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Would it be possible to combine a Dell MD SAN with a HP MSA60 DSA, or am I forced to use it with other HP StorageWorks products?

The MSA60 spec reads: Storage expansion: Supports 1+3 cascading off single x4 SAS port Host interface: 3 Gb/sec SAS

3molo
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2 Answers2

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The HP MSA60 and MSA70 both present themselves as a simple SAS Expander with drives. I've been told by HP and it's reps that they're only compatible with HPs other MSA and P-Series HBAs. However I've heard other people claim they work fine with other hardware. YMMV. Using them with a Dell unit wouldn't be supported by either company (that support is a large chunk of the cost too).

Chris S
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  • Do you think it would be compatible with a P2000 G3 FC/iSCSI MSA? – 3molo Oct 19 '10 at 19:30
  • Both the MSA60 and MSA70 should work with the P2000 series controllers, but with degraded performance and features compared to the P2000 Enclosures. The MSA60 does not support dual domain (redundant uplinks) nor almost any of the enclosure management functions. At work we have a P2312i (P2000 G3 w/ Quad 1Gb iSCSI) connected to a MSA70/DD. I know for new installations HP does not recommend using either. If you're buying everything new, I would recommend going all P2000, or using Dell's equivalent. – Chris S Oct 19 '10 at 22:29
  • Thanks for your help Chris. We're not buying everything new, we have two MSA60 we would like to use. – 3molo Oct 20 '10 at 04:57
  • The MSA60 itself do support dual domain, but not in conjunction with the P2000 series? – 3molo Oct 20 '10 at 05:28
  • I can't see any reason the MSA60 wouldn't work with the P2000 series. It still wouldn't be a "supported" configuration (but that would only be an issue if they don't talk to each other). You might want to call your sales rep and arrange a trial unit; they'll usually let you try one for a month if you're a serious buyer. – Chris S Oct 20 '10 at 12:45
  • Chris, I had one of the major HP agents for a meeting yesterday, and I asked one of their specialists in storage about degraded performance, only single domain etc when combining the P2000 with a MSA60. He didn't know what you meant, and said there's no degrade of performance nor will the dual domain msa60 be single domain when connected to the P2000. Perhaps I didn't understand you correctly, could you please elaborate? – 3molo Oct 27 '10 at 05:30
  • My apologies, what I wrote before is a bit confusing. I meant that in terms of logging, reporting, and systems management. Not the performance of disk IO. The MSA70 shows up as little more than an attached JBOD whereas the P2000 shelves show many more details of what is attached, firmware (including upgrades), port configurations, etc. I'm not an HP insider, so I don't know all the intimate details; just what their official lines and some experiences. Also, when I wrote that comment I was unaware that the MSA60 support dual domain (I could swear someone told me it didn't). – Chris S Oct 27 '10 at 12:49
  • Just wanted to let you know that you were right all the time, my sales rep confirmed that the MSA60 is unsupported - so it does not matter if it's possible to connect it or not - because we will not use unsupported hardware with the P2000. – 3molo Nov 04 '10 at 05:46
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I know the MSA60 well and although it really is just a SAS JBOD I'd say that you'd struggle to get it to work with that Dell box and even if you could it may not be stable and won't be supported in any way, in fact I think doing that would void HP warranty.

Chopper3
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