Proxmox 8 and HP MSA2050 SAS Array
- Thread starter m3a2r1
- Start date
Hi @m3a2r1 , if you remove "Proxmox" from your question, then it becomes "Is there any simple solution to attach MSA to 4 Debian Linux hosts". The answer in general is "yes". The array seems to support up to 4 hosts (presumably via SAS), perhaps more via iSCSI/FC.
So the physical connection is as straightforward as any other host. Provided, of course, that HP officially supports Debian and/or specific PVE Kernel versions. They may not care beyond "Linux host is ok". You'd have to check with them.
The next layer is how to use the attached storage. The simplest way is to layer LVM on top of it.
Whether in the end you are satisfied with all the features provided (or missing), really depends on your requirements.
There are no guarantees expressed or implied that the solution will be suitable for you
Good luck
Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox
The MSA is a block storage solution that is served to your host as raw blocks.
If you want to store qcow files (or raw image _files_), you will need to add an extra layer - file system.
There is no "simple" native file system solution for shared storage built into Proxmox.
The _native_ way of storing data on MSA/LVM would be direct raw blocks.
Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox
You'd create a LUN, attach it to 4 hosts, then create an LVM on one of them and it should be visible on all hosts.
Note, that once the LUN/Disk appears on your host, the rest of the steps are not MSA specific. You may also need to configure Multipath.
There are more than a few threads specifically about MSA on the forum, I would recommend reading those and surrounding discussions, before making the purchase.
https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/proxmox-and-msa-sas.137704/
https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/proxmox-with-hp-msa-2040-storage.38955/
https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/playing-arround-with-proxmox-and-hp-msa-p2000.102893/
https://forum.proxmox.com/tags/msa/
Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox
https://www.nakivo.com/blog/fc-vs-sas-vs-iscsi-comparison/
Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox
If you need NFS, you should not be buying HP MSA.
Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox
Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox
iSCSI, similar to NFS, works over IP. Specifically TCP/IP.
SAS (serially attached SCSI) needs appropriate cables to connect to SCSI cards in your host. The protocol is Point-to-Point, i.e. from one end of the cable to another. It is simple to connect, like plugging an electric cord extension.
What you have to do inside the array to arrange the disks into RAID, and carve them up into LUNs, depends on the vendor. I am sure HP has had enough time to make it somewhat bulletproof.
But you are not getting same functionality as with NFS.
Good luck with your research.
Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox
You are welcome. Make sure you understand the Yes`s and No`s on this page:
https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Storage#:~:text=yes-,LVM,-lvm
The line that would apply for MSA is LVM.
There are other more complex solutions, you may want to reach out to a Proxmox Partner for guidance with those.
Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox
https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Storage#:~:text=yes-,LVM,-lvm
The line that would apply for MSA is LVM.
There are other more complex solutions, you may want to reach out to a Proxmox Partner for guidance with those.
Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox
LVM is a volume manager, it does not make disk shared.
If you combine LVM with a shared disk (SAS, etc), you will get enough scaffolding to get "PVE shared storage".
Blockbridge : Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox