Best SAN choice for multiple servers

[Lee Herrin]

I am purchasing a new rp4440 w/HPUX and I want a SAN. I would like to have a highly available solution. Have looked at MSA1000 to MSA1500cs and now maybe even EVA4000. The caveat is that I want to be able to connect my windows servers (HP, Dell etc.) to the SAN As well. What should I do?

[Jefferson Humber]

Lee,

The MSA has constraints when mixing O/S's.

Have a read of this -> http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00403562/c00403562.pdf

With your mix of O/S's in mind it will help you decide what is appropriate.

Jeff

[Lee Herrin]

Jefferson, Thank you. I will read through and come back with any questions. - Lee

[Nigel Poulton]

Hi Lee,

Im not sure if you can actually mix HP-UX and Wintel one the same MSA1500. However, Im sure that the MSA documentation on the HP website will clarify this. I would always recommend looking at the latest docs on HP and even speaking with your HP contact, as sometimes firmware relases change the ball park.

Of course you could always try wearing an HDS, NetApp or EMC T-shirt next time your HP salesman comes by and you may get some discount ;-)

I would also strongly recommend you think about future use (disk capacity and attached hosts as well as requirements for snapshots and remote replication) as this will no doubt influence your decision. The EVA should scale a lot better than the MSA.

Mackem

[Steven Clementi]

The EVA 4000 will scale about the same, storage wise, as the MSA1500 using SCSI technology (SCSI or SCSI over Fibre). For ATA storage, the MSA1500 can out scale the EVA easily since you can connect 8 MSA20's to the 1500 and only 4 M5414's to the EVA.

The EVA will no doubt have better performance... better controllers, more cache, better i/o, etc. over the MSA.

It is a big decision and you should take all these things into consideration.

EVA solution is probably more expensive, but much more expandable. You can go to an EVA6000 if necessary, which would then give you the possibility of more FATA drives (over the MSA1500), but at the cost of 4 backend fibre loop switches and additional 5414's.


Steven

[Chan 007]

Hi Lee,

I think you just Opt an option that gives JBOD for your multiple OS servers (Hetrogenegos). It all depends your your budget what Storage you need. e.g If your are talking about just 3 servers a Huge array will be a complete waste and takes your Budget and your Skills to maintain.

Normally I recon,

1. Check your Budget
2. Check the Resource Skills
3. Check the Availability of Support
4. Check the Features (SAN COpy/Snapshot/Snapclone) & Max Disk Space.

E.g HDS / EMC & HP are well known for their support. Go for an entry level array if you have only lesses Servers.

Given an option/with budget I will recon/go for the EVA one.

Chan

[f. halili]

We have HPUX and windows servers as well. I'll go with the EVA. Here are the benefits from of the EVA:

ï § Management: allows management of large SAN configurations, reduces management time and lowers costs
ï § Performance: outstanding self-tuning performance accomplishes more in less time, scales capacity on-demand and minimizes data administration
ï § Unique virtualization features: state-of-the-art architecture improves performance, optimizes disk usage, and allows for easy dynamic storage expansion
ï § Virtually instantaneous Snapclone: allows immediate use of the clone copy, saving significant time
ï § Virtually capacity-free Snapshot (Vsnap): saves customers disk space and improves disk utilization efficiency during local replication operations
ï § Density: supports up to 16 TB of versatile storage capacity with any combination of high performance and low cost drives using existing EVA enclosures
ï § Support: enables effective deployment and delivers the services required to help maintain a stable, highly available storage platform over time
ï § Remote service tools: ISEE, the remote service tool for EVA, provides, at no additional cost, event monitoring and proactive diagnostic capability via transmission of EVA status to the HP service center for proactive problem solving
ï § Simple SAN Implementation: Single enclosure configurations provide easy-to-order, simple deployment for first-time SAN users


Cheers,
f. halili

[Suhas_2]

Hi Lee,

For entry level, I would suggest you to go for EMC clariion series. I see following advantages in it.
1> Good support.
2> Ease of administration
3> Sclable.
4> Fault tolerant (CX600, Cx700 have 2 storage processors in Active-Active kind of cluster)
5> Wide support to multiple operating systems.
6> Well documented support matrix.

A simple design would consist of
1> 1 Clariion
2> 2 switches (Mcdata or Brocade)

-Hope This helps'
-Suhas