Installing Linux /Storage area network

[Smith, Albert]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: redhat-install-list-bounces at redhat.com 
> [mailto:redhat-install-list-bounces at redhat.com] On Behalf Of 
> Rick Stevens
> Sent: Monday, November 21, 2005 2:27 PM
> To: Getting started with Red Hat Linux
> Subject: RE: Installing Linux /Storage area network
> 
> On Mon, 2005-11-21 at 13:24 -0500, Nair, Murlidharan T wrote:
> > I am trying to setup my server from scratch. I have to 
> install the OS 
> > and set up SAN as database store. I also need to configure 
> it. I have 
> > 4 drives so I am thinking of configuring it as 4 drive 
> -RAID 5 without 
> > the hot-spare. I have never done this before. Do you have 
> any step by 
> > step procedure on how to do this? Thanks ../Murli
> 
> So you wish to install the OS on the normal IDE or SCSI (or 
> SATA) drives in the machine and reserve the SAN for database? 
>  Ok, that's fine.
> 
> As far as the SAN is concerned, I always try to configure 
> things with a hot spare if at all possible.  If you need the 
> space, then a 4-drive
> RAID5 is fine.  If you can add a hot spare later, then that's 
> even better.

Your raid config should be left to your SAN admin. Because some arrays
will do a raid 5 however the throughput is sometimes less then desirable
especially if you are running a database with high read/write activity.
With a raid 5 I would do either a 4+1 or a 8+1 this will divide into
your default stripe set nicely and balance your data across the
spindles.


> Each LUN on the SAN will appear as a SCSI disk (/dev/sda, 
> /dev/sdb, depending on what other stuff you have).  Configure 
> your database to use raw devices or set up partitions on 
> those disks as you see fit.
> 
> Note, however, that multi-LUN setups will have problems as 
> the default kernels from Red Hat only look at the first LUN.  
> Just why they do that is beyond me for an "enterprise" kernel 
> (probing multiple LUNs is pretty innocuous), but that's what 
> they do.  To get around that, you need to rebuild the kernel 
> with "CONFIG_SCSI_MULTI_LUN=y" set and boot that kernel.
> 
> If you can give us details on the system configuration (the 
> number and sizes of IDE, SCSI or SATA drives, SAN host 
> adapter, SAN itself, etc.), we will be able to advise you 
> more completely.  Remember, these are just _suggestions_...we 
> aren't Red Hat employees here.
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> - Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer     rstevens at vitalstream.com -
> - VitalStream, Inc.                       http://www.vitalstream.com -
> -                                                                    -
> -     If you can't beat your computer at chess...try kickboxing!     -
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> 

Albert Smith
Sr. Unix Systems Administrator
HPCSA, RHCT  
Genex Services
440 E. Swedesford Rd.
Wayne, PA 19087
albert.smith at genexservices.com
(610) 964-5154