Summary: Mirroring on Storedge 3310

From: wee_khiang TAY (wee_khiang@hotmail.com)
Date: Mon Oct 20 2003 - 01:48:34 EDT


It sounds like you don't need to do RAID0. If all you want is to create a
mirror between disk1 and disk2 you simply create a RAID1 between those two
disks. Do the same, a RAID1, between disk3 and disk4.
In otherwords, don't create a RAID0 at all.

The only way to see if mirroring is set up is through the tip session to the
3310. When you look at the logical disks it will say RAID1 and it will give
a status of OK or something equivalent to let you know that it is working.

Certainly, if you create a file system and mount the logical disk, you can
copy a large stream of data and watch the lights on the disks. You should
see two disks flashing which correspond to the one logical disk.

***************************************************************************

wee_khiang TAY wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Thnks for the prompt reply. i supposed that you are working right now while
>it is night time over here.
>
>from the firmware config, i could see that the 2 logical disks created
>actually makes up of the 2 disks each which are inside the array under
>raid1 and they are status ok.

This to me that the mirror is OK.

>
>
>So you mean i have to do a partition on the 2 new logical disks in format
>command and newfs them >and them mount it, including editing /etc/vfstab so
>it can mount at boot time....perform a big chunk of >data and see the data
>are being transfer to the logical disk.

You do a partition within format if you want to partition. Otherwise you can
simply create a filesystem on the whole logical disk. It depends on the
default partitioning. But you will have to create a file system (newfs) and
then mount to a directory to start using it. You also need to put an entry
in /etc/vfstab if you want this to automatically mount during every reboot.
Once this is done and you're mounting the disk you can copy a good chunk of
data and if you see two sets of LED's blinking, that means the data is being
mirrored across the disks.

>
>
>Scenerio:
>
>Disk 1 and disk 2 => raid1 logical disk status ok
>disk 3 and disk 4 => raid 1 logical disk status ok
>
>There is one thing which i am wondering is, i will actually need to choose
>disk 1 to be a new f/s and > mount it??? Right ????

Yes. You need to partition (if the default partition does not meet your
needs) and then create a file system and mount before you can start using
it.

>
>
>So when data are being moved into disk1, there will be a mirroring done on
>disk2 at a later time >interva automatically since the firmware already
>knows that the logical disk actually has to be tied to disk >1 and disk 2
>and they need to be mirroredl. How do i actually see that there is data in
>disk2 which holds >the exact mirror from disk 1?

First off, you can look at the LED's for both disk1 and disk2 while you are
copying the data. If both disk's LED's are blinking the data is being pushed
to both at the same time.

You won't be able to physically view the data on disk2 since, to the system,
it only sees a logical disk. The 3310 only presents logical disks to the
system and thus the system does not even know of the existence of the
underlying phyiscal disks. Everything is handled via the 3310 RAID
controller.

The only thing I can suggest so that you can confirm the data is being
mirrored would be to copy data to the logical disk mirror. After the copy is
done pull out disk1. If you can still see the data that would confirm that
the data is being mirrored to disk2. The 3310 would detect that disk1 has
failed (if you pulled it out) and all data would be seen from disk2 instead.
The system still does not know that there is a disk2 - It keeps seeing the
logical disk.

>
>
>Is there a command line thing to see that disk 2 is mirrored already ?

You can run, if you installed it, the sccli command. This command is part of
the CD software that came with your 3310. You can run the sccli command to
query the 3310 for its logical disks, as well as physical disks, etc. Look
at the man page for sccli, once it is installed, to see all the functions
that you have with it. Not real sure that this command shows you status of
mirrors. The status of the mirror is something you look at while connected
(tip) to the 3310 and using the menu picks look at the logical disks. I see
you already did this, above, and the status of OK means that the mirror is
OK and ready to be used.

>
>
>This goes the same for creating a new f/s for disk 3 and mirroring on disk
>4.....

Yes.

>
>
>Hope this is not confusing to you.... coz i am stuck at this stage right
>now.

No problem. I understand what you are concerned with. Again, if the 3310 tip
session shows OK for the logical disk using RAID1 than you are set and ready
to start using the logical disk. You just need to create a file system,
possibly partition it and mount it.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

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