Hi I have just installed my new MSA 1000 with 2 controllers 26 146gb disks 2 fibre switches connected to 3 DL380 G5 servers running Server 2003 standard ed RC2.
What are the benefits of using the active/active firmware?
The benefits are true multi-path so long as you use the MPIO driver from HP in w2k3. There is no fail over time as both controllers are active at all times but MPIO is really important.
One benefit is that you can use free multipath solutions - the full-featured MPIO in case of Windows.
The other one is that both controllers can own and process I/Os for different logical disks. So a path failure on one host does not cause a failover of all logical disks to the second controller.
Ok so the question is with what I have is it the best way to go as far as firmware is concerned. Also I have 2 storageworks 4/8 switches do I need to zone these if the SSP in ACU does not allow other servers to drives. Also can someone guide me though the installation of MPIO?
I always do zoning to keep the servers' adapters apart. I don't recall I have installed an MSA MPIO (I usually work with EVAs and other stuff) and I don't mean any offense, but is there a problem with the installation instructions? Are they unclear? IN case you just miss them - here is a link: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DocumentIndex.jsp?contentType=SupportManual〈=en&cc=us&docIndexId=179111&taskId=135&prodTypeId=18964&prodSeriesId=421492
Secure path is supported but not used anymore. MPIO, I believe, is now the same for both EVA and MSA although they have been a separate install and not compatible in the past. I.e. you canâ t install both versions on the same server. The install is just run setup and reboot. The HP MPIO DSM Manager is also a good tool and may even be required as it will show you what the multi paths are doing and set some priorities and how the failover works.
Thanks for the reply. I have Firmware version 4.48 on my MSA can I just install the multipath drivers or do I need to upgrade to a later version?
Also on my MSA I have an extra disk enclosure I have linked on SCSI bus A on the controller to SCSI bus A on the second enclosure when I look in the ACU it only shows the first 7 drives and is not seeing the other 4 drives in the second enclosure.
You will need to go to the latest Firmware (At least v7) to get the Active/Active availability otherwise you will be in an Active/Passive mode. I think you will need to go from SCSI A to SCSI B on the second enclosure. Mine only has one port on the second enclosure so I can not confirm that but it does start at SCSI A.
Ok so I have attached another SCSI Cable to channel B and I can now see all the drives in the ACU. I am surprised I had to connect two cables to the second drive enclosure.
You should not need two. You may need to go from port A on the controller to port B on the enclosure.You can have 2 extra SCSI enclosures on the MSA1000, that is why there is two SCSI ports on the EMU
There are some good manuals that are supplied with the MSA, have a good read as there are some easy traps to fall into. They will also give you some good information on Zoning.
You have not been short changed Lain. The dual bus controller divides the storage enclosure in two. If you spread your disks out evenly between the two halves of the storage enclosure you will have some built in redudancy when using RAID 1(mirroring). In a RAID 1 scenario the controllers will mirror the data across the two different buses which will give you a redundant path to your data should you happen to lose a bus. Hope this makes you feel a little better.
