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2 Intern
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May 20th, 2013 18:00
DAS / SAN - Which one gives faster access ?
Hi,
We are running File Server on a DELL PowerEdge R900 Server with SAS Disk (3Gbps). Since we are running out of space, we intend to connect the server to an existing EMC CX4-240 SAN. As far as I know, the FC Disk is running at 4Gbps (RAID 5 Configuration).
Does it mean that for a user accesing the SAN will get a better response (though minimual) ?
Your advice is sought.
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Roger_Wu
4 Operator
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4K Posts
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May 20th, 2013 18:00
Usually SAN is better than DAS on scalability, performance (IOPS and bandwidth), data isolation, etc.. But sometimes DAS's I/O latency is less than SAN's because a typical I/O path between the host and the SAN media (or the SAN cache) is significantly longer than a typical I/O path between the host and DAS media (or its cache).
Since you already have an EMC CX4 storage, why don't you use it? I believe CLARiiON's Virtual Provisioning (FLARE R28+) is quite suitable for file server use.
dynamox
9 Legend
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20.4K Posts
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May 20th, 2013 18:00
it's all about spindles and workload profile, properly sized raid group on your CX4 will run circles around your PERC controller.
TonyJK2
2 Intern
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388 Posts
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May 20th, 2013 18:00
There are 2 volumes in the File Server - End User Storage and Applications.
We just discuss which volume should be migrated to SAN.
Thanks again.
Roger_Wu
4 Operator
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May 20th, 2013 18:00
I will vote for both because SAN's availability is higher than DAS's. In order for clients on the network to access the storage device in the DAS model, they must be able to access the server it is connected to. If the server is down or experiencing problems, it will have a direct impact on users' ability to store and access data. However if the volumes (LUNs) are located in a SAN storage, you can simply mount the LUNs to another server.