[OmniOS-discuss] [smartos-discuss] SuperStorage Server 6047R-E1R36L SAS Question

[Tobias Oetiker]

Hi Keith,

Today Keith Wesolowski wrote:

> On Mon, Nov 11, 2013 at 03:05:00PM +0100, Tobias Oetiker wrote:
>
> > We are looking at purchasing a new box. According to
> > https://github.com/joyent/manufacturing/blob/master/parts-database.ods
> > it seems that Joyent is using
> >
> > Supermicro SuperStorage Server 6047R-E1R36L with 7K3000 (and maybe
> > soon 7K4000) disks.
> > http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/4u/6047/ssg-6047r-e1r36l.cfm
> >
> > We asked our system integrator for an offer on these boxes and he
> > said, that he has several in the field and they wer cool, BUT he
> > has seen problems with the on-board LSI 2308 and the backplane, and
> > that he would recommend installing 5 extra LSI SAS controllers to
> > directly connect each sas disk to a controller port ...
>
> That's not how this system works.  The backplanes have SAS expanders and
> as far as I know there is no way to get an alternate backplane.

they would build the system based on
http://www.supermicro.com/products/chassis/4U/847/SC847A-R1400LP.cfm
then. With the X9DRD-7LN4F-JBOD motherboard and some extra LSI
controller cards.

> The only reason to want to bypass the expanders is if you are using SATA
> devices.  We don't use them in this system, and do not recommend them.

we use one sata ssd for l2arc and two for zil ... you seem to get around
the zil part by using zeus (expensive, is it worth it?). and no
l2arc (reason?).

> We've had no expander-related issues in our SAS systems.  The only
> systems we use SATA devices in are the ones with expanderless 16-bay
> backplanes (Richmond-A/Richmond-C).
>
> Anything more useful will require actual data as to what "problems" have
> supposedly occurred and under what circumstances.  A crash dump, if a
> panic occurred, is essential.  Error messages, anything at all.
> Otherwise this feels a lot like an attempt to sell you 4 extra HBAs and
> a giant unmanageable wad of internal cables.

:) there is no data, and I hope there never will be :-)

> > Is this the reason that joyent lists all the firmware versions and
> > one should make sure to use exactly these versions ?
>
> Yes.  Never deviate from known-to-work firmware revisions unless you
> encounter a bug that is specific to this version and *known* to be fixed
> in a different one.

:-)

thanks!
tobi

-- 
Tobi Oetiker, OETIKER+PARTNER AG, Aarweg 15 CH-4600 Olten, Switzerland
http://it.oetiker.ch tobi at oetiker.ch ++41 62 775 9902 / sb: -9900