RE: Storage strategies

Pete,

As far as the i5 and iSCSI.

Yes, the i5 can be a iSCSI target for a IBM xSeries or IBM Bladecenter, but not any other brand of PC.
Basically, iSCSI has replaced the HSL connection to an Integrated xSeries Adapter card in an xSeries.

Another component to consider: Vmware.

As of today according to this story, http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh082707-story03.html you should be
able to run Vmware ESX Server 3.0.1 on an xSeries or Blade Center attached to the i5 via iSCSI.

I'd strongly consider using the i5 as an iSCSI disk array for critical x86 servers and those with tied
tightly to the i5 data with minimal disk requirements. For example, at a prior employer, I had an IxA
attached Web/App server running an Extranet site. Since we were providing real time access to the
iSeries data, the xSeries was useless without the i5. Having them together simplified backup/recovery
and management.

Not sure it makes the same sense to use i5 disk for applications like email and file serving with
significant data requirements. Simply because of the extra cost of i5 disk. Then again, the
simplified backup/recovery/management may be worth it to you.

HTH,
Charles

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Pete Helgren
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 1:16 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Storage strategies

John mentioned in the RAID Cache Battery Source thread about
NAS and iSCSI and the System i. I am facing some decisions
about storage and server consolidation in the near future
(maybe 6 months or so) and I am trying to plot a strategy
that will try to kill as many birds with one stone as possible.

I want to lead with the storage first because that is where I
have the most pain. I have 2TB of RAID 5 storage scattered
over 3 or 4 Wintel/Linux servers, plus 220 Gb of storage on
System i / iSeries (520 and 270). We have been adding disks
to each of the servers over time and have had to swap tape
drives for some with greater capacity over time and I am
frankly getting tired of individual system upgrades. We need
to consolidate and rationalize the approach.

I know enough about SAN, NAS and iSCSI to be dangerous so
what I am working with is purely conceptual. I have no
experience (yet) with this stuff.

What I envision is an iSCSI storage system to start. I have
one server that I am just about to replace (rack mounted),
and I could use iSCSI as the storage solution for it. What
I'd like to do is continue to add drives to the iSCSI storage
device as I retire each server. Some servers will be
virtualized and some will be metal to metal replacements but
in all cases I would rather add disks to the iSCSI device and
then use iSCSI interfaces in each server rather than add
disks to the servers. I may even look at a blade server
rather than rack mount servers because of the inevitability
of a System i blade offering.

Does this approach make sense, particularly with a System i
in the mix?
And, that System i is due for replacement late next
summer/early fall (I know the dear old 270 won't be able to
play) I recall reading that the System i can be an iSCSI
target but not an initiator (true?). The whole approach is to
have a single storage device where the disks are virtualized
for use by the servers (both metal and virtualized). Then a
single tape backup strategy and a single blade center hosting
the servers. That gets me back to a simplified
hardware/storage/backup strategy.

Where are the gotcha's if this is feasible?

Pete

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