EVA5000 VCS upgrade active/active

[Jason Webster]

Does anyone have any experience with upgrading from VCS code v3.028 to v4.004. We would like to implement the active/active config, and are not sure which multi path solution, MPIO or Securepath, to use. Most of the hosts are Windows 2003 and running Microsoft Exchange. We also have a Netware 6 cluster that connects to the EVA.

[Uwe Zessin]

For Windows, you need the EVA3000/5000-specific MPIO DSM, because Secure Path no longer recognizes the controllers (they change their ID from HSV100/110 to HSV101/111).

NetWare servers will use their own, native Multipathing, but NetWare 6.0 is not supported.

[Timothy Cusson]

VCS code v3.028 is a fully supported version of VCS for EVA5000. The EVA5000 was not designed for active/active so there is a slight loss in performance when you convert to active/active. The EVA 4,6 and 8000 were designed to be active/active and have a performance gain using active/active. There is no benefit in converting an EVA5000 from active/passive to active/active.

[Preuce Kumar Nellikkal]

Hi

There is another version of MPIO to support the Active/Active behaviour of VCS Version 4000.You may upgrade to it.

Regards
Preuce Kumar

[W. Koster · Accepted solution]

We just upgraded our EVA5000 from 3020 (via 3028) to VCS 4004. HP did a splendid job. (big upgrade of 5K, 8K, switch-firmware, CV-EVA, SMA-III, Webes/ISEE, disk-firmware and disk swapping to re-allign RSS sets and changing fibres on the controller (necessary to get active/active) of the 5000 all without any major problems and all within the estimated time)

Mind you, the controller changes from a HSV110 to a HSV111 to let the software know it's not running secure-path anymore but MP(x)IO (bit of a hack, but what gives)

We did not use secure-path in the old situaton. We're using MPIO on the EVA5000 now from a novell cluster (setup was apparently pretty easy but the admin did have prior experience with MPIO on the 8000). We're having trouble getting MPxIO to run on a solaris 8 machine. Same kind of setup does run fine on our EVA8000, so I suppose there's a difference between MPxIO on the EVA8000 and the EVA5000 (right now I'm thinking basic MPxIO versus full feature version on the 8000)

Our main reason to upgrade was (among other things) not having to pay for secure-path software but use MPIO on both the 8000 and the 5000

[Uwe Zessin]

> There is no benefit in converting an EVA5000 from active/passive to active/active.

Of course, there is (e.g. 'standard multipathing'), but you should not expect 'more' performance just because the array now operates in active/active mode.

Even the EVA4000/6000/8000 do not provide a symmetric active/active model - in most cases it is not needed anyway, else - buy an XP ;-)

[Tom O'Toole]

One huge benefit of MPIO over securepath for AIX systems is being able to boot from SAN.

[cmoxley]

"The EVA5000 was not designed for active/active so there is a slight loss in performance when you convert to active/active."

Is there any documentation to support this claim?