1

We have one LeftHand P4000 SAN and want to know if it is possible to set up a VSA and then perform SAN to SAN synchronous replication (built into the P4000). Does the VSA emulate a P4000 enough for this to happen? The VSA is secondary would simply be for disaster recovery.

I know this is a longshot, but just thought I'd ask, just in case.

jftuga
  • 5,731
  • 4
  • 42
  • 51
  • 1
    Do you _really_ have a requirement for synchronous replication when you don''t have a resilient SAN in the first place? You do realise that synch rep will impact the performance of your production environment? – Helvick Dec 17 '10 at 09:09

2 Answers2

3

I would NOT recommend using synchro replication between a P4000 and VSA. Here's why: all of your transactions would need to be committed on the distant end (the VSA) before the transactions complete. This means that your hardware SAN could only go as fast as the VSA, which typically takes a performance penalty due to VM overhead. This becomes especially apparent when you're using speed tricks like jumbo frames and MPIO.

This is not to say that you can't use VSA as a DR solution, I would just recommend that you do async rep or remote snaps instead.

newmanth
  • 3,943
  • 4
  • 26
  • 47
1

Yes, it works. Specifically, 

Enables a DR solution for remote or branch offices that do not have budget, space, or power for a traditional SAN.

Please see the product page:
http://h18006.www1.hp.com/products/storage/software/vsa/index.html

ewwhite
  • 197,159
  • 92
  • 443
  • 809