Boot Optimized Storage Cards

[Madscientist]

hi,
we are planning to upgrade our three host (dell r630) server to latest dell r750 servers, to upgrade i want to know two set of suggestion before buying the hardware, as dell team also not sure about this.
1. Boot optimized storage card or BOSS -S2 is supported by proxmox ? i am unable to find a clear answer, i have two option here as follows : -
a> BOSS-S2 controller card + with 2 M.2 480GB (RAID 1), Hot-Plug
b> BOSS-S2 controller card + with 2 M.2 480GB (No RAID), Hot-Plug
which one suggested ? or i use zfs mirror for redundancy ? pls help .... i am confused before placing order.
or use normal nvme for OS and Boot drive ? or dual redundant SD card ?
2. is there any standard operation manual to upgrade these three server to new server, change the licensing information, and how to proceed without down time, any good documentation or any guide available..... kindly advise
bhaskar p banerjee

 

[bbgeek17]

Dell BOSS is a very stable reliable technology. We always recommend to our customers to use it if possible. We also recommend taking advantage of the RAID functionality on BOSS. No external/software redundancy needed on top of it.

I think the general approach to upgrade, assuming you have a cluster with shared storage :
- install PVE on new servers
- join them to existing cluster
- migrate VMs to new servers
- remove retire old ones

There is documentation for each of the steps available.

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Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox

 

[Madscientist]

thanks for the reply, before buying the new server i request you to guide me for suitable hardware for the cluster. at present there is three server in the cluster, i am using ceph as shared storage for all the vm, request you to kindly advise what kind of storage is recommend for ceph cluster, they have giving me few choice, nvme, sas, read/write intensive or mixed use ? or any other hardware should i include. last year i faced problem during ceph upgrade, so i am looking for some local storage to migrate the vm temporarily during upgrade operation, then migrate them back to ceph pool. your guidance will guide me to buy a proper server for future use.

 

[bbgeek17]

It seems like you have a small enterprise/smb environment. The Dell servers with Dell storage will be a not in-expensive ticket. It may make sense to allocate some of that budget to a Proxmox solution partner - https://www.proxmox.com/en/partners/solution that can work with you directly and provide an advice thats based on all the facts.

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Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox

 

[Madscientist]

it seems none of your solution partner has any presence in my country , it all concentrated in Europe, and only one reseller partner is here, and i know them , not so comfortable with them. also we have 7 years service contract with dell for all kind of hardware, and they are providing good support and on site service for past years. and if i try to import from other country paying hefty custom duty, it will become more expensive then dell. we are using dell r630 for pat 3 years with ssd / nvme ...... in the ceph cluster. i will go through more documentation to find a hardware suitable for mission critical operation for the organization if you not interested in it ..... your documentation lag proper Hardware Compatibility List of different hardware and manufacturer.
thanks

 

[bbgeek17]

I am not advising you to buy hardware outside of your trusted channel. My point was - pay an hour worth of time to someone who does it on professional level to analyze your workload, requirements and goals for a year from now. Before you drop ~$20-30K on the hardware.
At the very least start here: https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/proxmox-ve-ceph-benchmark-2020-09-hyper-converged-with-nvme.76516/
The document has a pretty good hardware overview and FAQ.
Here is another one (google "dell ceph reference architecture"): https://www.redhat.com/rhdc/managed-files/st-rhcs-dell-reference-architecture-f22890-202003-en.pdf


If you were buying Blockbridge software solution - our approach is to advise on best hardware for your needs down to part numbers, and you can provision it through local channel. That greatly simplifies purchasing and support.

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Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox