10.5 HP StoreVirtual Storage VSA Installation and Configuration Guide (TA688-96138, March 2013)

network adapters. Platforms that will host VSAs and other virtual machines should have four ethernet
(minimum 1 GB) network adapters so that two adapters can be dedicated to the VSA and iSCSI
traffic.
Virtual network design
The virtual switch or virtual network that is used for VSA should be at least a redundant Gigabit
network, if possible. Performance and reliability can be improved even further by using more than
two ethernet adapters in the iSCSI and VSA virtual networks or by using 10 GB for increased
performance.
Using VSAs with HP StoreVirtual Storage
VSAs and physical platforms can be mixed in management groups. When mixing virtual and
physical platforms, and mixing differently configured VSAs, you should take the following
requirements and guidelines into consideration.
• Cloning VSAs
To clone a VSA, you must do so while the VSA is still in the Available Systems pool, before
you add it to a management group. Cloning a VSA after it is in a management group is not
supported.
NOTE: Configure the first VSA for RAID and Networking. Then create your clone with the
hardware settings already configured.
• Running managers on physical platforms
When possible, locate all managers in a management group on physical platforms instead
of VSAs, and ideally on the fastest platforms in the management group. While VSAs can run
managers, physical platforms provide better performance and a lower likelihood that they
will be rebooted for administrative reasons.
• Locating VSAs that are running managers on separate physical platforms
If VSAs are running managers, ensure that those VSAs reside on separate physical platforms.
Otherwise, rebooting a single physical platform could cause a loss of quorum in the
management group.
• Managing the performance impact of mixing platforms in clusters
Mixing VSAs built from different hardware in the same cluster also yields unpredictable
performance. Typically the overall performance of the cluster is close to the aggregate average
of the storage systems in the cluster.
Additionally, you may perceive performance degradation if a faster VSA fails, thereby causing
volumes to fail over to a slower VSA. Such performance degradation is normal in a mixed
cluster.
• Managing the storage capacity of mixing platforms in clusters
While clusters can contain storage systems with different capacities, all storage systems in a
cluster operate at a capacity equal to that of the smallest-capacity storage system. The additional
capacity on the VSA will operate according the same rules for physical storage systems in a
cluster; that is, the VSA will operate at a capacity equal to that of the smallest capacity VSA
in the cluster. See “Clusters and storage systems” in the HP StoreVirtual Storage User Guide
for more information.
Adding storage capacity to a VSA
Add storage capacity to a VSA by adding up to 4 additional virtual disks for a total of 5 disks.
Ensure that if you add capacity to a VSA in a cluster, you balance the capacity of all the storage
Virtual network design 23