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Would there be a significant difference between these 2 setups?

  • 2 esxi hosts connected MD3420 via SAS cables and HBA

  • 2 esxi hosts connected to MD3820i via CAT6 cables without switch.

How much will the iSCSI be slower with a 10G switch in between so as to handle more servers?

Thanks

nid15
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1 Answers1

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The biggest difference you're likely unaware of is having to worry about having the right driver installed for the HBAs with SAS.

You likely already know that the SAS system can't support as many hosts as the iSCSI can.

How much will the iSCSI be slower with a 10G switch

The difference would be inconsequential and minimal, if you use a 10G switch that's appropriate for iSCSI in the first place (has a non-blocking backplane, supports flow control, has 9MB packet buffer w/ dynamic buffer management - the Dell Storage Compatibility Matrix is a nice guide on choosing an appropriate switch).

JimNim
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  • That's a good point. We are planning to use esxi 6 or 6.5. Currently we have a MD3220i with 1G controller and Dell switches and I feel the iSCSI is a bottleneck. Yes, not more than 4 hosts. – nid15 Dec 12 '19 at 03:51