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Can I mix different 3.5" SSD drive models for FAST VP?
Hi All,
I have a dilemma.
I've got a VNX5200 array with the following - 3 x 100GB 3.5" FAST VP SSD drives (model: V4-VS6FX-100, part number: 005050112). Per EMC drive support matrix, they can be used for FAST VP ONLY (NOT FOR USE WITH FAST CACHE!!!).
I also have 5 x 100GB 3.5" SSD drives (model: V4-VS6F-100, part number:005050496). Per EMC drive support matrix, they can be used for FAST VP or FAST CACHE.
Plus a bunch of SAS and NLSAS drives, which are not a concern.
With that said, I am thinking that my SSD drive configuration options are:
Option one:
- Configure 3 x V4-VS6FX-100 (the first drives mentioned) for FAST VP - does not make any sense, as the recommended config is R5 4+1. Although I am not 100% certain. What is the minimum amount of SSD drives that is allowed/supported for the extreme performance tier (FAST VP). Can you please comment on this?
- Configure 5 x V4-VS6F-100 for FAST CACHE - makes sense, as the drives can be used for this purpose, and I will have two pairs, plus a hot-spare.
Option two is getting more creative:
- Combine 3 x V4-VS6FX-100 (FAST VP ONLY drives) with 2 x V4-VS6F-100 (FAST VP or FAST CACHE drives) and configure them for FAST VP - makes sense, as I can have a R5 4+1 in the pool for extreme performance, however I do not know if I can mix these different drive models for the same purpose. Can you please comment on this? This is the main concern. I do not feel that it is a good idea though, as I prefer to have homogeneous hardware in my configurations to avoid any potential incompatibility issues. And I cannot find any info on the EMC support site if I can or cannot do it.
- Configure 3 remaining V4-VS6F-100 drives for FAST CACHE - makes sense, as the drives can be used for this purpose, and I will have one pair, plus a hot-spare.
Option three:
- Purchase two more V4-VS6FX-100 drives (these are the ones that can be used for FAST VP ONLY). Configure 5 of them for FAST VP.
- Configure 5 x V4-VS6F-100 for FAST CACHE - makes sense, as the drives can be used for this purpose, and I will have two pairs, plus a hot-spare.
Any input is appreciated.
brettesinclair
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2 Intern
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715 Posts
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January 8th, 2015 18:00
A couple of points;
Also, If you only have a single Flash Hot Spare, it cannot spare for the different Flash types. (IE eMLC (FX/FastVP drives) cannot spare for SLC (FastCache drives).
Hot spare matrix;
Most of this is documented in https://support.emc.com/docu48786_White-Paper:-VNX-MCx-Multicore-Everything.pdf
From the options you have listed, I would personally lean towards Option 3, with consideration given to getting another V4-VS6FX-100 to be used as a Hot Spare.