Re: NetApp for i???

[Jim Oberholtzer <midrangel@xxxxxxxxxx>]

The NetApp needs to be at a high enough level (entry model won't do it) 
and you are best off to use Fibre attach rather than iSCSI.
Then IBM i is supported quite nicely.

The other management options available on the NetApp are also available 
then nearly eliminating the need for any servers just for network storage.

In my view a great combination.  Also used a POWER Blade in an S chassis 
blade center.  That worked very well too.

Jim Oberholtzer
CEO/Chief Technical Architect
Agile Technology Architects, LLC


On 4/16/2010 4:18 PM, DrFranken wrote:
> *This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(r) Pro*
> Lukas,
>
> On 4/16/2010 3:09 PM, Lukas Beeler wrote:
>    
> > <snip>   IBM has severely
> > restricted SAN support for the IBM i platform (so that they can
> > continue selling overpriced disks).
> >
> >      
>     This is absolutely false.
>
>     0) Testing. Until they know how a SAN performs and runs under stress
> it will not be supported.
>     1) IBM i now separate from the hardware. This was completed with the
> merger of i and p forming the current POWER Systems product line. IBM i
> does not get revenue from selling disks and as such has no interest in
> 'Selling overpriced disks.'
>     2) Testing. In order to be supported it must be tested.
>     3) IBM i uses different sector sizes than other operating systems. As
> such VIOS must be in play in order to handle this mapping. This does not
> constitute 'Severely Restricting'. Besides that essentially minor
> function, VIOS brings other benefits especially for large shops.
>     4) Testing. In order to understand how the SAN needs to be configured
> to support IBM i it must be tested.
>     5) IBM i does things other operating systems do not such as
> scattering data across all available arms. Thus with IBM i RAID 5 is
> truly RAID 10. This scatter loading combined with it's capability to do
> huge amounts of I/O means that not just any SAN will work well with our
> operating system. Like the complaints I've seen on this list about a two
> drive POWER6 system performing horribly (as I would expect it to) an
> improper SAN solution would do the same.
>     6) Testing. In order to know where a particular SAN fits into the
> bigger picture of IBM i it must be tested.
>
> You may think I jest about testing but this is one of the strong suits
> of IBM i and the hardware on which we run it. I have been told by people
> in Rochester that many additional SANS will work with IBM i. They have
> even mentioned some units they have seen connected and they work.
> However until they complete testing those units are unsupported. They
> have a list of SANs to test and will work down that list as resources
> allow. They will never support all SANs.
>
>    - Larry Bolhuis
>
>
>