Re: using PERC H700 for JBOD?

In regard to: [Linux-PowerEdge] using PERC H700 for JBOD?, Bond Masuda said...:

> I've read in various places online that it is not possible to use PERC
> H700 for JBOD for folks who want to use LVM2 or ZFS to glue their own
> storage together instead of RAID in the H700.
> I recall with the old
> PERC6/E, I could simply create a RAID-0 VD with 1 disk and in effect
> access each of those disks individually. I remember specifically doing
> this on a PE2970 connected to a MD1000 array. Is that not possible with
> the H700?

Yes that's possible, but it's not optimum.

Many (but apparently not all) recent PERC models allow the controller
to be switched to "HBA mode".  For example, the H730 mini that comes
with our R730 systems has an option within System Setup to "Switch to HBA
Mode", which causes the controller to present all the drives to the OS and
obviates the need to create a bunch of single-disk raid0s.

Best bet is to ask Dell before ordering if the PERC model you're getting
supports HBA mode.  If so, use that if you want LVM, mdadm, or ZFS
responsible for RAID and concatenation.

Tim
-- 
Tim Mooney                                             [email protected]
Enterprise Computing & Infrastructure                  701-231-1076 (Voice)
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North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105-5164