ? 7D+1P ?) stands for disks and P is the number of parity or type. I'm new to the terminology used here.