11.0 HP StoreVirtual Storage VSA Installation and Configuration Guide (TA688-96141, September 2013)

Network adapters
The number of network adapters available in a platform affects your options for configuring virtual
switches. StoreVirtual VSAs that will have a dedicated server platform only need two ethernet
(minimum 1 GbE) network adapters. Platforms that will host StoreVirtual VSAs and other virtual
machines should have at least four ethernet (minimum 1 GbE) network adapters so that two adapters
can be dedicated to the StoreVirtual VSA and iSCSI traffic.
Using StoreVirtual VSAs and HP StoreVirtual 4000 Storage
StoreVirtual VSAs and physical storage systems can be mixed in management groups. When
mixing virtual and physical storage systems, and mixing differently configured StoreVirtual VSAs,
consider the following requirements and guidelines.
• Running managers on physical platforms
When possible, locate all managers in a management group on physical platforms instead
of StoreVirtual VSAs, and ideally on the fastest platforms in the management group. While
StoreVirtual VSAs can run managers, physical platforms provide better performance and a
lower likelihood that they will be rebooted for administration reasons.
• Installing StoreVirtual VSAs that are running managers on separate physical platforms
If StoreVirtual VSAs are running managers, ensure that those StoreVirtual 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 StoreVirtual 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 StoreVirtual VSA fails,
thereby causing volumes to fail over to a slower StoreVirtual 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 StoreVirtual VSA will operate according the same rules for physical storage
systems in a cluster; that is, the StoreVirtual VSA will operate at a capacity equal to that of
the smallest capacity StoreVirtual VSA in the cluster. See “Clusters and storage systems” in
the HP StoreVirtual Storage User Guide for more information.
Planning the clustered storage configuration
When you install the HP StoreVirtual Centralized Management Console, you should plan and
configure the storage system features, such as email alert notification, before you configure the
data storage.
Sample configurations
This section contains descriptions of sample configurations and their uses and benefits.
8 Planning for the HP StoreVirtual VSA