Symmetrix V-Max RVA

At a high level, it simply moves the protection down the software stack in Enginuity. So now one mirror position can represent any protection type, and the other mirror positions can also be any like sized device with any protection type.

It's amazing how simple it looks in your words... And how complex it really is in Engenuity

Nice, plain, smooth explanation!

Thank you...

Hmmm.... but I assume that we're still dealing with real parity, real parity-disks etc. Aren't we? And with RAID-1, we still have DMSP? That is, is there still something that "thinks" it's dealing with 2 disks?

Are there any docs that would give me the dirty details on RVA? I'm not asking for any Enginuity-details, but some kind of "principles of operation" of RVA. You see, the "flashier" and prettier something looks (or sounds), the more I'd like to know just how it's working.

Willem Vermeer
ING, the Netherlands.

The actual protection mechanisms haven't changed. Yes we still have RAID1 along with DMSP. We just no longer use the mirror positions to keep track of the protection, it is abstracted from that layer of the code and moved down the stack.

This is taken from the EMC World presentation on the new V-Max features:

A new RAID architecture internal to the Symmetrix system
RAID protection associated with individual mirrors of a device
No longer requires multiple mirror positions for RAID protection
Unchanged supported RAID types
RAID 1, RAID 5 (3+1 & 7+1), RAID 6 (6+2 & 14+2)
Benefits of the RAID Virtual Architecture
No feature support restrictions based on RAID type
All features use a common RAID engine for all RAID types
Enabling feature for Virtual LUN migration
Only requires 1 mirror position on device and opens up the remaining 3 mirror positions for other needs
For replication, migration; for example, concurrent SRDF

I totally agree !
I'd like to see some schematics. like EMC showed us when the Direct MatriX arrived, just now I'd like to see what V-Max looks like. Features like those mentioned below by Quincy56 are also wonderful

Hope the below link can give more inputs.

http://gestaltit.com/featured/top/gestalt/emc-symmetrix-vmax-fast-virtual/

Thanks for the points on Vmax toplogy

Regards