Partition aligning

[roxer]

After looking at the best practices for installing VMware and creating vmfs storage, I find that partition aligning is a must for the best performance out of the storage end. Is there any move to get the ability to align partitions/formating when a VG is created? Also, do you use jfs, xfs or ext3?

Thanks - roxer

[To-M]

Currently there have been some discussions within our R&D about this topic. But nothing is on the time tables as we are solidly booked until Q3 of this year. We use xfs.

[tingshen]

actually how do you align your partition? creating partition based on the multiple of your stripe size?

[jvandenbroek]

Excuse me for hijacking this old thread, hopefully that's allowed, because I'd like to ask the exact same question. I've been reading some blogs like this one: http://lonesysadmin.net/2006/05/20/vmware-io-problems/ and was wondering how Open-E handles this? We are using two RAID5EE 5 disks arrays with a stripe size of 256KB with iSCSI VG's, does Open-E automatically set the starting sector of it's first partition to 128, or will it use the default of 63? AFAIU it could make a huge difference in I/O when partitions are aligned.

Thanks in advance.

Joost.

[To-M]

Sorry for the late reply we use the default one (63), but when we move to 2.6.32 kernel it will
be automatically tuned to (128), ETA on new kernel is in spring of this year.

[tingshen]

so is there any alignment need to be done?

[To-M]

There is no alignment that needs to be done from the DSS V6.

[hblandford]

Sorry for the late reply we use the default one (63), but when we move to 2.6.32 kernel it will
be automatically tuned to (128), ETA on new kernel is in spring of this year.


Can I assume that this isn't out yet? What kernel is used in version 6.0up75.xxxx.5377 2011-05-06 b5377.

Thanks,

Hugh

[Al-S]

The new Kernel will be soon, up75 used a recompiled kernel, but not the latest one.

[hblandford]

The new Kernel will be soon, up75 used a recompiled kernel, but not the latest one.

I was just wondering whether Open-E DSS V6 update ver. 6.00 up80 build 5605 had this new kernel in it?

Thanks

Hugh

[hblandford]

I meant to add that looking at the notes I'm assuming that the answer is no.

[To-M]

Not yet as we are still on 2.6.27.39, new kernel had some issues with a couple of features and we are still working to resolve them and we dont want to release it until all of it is working properly.

[Al-S]

I was just wondering whether Open-E DSS V6 update ver. 6.00 up80 build 5605 had this new kernel in it?

Thanks

Hugh


Release Notes (Up80. build 5605)

NEW:
- Tips on GUI which works as guide (optional)
- I/O errors cause failover action
- Support for booting system via QLOGIC FC HBA H/W initiator

UPDATED:
- Updated lm-sensors to version 3.3.0
- Improved XFS performance and stability also as memory consumption for filesystem consistency check and repair
- Improved performance for volume replication over 10Gb/s Ethernet (updated DRBD to version 8.3.10)
- Updated drivers for Intel's Ethernet cards 10Gb/s (ixgbe - v3.3.9-NAPI)
- Updated drivers for Intel's Ethernet cards 1Gb/s (e1000e - v1.3.10a-NAPI, e1000 - v8.0.30-NAPI)
- Updated driver for LSI RAID controllers (megaraid_sas - v5.30)
- Updated driver for Broadcom NetXtreme Ethernet cards (bnx2 -v2.0.23b, bnx2x - v1.62.1)

FIXED:
- Fixed problems with timeouts for Volume Manager and Snapshots Assignments functions on GUI for 20 snapshots


______________
Alaa Souqi