Storage Spaces Direct (s2d) wrong BusType with raid controller in HBA mode

Question

i'm planning a s2d cluster with 4 nodes, each connected to 8 disks (2ssd, 6hdd) via a LSI/Avago 3108 controller. The controller is correctly working in HBA mode and the drives are visible through the Get-PhysicalAdapter cmdlet in PS on the server:

PS > Get-PhysicalDisk | ft UniqueId, FriendlyName, BusType, MediaType

UniqueId                         FriendlyName         BusType MediaType
--------                         ------------         ------- ---------
618XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX DELL PERC H730 Mini  RAID    Unspecified  
5000CXXXXXXXXXXX                 ATA ST9500620NS      RAID    HDD
50025XXXXXXXXXXX                 ATA SAMSUNG MZ7KM960 RAID    SSD
5000CXXXXXXXXXXX                 ATA ST9500620NS      RAID    HDD
5000CXXXXXXXXXXX                 ATA ST9500620NS      RAID    HDD
5000CXXXXXXXXXXX                 ATA ST9500620NS      RAID    HDD
5000CXXXXXXXXXXX                 ATA ST9500620NS      RAID    HDD
5000CXXXXXXXXXXX                 ATA ST9500620NS      RAID    HDD
50025XXXXXXXXXXX                 ATA SAMSUNG MZ7KM960 RAID    SSD

my problem is, the bustype is still reported as "RAID" but the controller is in HBA mode.

(the first row (DELL PERC H730 Mini) can be ignored, this is the system disk which is connected to another controller and is configured as a simple RAID1 volume, so RAID is the correct BusType there, but not for all the other drives.)

s2d can't be used with BusType RAID, my question is: can i convince Windows, that this controller IS in fact a SAS HBA?

i already changed the S2DBusTypes to 0x100 to allow these drives being used as S2D devices via PS:

PS > (Get-Cluster).S2DBusTypes=0x100

but accordingly to this article, this feature is for testing purposes only...

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/dn929502%28v=vs.85%29.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396

thanks for any ideas on how to change the bus type...

This means you're out of luck. BusType = RAID is a no-go. Microsoft won't allow you to a) force b) put this into production. P.S. We have the same issue with a FC reported disks. — BaronSamedi1958, Oct 24 '16 at 22:00
too sad. there are no controllers supported by the FX2 hardware from dell that are only HBA-SAS. :( anyway. thanks for your reply... — stylefish, Oct 25 '16 at 13:05
Stick with a SDS solution accepting virtualized and no pass-thru disks. Already mentioned in the thread StarWind and HPE VSA both do the trick. Both are 10+ years old ;) — BaronSamedi1958, Oct 25 '16 at 18:40

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 25 '16 at 07:35

6

I have faced exactly the same issue trying to create a 2-node dedicated S2D storage cluster for one of the branch offices. Bus type RAID is a no go and I had to replace the 3108 controllers with some other HBA which was a mess. So I decided to create a hardware RAID inside each host and use free Starwind VSAN https://www.starwindsoftware.com/starwind-virtual-san-free as a data mover that works on top of hardware RAID and runs natively on windows instead of S2D. A perfect thing for me here was that actually, no datacenter license is needed. Works like a charm.

answered Oct 25 '16 at 07:35

Net Runner

6,169
12
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2

i've also looked at the star wind solution. do you use this in production already? imho the s2d is a better approach because i think software defined storage is the future, not hardware raid ;) but when the scenario is not supported with s2d by ms i think i will give it a try. anyway, thanks for your feedback! :) – stylefish Oct 25 '16 at 13:04
3

Microsoft is doing the same thing here as SimpliVity and StarWind do: LRC are Local Reconstruction Codes so you have local RAID and replication or erasure coding on top. https://www.usenix.org/conference/atc12/technical-sessions/presentation/huang Software Vs Hardware is irrelevant, hardware has battery-protected DRAM cache though. – BaronSamedi1958 Oct 25 '16 at 18:38
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@stylefish We have a couple of their ready-nodes clusters in branch offices running almost a year already. And using the software for a dev-test cluster in HQ. Very happy so far. – Net Runner Oct 26 '16 at 20:10
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Nice! Thanks for your experiences! :) will definitely give it a try, seems like our preferred hardware isn't supported by s2d anyway. – stylefish Oct 26 '16 at 21:22

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 04 '17 at 16:38

0

Try manually installing the "SDS" drivers after setting to JBOD as specified in the readme

JBOD MegaRAID Personility Mode Starting with MR 6.12, there are two MegaRAID Driver binaries that should be used as follows: 1) win_megaraid_drv_rel.zip : this binary zip file should be used for RAID mode 2) win_megasds_drv_rel.zip : this binary zip file should be used for JBOD mode

answered Jul 04 '17 at 16:38

Daniel Conley

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thanks for your answer, unfortunately i cannot verify this, as we have decided to not use hyperv with storage spaces direct but vmware vsan. this setup is now up and running, so i dont have a chance to test this on the hardware... – stylefish Jul 05 '17 at 07:39

score -3 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 24 '16 at 16:57

-3

We recommend using server configurations in the Windows Server Software Defined program.

Dell servers that support Storage Spaces Direct all use the Dell HBA 330 storage controller.

ClausJor (Microsoft)

answered Oct 24 '16 at 16:57

Claus

1

2

Thanks for your response :) we wanted to use the convergent system "FX2s" from dell with the fd332 storage and fc630 servers, because we thougt it would be a perfect fit for s2d. unfortunately dell does not offer the 330er controller for this solution, so it would be really nice to use "hybrid" controllers with s2d or rather tell windows that i'm sure the controller works in HBA mode. is something in that direction planned? (FX2: http://www.dell.com/us/p/poweredge-fx-chassis/pd) – stylefish Oct 25 '16 at 12:55

Storage Spaces Direct (s2d) wrong BusType with raid controller in HBA mode

3 Answers3