I want to add that I don't see this as a Windows (or other OS that runs on a IBM-BIOS HW server) performance problem only as it affects the storage array as well. Unfortunately we have a big installation of Windows server where we haven't used file system alignment. This will cause extra unnecessary SCSI commands in the box effecting (in some way) the rest of the servers that needs to perform it's SCSI IO's (worst case would be 4K unaligned random write). So convince Windows (or Linux) users to do File system alignment. There is also a good Engineering white paper for symmetrix describing the effects, don't recall the name right now./Laban

1. Could you provide the white paper?
2. If we use Veratas volume manager, is the allignment still necessary?

I used the search, selected White Papers, and the string "Symmetrix File system alignment" the top of the list was:
Microsoft Windows File System Alignment: An EMC Best Practice for Microsoft Windows Servers on Symmetrix and CLARiiON

Default installation and configuration of Windows Servers result in misaligned file systems on EMC storage arrays. The misalignment with EMC Symmetrix and CLARiiON internal architectures can impact optimal performance. This white paper describes this issu

Product(s): Symmetrix DMX Series,CLARiiON CX200,CLARiiON CX300,CLARiiON CX400,CLARiiON CX500,CLARiiON CX Series,CLARiiON CX600,CLARiiON CX700,Symmetrix DMX1000,Symmetrix DMX2000,Symmetrix DMX3000,Symmetrix DMX800
Date: 16-MAY-05 Edition:
Version(s): Database:
OS: Windows 2003,Windows 2000 Format: unknown



Is this the one that you want?

Thank you very much. This is the paper I was looking for. I have more questions though, that were not very clear from the documentation:
1. Should the utility be run when we create each and every volume on the system?
2. What I need to create a large volume that spans several disks?
3. What if I use a different volume manager (Veritas Volume manager for example, not native Microsoft), should I use the same utility as well?

Hello, in answer to your questions.

1. Should the utility be run when we create each and every volume on the system?
Please refer to the whitepaper below.
2. What I need to create a large volume that spans several disks?
YES, refer to the whitepaper and Dynamic disks.
http://powerlink.emc.com/km/live1/en_US/Offering_Technical/White_Paper/H1445_Using_Diskpar_Align_Partition_ldv.pdf
3. What if I use a different volume manager (Veritas Volume manager for example, not native Microsoft), should I use the same utility as well?
YES, again refer to the whitepaper above.

Please note: the whitepaper above is for MBR disks. If you need to do the same for GPT disks, refer to this Technical_Document.
http://powerlink.emc.com/km/live1/en_US/Offering_Technical/Technical_Documentation/300-004-075_a01_elccnt_0.pdf

I am sorry but I still do not see how this utility addresses hosts with Veritas Vollume Manager installed. It tells you how Windows native OS deals with it with the use of this utilities and LDM, and it just seems that we are complicating a very simple process by the use of this tool.

In the latest major release of Veritas Storage Foundation¿ for Windows the file system alignment is taken care of "inside" the product. Veritas/symmantec have added a lot of arrays and there correct aliment bounders. So in 5.0 + you don't need to think of this (for Windows anyway, don't know how it is for Linux servers)