Comments on: Gene’s question http://opensystemsguy.wordpress.com/2007/11/21/genes-question/ Questions, Answers, Opinions, and Information Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:08:03 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Tony Pearson http://opensystemsguy.wordpress.com/2007/11/21/genes-question/#comment-252 Tony Pearson Fri, 23 Nov 2007 20:20:49 +0000 http://opensystemsguy.wordpress.com/2007/11/21/genes-question/#comment-252 A multipath driver is needed if you have multiple paths to the same LUN. This can happen even in single-port FBAs if they are connected to a switch, which in turn has two or more cables to the disk array. If you are going to access two disk arrays from a single port HBA, then you will need a switch, and you might as well have two cables from the switch to each disk array for load balance, and that is where a multipath driver comes in. A multipath driver is needed if you have multiple paths to the same LUN. This can happen even in single-port FBAs if they are connected to a switch, which in turn has two or more cables to the disk array. If you are going to access two disk arrays from a single port HBA, then you will need a switch, and you might as well have two cables from the switch to each disk array for load balance, and that is where a multipath driver comes in.

]]> By: Open Systems Guy http://opensystemsguy.wordpress.com/2007/11/21/genes-question/#comment-238 Open Systems Guy Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:51:58 +0000 http://opensystemsguy.wordpress.com/2007/11/21/genes-question/#comment-238 Great! Thanks for the help :) Great! Thanks for the help :)

]]> By: Damion http://opensystemsguy.wordpress.com/2007/11/21/genes-question/#comment-233 Damion Thu, 22 Nov 2007 05:53:19 +0000 http://opensystemsguy.wordpress.com/2007/11/21/genes-question/#comment-233 I'm a storage admin for a medium size company with multipel sites around the CONUS, and we have around 60TB at our main facility with a couple TB at each site. We have HDS USP, HDS AMS, IBM DS4300 (FasT600), EMC CX400, NetApp, and muliple Cisco MDS fabrics. I've never run into a situation where a HBA needed anything extra with open systems to see multiple storage systems. Most of our systems are not less than four years old and on multipathed systems we use HDLM (HDS) and RDAC (IBM) software. We use Qlogic and Emulex HBAs, and I've attached multiple disks from multiple storage systems witout issues. Just make sure that your HBA driver version is supported on all subsystems! I’m a storage admin for a medium size company with multipel sites around the CONUS, and we have around 60TB at our main facility with a couple TB at each site. We have HDS USP, HDS AMS, IBM DS4300 (FasT600), EMC CX400, NetApp, and muliple Cisco MDS fabrics.

I’ve never run into a situation where a HBA needed anything extra with open systems to see multiple storage systems. Most of our systems are not less than four years old and on multipathed systems we use HDLM (HDS) and RDAC (IBM) software. We use Qlogic and Emulex HBAs, and I’ve attached multiple disks from multiple storage systems witout issues.

Just make sure that your HBA driver version is supported on all subsystems!

]]>