Configuration and Implementation of EMC VNX Storage

Many customers have questions about how to determine the best storage configuration or implementation of an EMC VNX system, including:
              • Is it best to use pools or RAID groups?
              • Is Thin Provisioning adequate based on my environment?
              • Which RAID should I use: RAID 0, RAID 5, RAID 10?
              • Should I divide or mix the I/O?
              • How many ports are recommended by the host?
Additional questions can arise when a customer prepares to implement new EMC storage, such as VNX.

While new VNX storage can present a great challenge for implementers and solution architects, “adequate” configuration, based on recommendations and practical ideas coming from field experience, are a great help in obtaining the best results and use of the customer’s storage. In this Knowledge Sharing article, Octavio Guerra provides those implementing VNX with rules, ideas, and recommendations about which could be the “adequate” configuration in a new VNX, taking into consideration three things:

1. Performance

Taking information from the customer about applications that will resi¬de in the VNX and some clues about the I/O is a good starting point in order to define the best approach to configure pools/RAID groups, type of RAID, and even port distribution for the hosts.
2. Availability

Considerations about how data could be affected in an emergency over the VNX—critical data vs. RAID type vs. quantity of disks vs. pool—are good points to consider before configuring the VNX storage.
3. Distribution

Recommendations on how to distribute the disks in the VNX stor¬age, based on quantity of buses, DAEs, and so on are important to know before con¬figuring new VNX storage.

In addition, one should consider the amount of space reserved when EMC MirrorView or SnapView operations are involved in the configuration.

Read the full article.