I am attempting to install my 3rd cluster into an ip5000 iscsi SAN and
I am encountering some very odd behaviour. I have finally concluded
after about 25 hours of testing that there is an issue with the SQL2k
install handling disk volumes of, in this instance, 160GB. I initially
thought this to be a Intransa or Alacritech TOE card problem. However
SQL will happily install with all these components active. I am able
to install SQL to a 40GB iscsi disk, but the install fails on a 160 GB
disk.

BTW the server is a DL585

Thoughts appreciated,
DY

I don't know anything about the particular iSCSI SAN. But I don't remember
having any problem with SQL2000 handling 160GB or bigger volume. We have
many 200GB volumes. If the problem indeed has something to do with the
volume size, it could be someting else other than SQL2000 that's having that
problem.

Linchi

"The Lorax" <lorax (AT) nospam (DOT) nospam> wrote

Thanks. I have another server installed without any issues of 160 GB
on another SAN. I think there may be a problem with the iscsi driver
and the ip san. However it would be good to know what sql does when it
is preparing to install. I am hoping someone at MS might take a look
at this.

DY


On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 01:33:59 -0500, "Linchi Shea"
<linchi_shea (AT) NOSPAM (DOT) ml.com> wrote:

Hi

I installed on a 2.4TB volume yesterday. Make sure that your volume is a
basic disk and not a dynamic disk.

Regards
--------------------------------
Mike Epprecht, Microsoft SQL Server MVP
Zurich, Switzerland

IM: mike (AT) epprecht (DOT) net

MVP Program: http://www.microsoft.com/mvp

Blog: http://www.msmvps.com/epprecht/

"The Lorax" <lorax (AT) nospam (DOT) nospam> wrote

You obviously did read my last response. If my disk wasn't basic I
wouldn't waste my time posting in the clustering forum. I am hedging
my bets that this is an iscsi problem to ipsan problem.

DY

On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 22:49:32 +0100, "Mike Epprecht \(SQL MVP\)"
<mike (AT) epprecht (DOT) net> wrote:

I would agree that this does sound like a iSCSI problem, please verify your
iSCSI meets the support requirements per KB 833770 Support for SQL Server
2000 on iSCSI technology components
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=833770, and I would contact your iSCSI
vender. Some vendors have specific formatting requirements for the drives.

Dave Whitney
SQL Support

Mike, you talking about a single 2.4TB volume??? That's brave!

Linchi

"Mike Epprecht (SQL MVP)" <mike (AT) epprecht (DOT) net> wrote

Yes, have a EMC that is tuned to perfection and it gives us the best IO
utilization to do it this way. 4 Fiber cards, load balanced. SRDF is the key
issue. We need it as one volume so that EMC ensures that the data is on the
SRDF'd site. Multiple volumes does cause synchronization issues between each
other and you are never guaranteed to have everything there as a point in
time.

Regards
--------------------------------
Mike Epprecht, Microsoft SQL Server MVP
Zurich, Switzerland

IM: mike (AT) epprecht (DOT) net

MVP Program: http://www.microsoft.com/mvp

Blog: http://www.msmvps.com/epprecht/

"Linchi Shea" <linchi_shea (AT) NOSPAM (DOT) ml.com> wrote