Re: [Xen-users] Xen + SAN

[Rudi Ahlers <Rudi@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 10:32 PM, Shaun Reitan
<mailinglists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I'm just curious what some of you guys out there are using for remote
> storage with XEN.  We currently are a service provider using xen for our
> customers virtual servers.  Right now each server is deployed with a raid
> controller and 4 disks in a raid 10 configuration.  The raid controller +
> BBU are not cheap and add an extra expense to the server. Not only that but
> disk IO is what causes us to deploy a new host.  For the most part these
> servers end up with a lot of unused Ram, CPU, and Disk Space.  What we are
> considering doing is setting up a SAN, something like a 48 disk raid 10
> array that the hosts can be attached to some how.
>
> I'm curious what some of you guys out there are doing and or using.  Our
> virtual servers right now are PVM's with logical volumes attached.  I've
> been looking at ISCSI but the problem I'm seeing with ISCSI is that the
> disks that are exported to the initiator just pop up as /dev/sd devices and
> there seams to be no simple way to map that device to the guest easily using
> our automation system.  I've also been looking a little into AOE but not
> sure if that would work.  If we did disk based images the solution for the
> most part would be easy, but from what I've read LV's attached to the guest
> perform a lot better than a raw disk image.
>
> Hopefully some of you can pass on your experience!  Thanks!
>
> ~Shaun
>
>
> _______________________________________________


iSCSI and AOE export the storage as raw block devices to the
hypervisors - which basically act the same as local storate (i.e. SATA
/ SAS HDD's in the server) so you then either need to partition the
iSCSI LUN the same way as you do with local drives, or the easier way
is to use LVM  to "slice" it up and then use LVM volumes for the domU
virtual machines


-- 
Kind Regards
Rudi Ahlers
SoftDux

Website: http://www.SoftDux.com
Technical Blog: http://Blog.SoftDux.com
Office: 087 805 9573
Cell: 082 554 7532

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