What are the best RAID type for ESXi Virtual Machines in MSA 2062?

[Alexander-v]

Hi All,

Good day!

We recently got a MSA 2062 with 18x 1.9TB SSD. This storage need to connect to both ESXi 7.x Std.

By refering to this best practices HPE MSA 1060/2060/2062 Storage Arrays Best Practices , Page 12 - Table 1 HPE recommended RAID levels, the best options for SSD is RAID5 and MSA-DP+, am I correct?

I never use MSA-DP+ before so not sure this RAID type is best for ESXi server. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

[support_s]

System recommended content:

1. HPE MSA 2062 Storage Array

2. HPE MSA 2062 Storage Array - Overview

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[feigenL]

hello, there's been several thread about similar topics related to MSA and VMware best practices, for example, on this one:

https://community.hpe.com/t5/MSA-Storage/HPE-MSA-Storage-Configuration-and-Best-Practices-for-VMware/td-p/7094468

there's one important comment related to what is the actual use of the VM's, check it out:

Without knowing exactly how you are planning to deploy your VMs it is hard to give you specific answers to configuration. Please bear in mind, my answers will be aimed at a high level and not intended to fit every user using an MSA and VMware.

Tiering is useful for keeping certain data in areas of the pool for faster access. For example, you may be creating VMs for virtual desktops for your work force. If these are being created new each day, you will end up having a high read workload as those VMs are loaded. In this instance, the READ cache can help boost your performance. However, you may also want to create VMs and then every day take a snapshot of the VM. That snapshot would not be used often so would tend to end up as a "cold" page. Meaning the level of access is low or cold and so would be moved down to an Archive tier. This would free up your higher tier to handle requests for your VMs.

What you need to consider when looking at whether tiering is going to give you any benefits is what your environment will be used for. If you are just creating VMs with datastores that will be frequently accessed then the Read Cache will help your performance but tiering may not offer that much of a benefit. You will get a benefit from tiering if some of your storage is going to be used for data that is infrquently accessed but not on a backup level.

Hopefully this make sense and answers your query. 

Also, I think this guy nailed it just fine:

https://satuparagraf.com/hpe-msa-best-practices-for-vsphere-setup-and-installation/

For vSphere virtualized server environments, HPE recommends to setup and configure your HPE MSA Storage Array in the following manner.

1. For the base dual controller HPE MSA 2042 or HPE MSA 2052 enclosure, install the same capacity SAS drives in all but the first and last slots.

2. Install SSD drives in any slots of the enclosure.

3. Create two Storage Pools (A and B).

4. Create a performance RAID 6, Virtual Disk Group with 10 disk drives for each pool.

a. Pool A—dgA01 disks 1.2—1.11

b. Pool B—dgB01 disks 1.14—1.23

5. Create a Read Cache Disk Group for each pool.

a. Pool A—rcA1 disk 1.1

b. Pool B—rcB1 disks 1.24

6. Leave 1 disk per RAID Virtual Disk Group as a Dynamic Spare.

a. Disk 1.12 Spare b. Disk 1.13 Spare

7. Create a single Virtual Volume for each pool.

a. Pool A—Vol0001

b. Pool B—Vol0002

8. Map both volumes to the hosts in your vSphere cluster.

Hope this helps.

[sbhat09]

Hello @Alexander-v,

MSA DP+ is the best option even for SSD/ESXi. Hope you will find this video useful to know more about the new DP+ RAID.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wOn1LUv-bk

Regards,
Srinivas Bhat

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[Alexander-v]

Thank you FeigenL. Yes I have read this before. This best practices apply to SSD read cache with SAS. I am try to look for a best RAID type for all-flash.

[Cali · Accepted solution]

Hi Alex,

as  sbhat09 says, put them in one Pool and use the new DP+, it is the new and best Raid option, if you have more than 11 (same) Disks. All other is legacy.
Even for rebuild and later possible expansion.

Cali

[Alexander-v]

Hi Cali,

Yes. agree. MSA-DP+ ready suite for all-flash. which also menitoned in the HPE MSA best practices documents.

But in best practices doc also mentioned that we need to utilise both both Controller A and B to meet the best performance. Whch mean we need to split existing 18 SSDs for both controllers. As MSA-DP+ minimum number of disk is 12 for Pool A, the remaining 6 SSDs put into Pool B for raid 5/6?

Also, according to the performance figures in https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=a00106492en_us, MSA-DP vs R5 vs R6 for SSD didnt shows much different. So what is the benifits of having DP+?

Thank you

[Cali]

Hi,

the MSA 2060 is able to hold 240 SSD Drives, so with 18, you are 1/13 populated.
Also, one Controller can deliver up to 80-150.000 IOPS.

You do not talk about your ESX Server (Connection, Type, how many?), but I think, that they are unable to saturate one Controller.
Check your IOPS today (In vCenter) and decide yourself, if you need two Pools (need more than 150.000 IOPS?).

If not, take the advantage of the new DP+, with:
•Higher performance
•Higher availability
•Integrated sparing, and no inactive drives
•Flexible drive layout and expansion from 12 to 128 disks
•Support for different drive capacities within a disk group
•Super-fast rebuilds

Cali