MSL5060 and NSR e1200 advice

[Denver Osborn]

We've recently added a 4 drive MSL5060 with two NSR e1200 to our environment. Hoping to get some feedback from experts in the arena on how the SAN could be configured. Here's what we have now.

2 brocade 2800 fc switches (isl between)

1 fc-scsi mux (HPA3308) w/ 4 scsi hba
-2 scsi hba to 12h array
-2 scsi hba to a DLT 4 drive lib

1 DLT lib, 4 drives direct fibre attached

MLS5060 4 drives w/ 2 NSR e1200
-all drives were attached to one NSR

brocade switches have two zones configured. One for tape, the other for disk. There are only two hosts connected to the san. 2 HBA each host. One hba to tape zone, the other to disk zone. Switch1 has Host1 with the FC/SCSI mux and NSR e1200, Switch2 at a remote site has Host2 and FC attached DLT lib. Host1 and Host2 are mc/sg cluster.

Any advice on this config? Without replacing any hardware, is there room for improvement?

Thanks,
-denver

[Bill Costigan]

First I would only attach 2 drives per NSR.

If I only had 2 HBAs per host I wouldn't dedicate one to tape. This configuration has a number of single point of failures for disk access. (the HBA, its cable and the switch into which it is connected)

With the isl connecting the two switches you also have a single fabric SAN. Again a single point of falure.

How far is the remote site?