mattysyr
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Install 2nd RAID 5 on Compaq ML 350
I will be installing 3 more hard drives to a clients server tomorrow. They have a Compaq ML350 with a 641 array controller. They currently have 3 hard drives in a RAID 5 and I will be adding an additional RAID 5 setup.
I have never done this before, can somebody please walk me through this process and any gotchas I may run into.
Thanks for your help.
I have never done this before, can somebody please walk me through this process and any gotchas I may run into.
Thanks for your help.
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Yes, you should be able to see 532 as controller #2, if there's a controller #1.
As mcp_jon mentioned you'd better split those two RAID5s to be one on a single controller. This enhances performance remarkably and it may be the only option on these controllers.
(I don't know if there are controllers providing support for two RAID5 arrays at all.)
Thus you will have to use one SCSI cable for each controller.
As mcp_jon mentioned you'd better split those two RAID5s to be one on a single controller. This enhances performance remarkably and it may be the only option on these controllers.
(I don't know if there are controllers providing support for two RAID5 arrays at all.)
Thus you will have to use one SCSI cable for each controller.
Good luck getting a 5i to work on an ML350, are you going to solder it onto the motherboard?
Funny comment, andyalder...really. ;-) But what about chipping in something constructive if you know more about it?
Thanks
Thanks
Well it depends on which generation of ML350 but there is a duplexing kit that allows the backplane to be split but I think it's split 2/4 rather than 3/3 so adding a second RAID controller isn't an easy option unless they get an external enclosure which in my opinion would be a waste of $3000 so creating a second array on the 532 is the only option. It supports up to 32 logical drives, I'm not sure how many arrays it can handle but I think it's 12; certainly much greater than two so no problem there. The 2/4 split backplane is quite common since people put a mirrored pair in for the OS and use the other bays for data.
I would be more tempted to add the three new drives into the current array if it's just a case of needing more space, then there would be one disk lost out of the six for parity rather than two. Then either create a new logical drive and mounting it as a new drive letter or expanding the current logical volume and either creating a new partition on it or stretching the current one with diskpart.exe or a commercial product like Acronis partition manager. There's also the option of realising the same disk space with 5 disks in RAID 5 and having an online spare.
I don't think two arrays would be faster than a single one, the cache tuning is per logical drive rather than per array so all the cache can be given to one logical drive either way. If there is a performance issue the first thing to do would to replace the controller with one with battery backed write cache or migrate to RAID 0+1 which with three new drives is possible without downtime.
I would be more tempted to add the three new drives into the current array if it's just a case of needing more space, then there would be one disk lost out of the six for parity rather than two. Then either create a new logical drive and mounting it as a new drive letter or expanding the current logical volume and either creating a new partition on it or stretching the current one with diskpart.exe or a commercial product like Acronis partition manager. There's also the option of realising the same disk space with 5 disks in RAID 5 and having an online spare.
I don't think two arrays would be faster than a single one, the cache tuning is per logical drive rather than per array so all the cache can be given to one logical drive either way. If there is a performance issue the first thing to do would to replace the controller with one with battery backed write cache or migrate to RAID 0+1 which with three new drives is possible without downtime.
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Thanks.