Re: iSCSI network questions

Let's start with one easy answer: Support is provided for IBM Servers listed on the compatibility list and this support includes many blades in both S and H Blade centers. No Dell (or HP (or ??? )) servers are on that list.

If the lack of support doesn't stop you, it's possible that you might be able to make them work in some fashion. One thing unlikely to work is the powering on and off of the servers when the NWSD is varied on or off respectively. There is a component of IBM i iSCSI support called the Service Processor Manager that doesn't know anything about reaching out to a Dell or HP server and turning it on or off. If you are OK doing that yourself manually then you can proceed.

Next you'll need to have iSCSI initiators that are compatible with the IBM i targets. I don't suspect that this part is all that hard but you are definitely on your own with any issues or needed support at the very least.

Next thing to consider is that part of the concept of this support is that a failed server can be readily replaced with a functioning one. If you have a standby unit and truly know what you're doing it could be a minute or less. That assumes that the new and old server are compatible, if they're not, and when using 'whatever is lying around', it's very likely they are not. That being the case it's unlikely you'll have any redundancy that way.

In short it might work after a fashion, but I'd not waste my time on it except perhaps as a curiosity.

- Larry "DrFranken" Bolhuis.

On 5/11/2012 10:56 AM, Anderson, Kurt wrote:

Hi,

Me again on the iSCSI topic.
I'm working on a proposal to use a Power system to house our network database (currently using MS SQL Server) as well as to run our web servers. In addition, we currently we have three physical web servers, each running TomCat, and I'm thinking we could run those each as instances on the Power system.


1. Are we required to use IBM's blades in an iSCSI network? We have some Dell PowerEdge servers that we'd like to be able to use.

2. When using the i as the main server, it provides the DNS service right?

3. I was asked if IIS would run on Power? I'm guessing not, but maybe there's something like it? Or it could run on one of the blades?

4. We'd be using a box off-site. Is remote backup a possibility? My online searching has failed me. We do have a dedicated line to the off-site location.

This has definitely been a learning experience (for someone who rarely deals with hardware or the network in general). The only reason I got involved is because we had a smattering of hardware failures, and I couldn't help but ask, "What can we get onto the Power system?"

Thanks for any feedback.

Kurt Anderson
Sr. Programmer/Analyst
CustomCall Data Systems