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1 Designing a Multi-Site SAN
The HP StoreVirtual Multi-Site SAN features enable you to synchronously mirror data between sites
automatically. You create a Multi-Site SAN by configuring equal numbers of storage systems into
sites in the software.
The Multi-Site SAN software enables the following features:
• Multi-Site clusters that can:
Span up to three sites◦
◦ Span multiple subnets
◦ Have multiple VIPs
• Geographical awareness, enabled by designating storage systems as members of a particular
site.
• Synchronously replicated (mirrored) data between sites, based on volume data protection
level.
• Site information that ensures that data is mirrored between sites for high availability and
disaster recovery.
• I/O path preferencing, so that application servers connect to storage systems located in the
same site.
• Failover Manager support for automatic failover/failback in three-site configurations without
requiring a physical storage system in the third site.
• Failover Manager for quorum management if the network connection between the two sites
becomes unavailable. For information about the Failover Manager, see “Using the Failover
Manager” in the HP StoreVirtual Storage User Guide.
• Failure protection through data replication, site design, and quorum managers. Multi-Site SAN
can protect against data center failures (power or network outages or a natural disaster) and
individual storage system failures (power or network outages, a system disaster, or a system
component failure).
Requirements
All sites must have the same number of storage systems. Storage systems must be added to or
removed from Multi-Site clusters in equal numbers.
Designing the network for the Multi-Site SAN
Good network design is a critical part of setting up a Multi-Site SAN that meets your needs. A
good Multi-Site SAN network encompasses the following attributes:
• Reliability
• High availability
• High performance
Best practices for implementing the Multi-Site SAN network
• Plan a single subnet for the Multi-Site SAN.
• Adequate bandwidth—Plan for 50 MB/sec of bandwidth for each storage system in each
site. For instance, if each site contains five storage systems, then you need 250 MB/sec
throughput. In this case, that translates into two Gigabit Ethernet links, or more.
Designing the network for the Multi-Site SAN 5