Using multiple HCAs (IPs) for SDC in windows client?

Question

Hello - Building a high-performance SQL server cluster here. My specific question is - can I assign multiple IP addresses to a single SDC? I have a 5-node ScaleIO setup that's been working fine. In there, I learnt how to configure SDS's and MDM's with multiple IPs. However, the Microsoft Windows box with SQL server on it - the one I installed SDC on - seem to be lacking options to assign multiple IPs. I have 2 Infiniband HCAs, dual port - therefore 4x infiniband - bandwidth on this box to talk to ScaleIO, but so far I can't figure a way to 'team' them. This being Mellanox HCA, the windows' default teaming to assign it a single IP doesn't work, and Mellanox's own teaming is only for failover so it doesn't add the performance - only one port is active at a time, so performance wise it doesn't do anything. Any words of wisdom on how to make all 4 ports work together for performance? (Single windows server, single copy of SDC, 4 IPoIB ports with different IP each, cannot be teamed with Windows NIC teaming. Is there are way I can tell SDC to say, 'communicate with ScaleIO on these 4 interfaces under these 4 IP addresses'? thanks! -Jun

darthlebowski · Answer

Here ya go buddy. ScaleIO Build and Meh Performance, any ideas? | ServeTheHome and ServeThe.Biz Forums LOL :-D

pawelw1 · Answer

Hi Jun,

As Aglidic said, you simply need to configure your ScaleIO to use 4 networks (one network for each card, in most cases NIC-teaming works suboptimal comparing to native ScaleIO load-balancing) - on all your SDS', MDMs and SDCs.

Hope it helps!

Best,

Pawel

Aglidic · Answer

Hello, i never try it but i would say the solution is to put an IP address on each card (different network if possible), present the lun at those 4 adresses and use the windows multipathing

darthlebowski · Answer

100% agree with Aglidic's suggestion as to have each port on a separate network/subnet. Here's the proof to back up his observation. Scroll down to page 15 and it expains everything

https://www.emc.com/collateral/white-papers/h14708-scaleio-networking-best-practices.pdf

Probably should mention that I have worked with Jun for almost 2 years at my previous job and my first post was a smarta** play on recursion (he wrote the blog post in the link). Don't want to look like too much of a punk, lol.

PowerFlex

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