iscsi server quandary - supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8

P

Plo0P

n00b
Joined
Jul 13, 2004
Messages
13
hi everyone. i'm running up against a brick wall with a home-build iscsi server i'm trying to get working. i've got a rack of esxi 3.5 servers that i need to connect to an iscsi storage unit for virtual machine use.

hardware specs (pulling from memory while i'm at work):

phenom qc, gigabyte motherboard
8g ram
2x supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 pci-express 4x sata controllers (marvell 6480 chipset)
norco 20-bay 4u chassis
8x hitatchi 500g sata drives (need raid-5)
2x 1.5 seagate drives for smb shares (need raid-1)
2x 320 gig drives for boot (need raid-1)

i cannot get openfiler to see the drives attached to the supermicro controllers, but it sees the controllers themselves. windows server 2003 doesn't do an iscsi server without paying for an iscsi server software package (but the performance on just the raid-5 array i build was astronomical hehe)...

i'd like to use openfiler, but am i misconfiguring it? has anyone gotten this to work successfully with these controllers?

if this doesn't work yet, does ubuntu 9.04 natively support this controller? i need this to work ASAP as i've got failing hard drives in some of the machines and a business to continue to grow. i'm open to any OS as long as it works. i've been been looking into opensolaris - but only if it works! has anyone out there gotten this combo to work?

any help you guys could give is very much appreciated. i've got no one to talk to or ask about this where i live and work...
 
OpenFiler's iSCSI is based on IET which is hopelessly out of date. For modern free iSCSI storage, you have these choices:

1. Install Fedora or Ubuntu. Build the custom LIO-Target kernel. Setup LVM and export iSCSI and CIFS.

2. Install OpenSolaris. Set up ZFS. Export iSCSI. and CIFS.

3. Starwind Free on Windows.
 
4. FreeNAS

Your best option will be the starwind free on windows or compile it yourself in Linux....but that just sounds like more work than nesecary.

The SASLP-MV8 does not support freebsd or Solaris....its one of the two and I cant remember
 
Do you guys think FreeNAS would handle the controller hardware and do decent performance with iscsi? Should Ubuntu be able to see those drives on the same hardware?
 
As I have stated elsewhere, DO NOT USE THE SASLP-MV8 RAID EVER. It is software RAID, and extremely slow. Your configuration WILL NOT WORK.

Your configuration cannot be used for FreeNAS or OpenFiler because you failed to read the hardware compatibility list. You will need to start over from scratch.

The end.
 
AreEss said:
As I have stated elsewhere, DO NOT USE THE SASLP-MV8 RAID EVER. It is software RAID, and extremely slow. Your configuration WILL NOT WORK.

Your configuration cannot be used for FreeNAS or OpenFiler because you failed to read the hardware compatibility list. You will need to start over from scratch.

The end.
Click to expand...

The Marvell driver in later Linux kernels supports the 6480. Linux software raid is stable and fast. Openfiler has a late enough kernel for it to work, but the iSCSI support isn't that great. Fedora or Ubuntu or whatever with the LIO-target kernel (2.6.30) will support his card, software RAID, and allow him to serve iSCSI.

Yeah, this isn't really a production solution, but for home use, it'll work perfectly fine.
 
I'll give Ubuntu 9.04 server a try tonight! I appreciate the suggestions guys.
 
lizardking009 said:
The Marvell driver in later Linux kernels supports the 6480. Linux software raid is stable and fast. Openfiler has a late enough kernel for it to work, but the iSCSI support isn't that great. Fedora or Ubuntu or whatever with the LIO-target kernel (2.6.30) will support his card, software RAID, and allow him to serve iSCSI.

Yeah, this isn't really a production solution, but for home use, it'll work perfectly fine.
Click to expand...

No. The specific chips on those cards are not supported, much less properly supported. The Marvell software RAID is a steaming pile of crap at it's best, and slower than shit. Sub 50MB/s if you're lucky. And you want to run VMWare on that? No. I don't care if it's not production. It's too damn slow and too damn unsupported.

If he wants something that works, Areca or LSI. Both are fully supported by FreeNAS with zero issues. The end.
 
Shit man - chill out. Got a link to a controller by either of those two that will do 8 sata drives that's reasonably priced? I'll see if i can buy a pair soon.
 
AreEss said:
No. The specific chips on those cards are not supported, much less properly supported. The Marvell software RAID is a steaming pile of crap at it's best, and slower than shit. Sub 50MB/s if you're lucky. And you want to run VMWare on that? No. I don't care if it's not production. It's too damn slow and too damn unsupported.

If he wants something that works, Areca or LSI. Both are fully supported by FreeNAS with zero issues. The end.
Click to expand...

http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.25

commit 0b977608e6c8ba2d40445999bbcac8b411bf3f6a
Author: Ke Wei <[email protected]>
Date: Thu Mar 27 14:55:41 2008 +0800

[SCSI] mvsas: check subsystem id

add support for mv6480 chip which subsystem id is 6480 in spite of device id is 6440.

Signed-off-by: Ke Wei <[email protected]>
Signed-off-by: James Bottomley <[email protected]>
Click to expand...

Looks like it is in there, but I haven't tried it.

I wouldn't touch Marvell SW RAID either, but Linux Software RAID is fine. As far as ESX "supported", a lot of businesses can't afford it so a home user best not worry about it at all.

If the OP didn't already have his hardware bought, I'd suggest LSI or Areca, too.
 
Plo0P said:
Shit man - chill out. Got a link to a controller by either of those two that will do 8 sata drives that's reasonably priced? I'll see if i can buy a pair soon.
Click to expand...

Areca 16 port: http://www.provantage.com/areca-technology-arc-1680ix-16~7AREC012.htm
Areca 8 port: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816151039

2 8 ports cost more than 1 16 port, but having 2 separate IOPs might be worth it for you.

LSI 8 port: http://www.provantage.com/lsi-logic-lsi00158~7LSIG06R.htm

More or less like a Dell PERC 6/i which is a decent, stable performer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top