MSA1000 questions

[CA1110519]

Several MSA1000 questions:

1. Have several MSA's whose controllers are running the 2.38 firmware. Servers accessing the MSA are Netware. If we were to update teh firmware on teh controller, will there be any side effects seen by the server?
2. Trying to create an array on a 4354 expansion chassis. We want to create teh array, but not assign a logical drive to it, so our admins don't accidentally use this disk space when added space to logical drives on teh main MSA disks. When creating the array, I want to exit without creating a logical drive. The array is then blown away, and the disks I selected to create teh array are no longer associated with teh array. Does there need to be a logical drive created on teh array before it can save the array itself?
3. When naming the connections using the CLI, what is the main differences between default (which appears to be teh Windows profile) and the Netware profile? Do these connections profiles even matter if we're not using smart storage presentation?

[Uwe Zessin]

1.) Please make sure that you update all other software levels (FC switch firmware, fibre channel adapter firmware + device drivers, operating system patches) to what has been specified by the vendor. A good idea is to use what is on the MSA support software CD-ROM from:
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/storageworks/softwaredrivers/msa1000/msa1k_software.html#cd

2.) I do not have much experience with smart array controllers, but it is my understanding that an 'array' (a group of disks) is a pseudo object that is used to help the user organize his physical disk drives. If you create logical disks with the command line interface you only specify which physical disk drives to use for a logical disk.

It sounds like you want to reserve physical disk drives. I suggest you just create a small logical disk and use SSP (selective storage presentation) to block access.

A hint: if you have an MSA1000 base box with an M4354R disk drive enclosure you have 4 SCSI
ports available. Try to evenly distribute your disks drives over the ports.

3.) Use the 'show profile' command and you will see that there are some differences.

Yes, the profiles _DO_ matter!! Please rename your connections so that they don't get dropped and please, please _DO_ assign the correct profile!! It is really, really important that the correct profile is set!!

I have heard a story from a big AlphaServer GS160 with SAP/R3 that has crashed because the correct profile on the storage system was not set - it was not an MSA1000, but you can run into problems, too.