[Info-vax] SmartArray 5300A question

[Jan-Erik Soderholm]

Rich Jordan wrote 2011-08-13 01:13:
> We've got a site looking to add some hardware backup to an existing
> Alpha setup due to some recent downtime when their 10 year old system
> disk failed with no warning; they're not willing to go to Itanium or
> get cluster/shadow licenses, just hardware to backstop their aging
> system until a probable eventual transition to 'something newer' (I
> know...).
>
> DS10 600MHz, internal storage, VMS V7.3-2, somewhat down-rev on ECOs;
> we can get them up to current ECOs, but not upgrade to V8.3 or newer
> at this point.
>
> What they want is to replace internal with external storage (except
> maybe the tape drive), and purchase a second DS10 with identical
> hardware specs to sit 'on the shelf'.  If storage fails, its replaced
> (with spare disks).  If a DS10 or internal component failure occurs,
> they shut down, pull the second DS10 from storage, plug it up and go.
>
> We'd prefer to get storage redundancy with that external storage,
> which with the unavailability of shadowing means a hardware RAID
> controller like the Smartarray series.  I've used one before but it
> has been many years and I'm just starting to regather the docs.  I've
> already been told 'no' to considering fiberchannel and an MSA setup.
>
> If we get two Alphas with Smartarray controllers and a Compaq
> universal shelf, and set up the drive config we want (which will be
> two spindles presented to VMS, at the very least two 2-drive
> mirrorsets, at most that plus a couple of hot spare disks) on one
> alpha, can that shelf be plugged into the second alpha (first alpha
> down/disconnected) and just 'boot and go'?  Is the configuration
> information all stored on the attached disks?  Or does the controller
> itself retain information?
>
> Note that this is not concurrent access; only one alpha would be
> connected to the shelf at a time.
>
> The fun part in testing will be the lack of 'identical' test systems;
> we'll have the backup DS10 and a DS10L  (joy).  But I suppose if it
> works with them, it will work with the real DS10s.
>
> I'm not a fan of ACU-XE and the associated software; it caused us tons
> of grief in 2006 when we last used it, but the conditions here are
> unique and kind of tight.
>
> Thanks

How much is an shadowing license for a DS10 ?

Seems as the far easiest solution together with a plain SCSI shelf
with enought places to shadow the disks. I have one of those
14-places shelfs together with a XP900 (more or less as DS10) and
shadowing. Very easy to manage and all storage related task are
easily accessable remotely just as the rest of the system (only HBVS).

Jan-Erik.