StoreVirtual storage system connection methods and limitations

[hodgm]

Hello!

I have started work on a system and have concerns around the storage setup but would love someone to verify my thoughts. They have a StoreVirtual 4730FC with 4 shelves, 20TB per shelf as Raid 1+0 so 10TB usable. Out of the 40TB total its setup with network raid-10 so shelves 1 + 3 present 1 x 20TB LUN which is mirrored to shelves 2 + 4. So 20TB usable you can lose 2 shelfs (as long as it’s either 1+3 or 2+4) and multiple disks with the same shelf (as long as it’s not 2 that are part of the same raid1)

I'm happy with all that. However....

It’s the way that they are connected that worries me. All 4 have FC cards, they are connected to HP StorageWorks switches but are only used to connect the VHOSTS to the storage! The storage shelves (or "storage systems") themselves are connected via iSCSI. Ok that will work but it gets worse. 1 + 3 are connected to a switch used for general traffic (a 2900) and then hops through another switch, over an internet line! (1Gb) to another site, through another switch, to another 2900 and then to shelves 2 + 4.

With the fact you will only ever get 125MBytes/s throughput on a 1Gbit line and the fact it is used for so much other traffic (150+ users sit at the remote site) and HP recommend minimum 100MBytes/s per shelf I believe this is why they are seeing issues.

The issues they get are if a disk blows, or the network experiences any slight interrupt the SAN stops presenting itself to the Hyper-V cluster and all VM's shut down. I assume this is the SAN protecting the data integrity.

I suggest they need to move all 4 shelves to the same site and connect them using dedicated switches, either iSCSI or the FC StorageWorks switches they have with the ports zoned off from the StoreVirtual -> Hyper-V cluster traffic.

Any thoughts on if I make sense?

Thanks,

Mark

[hodgm]

Just a note I have also found they are licenced for Remote Copy so that may possibly be an option!

[hodgm · Accepted solution]

I verified that the connection was to slow for the data to be written over the leased line for Network Raid 10.

Also as the V-Hosts connect via FC and that only spans 1 site when shelves 1 or 3 have an issue and 2/4 take over the hosts can't see that data so disconnect.

I'm moving the shelves to 1 site, changing to iSCSI, upgrading the line and then moving back

Cheers,

Mark