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I'm going to upgrade our backup server and I'd like to confirm that the following specs won't choke after the purchase. It'd be great if you could tell me your opinion

Our current setup is:

  • HP ProLiant DL380 G6
  • HP MSL 2024 LTO4 tape library (1 drive), plugged via SCSI

I'm going to upgrade to an HP MSL 2024 LTO6 (also 1 drive) via SAS. The DL380 G6 doesn't have external SAS ports, so I'll have to get an SAS HBA. What I have in mind is:

  • The same HP ProLiant DL380 G6
  • Add an HP H221 HBA (the PCIe 2.0 version, since the DL380 G6 doesn't have PCIe 3.0)
  • HP MSL 2024 LTO6 1 drive, SAS
  • A single SFF8088 cable between the HBA and the tape library

Do you see any problem with this setup? Is there anyone else using the same (or similar) configuration? I've also looked at the SC08e HBA, but I think it's overkill for what I need to do.

Thanks in advance,

Javi

ewwhite
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JaviLM
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2 Answers2

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It may well work but the H221 is only supported in Gen 8 servers.

That said the SmartArray P411 controller IS supported by the DL380 G6 AND supports the MSL2024 with LT0-6. You'd be able to use the same cable too.

Chopper3
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Your setup is fine. I'd pay close attention to that DL380 G6. Mine have all developed system board or riser card issues after 4 years in production. That will impact your SAS card if the server has a failure there.

Otherwise, I would use an HP SC08e controller for this. Don't do the H221. This is driven by the 6Gbps SAS requirement of the LTO-6 drive you're planning and the older chipset of the G6 ProLiant server. I tend not to run SAS tape drives off of Smart Array RAID controllers since they cost more than an HBA and there's no real advantage.

ewwhite
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  • Yes, the SC08e is my second choice. The server won't depreciate completely for another year, and I just renewed the support, so we're covered if there are any hardware issues. – JaviLM Jan 31 '14 at 17:40