SecurePath or HP_MPIO What to choose ???

[Rainer von Bongartz]

HP offers these both MultiPath solutions for EVA3000

As SecurePath is quite expensive I'm thinking of using HP_MPIO which comes for free.

Does anybody have any experience with MPIO ?
Is it a stable solution (yet still ver. 1.0)

Regards
Rainer

[Andrzej Kowalik]

I install MPIO driver with clustered MS SQL (EVA3K) on DLs and BLs. Works fine without problem. But you must remember, that current basic MPIO drivers has limitations to Path Failover only (mean no load balancing), no automatic failback, not possible coexistence with SecurePath, can not boot from SAN
regards,
Andrzej

[Uwe Zessin]

I guess you are talking about the Windows MPIO, although you appear to be a HP-UX man ;-)

- last time I checked, it wasn't supported with Business Copy

- I've tried to find out if the MPIO module is supported on an EVA management server, but I didn't get a definite answer, yet

[Rainer von Bongartz]

Sorry Uwe, but sometimes you simply can`t avoid those MS boxes

Regards
Rainer

[SAKET_5]

G'day Rainer,

Yes, in my experience with MPIO - no load balancing + no failback (but you can get path failback/failover functions enabled from the EVA Controller End when selecting a preferred path for your Vdisk - this is what we do on Tru64 UNIX and a few others which don't run a Secure Path of a kind).

The most frustrating thing that I found with the current version of MPIO is there is no management interface - a path failover, loss of paths events will need to be extracted by scrolling down the Windows Event Viewer.

Regards,
Saket.

[Doug de Werd · Accepted solution]

FYI...

The "Full Featured" version of Windows MPIO will be coming out in a couple of months. I believe that it will be available first for MSA1000/1500 around June, then followed by EVA shortly after.

Full Featured MPIO will have support for lots of features, such as: dynamic load balancing, management GUI via MMC snap in, iSCSI support, auto-failback, LUN persistency on boot, SAN boot, compatibility with CA/VR/BC/VSS.

So for the interim before the Full Feature version comes out, there are still good reasons to use SecurePath, but that will pretty much be equalized when FF comes out.

Also, MPIO will not support RA4100, VA7xxx, HSG80, or CLI.

Thanks,
Doug

[DragomirAtea]

Hiya folks!

Just want to remind you that Secure Path and MPIO can NOT coexist. It's either MPIO or Secure Path. We tried to mix them in a labexercise, the whole system went bezerk.

So!

If youre planning to use the FF MPIO, choose the crappy MPIO for now, waste of money to buy Secure Path in that case.

Otherwise go with Secure Path and forget about MPIO.

imho
Dragomir Zekic

[DragomirAtea]

Baaah!

It's early and I need some coffee, you've allready mentioned that they cant coexist...

Man! I need some coffee...


Sorry folks!
Dragomir "not yet awake" Zekic

[andy steven]

Hi Doug

do u have any more info on the FF MPIO driver, is there a beta website or somewhere i can get more info, currently using V1.1 for msa1500s and would be keen to learn more.

many thanks

[Doug de Werd]

FYI - the FF MPIO will support co-existence with SecurePath (but the current Basic MPIO does not).

The MPIO architecture for Windows is owned and developed by Microsoft. The only part HP provides is what is called a Device Specific Module (DSM). So HP is dependent on MS to release the next version of MPIO (FF) before we can release our FF version of the DSM. I checked out on MS's web site and I did not see anything regarding a downloadable beta version of FF MPIO.

Here's a link to the MS MPIO web site. Some good info, especially the Architecture technical paper.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/technologies/storage/mpio/default.mspx

Thanks,
Doug

[andy steven]

Thanks

just what i was after