SUMMARY: 1TB External RAID shows up as 512GB

From: Ray Pengelly <ray_at_biomed.queensu.ca>
Date: Wed Jan 07 2004 - 17:37:04 EST
Well it looks like its official. I guess I have to reinitialize array into
smaller chunks.



Tim Chipman added more info on multiple LUN support as well:



Hi,

an extra slice-of-cake for you on this topic, which I forgot to mention
thisAM when I wrote the first time:

IIRC, there is a second "known issue" for solaris8X86 default setup, such
that multi-LUN SCSI-based devices fail to show LUNS beyond the first one.
Absurd.

The workaround was a matter of adding some text to the SD.CONF file, I'm
putting (way below...) a copy of what we had to do.

Clearly, this becomes an issue if you workaround the 512gb bug by creating
multiple luns, then you are now in a situation where the extra 512gb luns
cannot be seen by default.  Just great :-)

additionally - just had a quick dig, and I was able to locate the official
sunsolve bug report text which I had gotten from the vendor WRT the
max-lun-size. I'm putting that (immediately below) for reference.

Of course, again, I'm not certain if this is all perfectly relevant for
solaris9, but, IF you do build multiple luns, and DO have trouble seeing
luns beyond the first .. then maybe this fix is appropriate for you, too.

Hope this helps a bit,



---Tim

============================================================================
==
SUNSOLVE REF:
*Bug ID* *Synopsis* *Date*
*4670211* *unable to create volumes greater than 509 gb with **disk arrays.*
*17 May 2002*
*Category* utility
*Subcategory* diskformat_x86
*State* evaluated




4670211   unable to create volumes greater than 509 gb with disk arrays.
17 May 2002

Category utility
Subcategory diskformat_x86
State evaluated

Description Top

Customer is using:
1. Compaq proliant arrays with 70 gb disks from compaq
2. The raid controller is Compaq smart array controller 5300
3. The driver for the raid controller is cpqary3. The driver has been
developed
by Compaq.
4. They are running solaris 8.
A problem has been found when logical volumes are configured with the size
of
greater than 509 GB.  The data holder for number of cylinders in OS SCSI
framework is defined as a 32 bit variable all the places, except at one
place
(struct dk_geom). The OS SCSI framework gets the correct geometry from the
HBA
driver and the controller and updates internal data structures with that
correct information. Also the format utility displays initial messages with
correct capacity. However, when the geometry is labelled to the disk and/or
partitions are created on the disk for the file system creation, different
OS
layers involved use the dk_geom structure and hence, it doesn't have place
holder for greater than 65535, the cylinder count spills over. And this
wrong
data is written to the disk as 'label' and it is used later on until the
partitions are deleted.
So if we are creating a volume of 515gb we see an approx. volume size of 6gb
only.


============================================================================
==
SAMPLE OF MY SD.CONF TO SUPPORT MULTI SCSI LUNS:




loki.ecopiabio.com# more /kernel/drv/sd.conf
#
#pragma ident   "@(#)sd.conf    1.19    99/05/04 SMI"
#
# Copyright (c) 1998-1999 by Sun Microsystems, Inc.
# All rights reserved.
#

name="sd" class="scsi" target=0 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=1 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=2 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=3 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=4 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=5 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=6 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=7 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=8 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=9 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=10 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=11 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=12 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=13 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=14 lun=0;
name="sd" class="scsi" target=15 lun=0;

name="sd" parent="flashpt" target=0 lun=0;
name="sd" parent="flashpt" target=1 lun=0;
name="sd" parent="flashpt" target=2 lun=0;
name="sd" parent="flashpt" target=3 lun=0;
name="sd" parent="flashpt" target=4 lun=0;
name="sd" parent="flashpt" target=5 lun=0;
name="sd" parent="flashpt" target=6 lun=0;

##JETSTOR III MULTI_LUN_SETTINGS TDC Feb-14-03
##
# BEGIN RAID additional lun entries
# DO NOT EDIT from BEGIN above to END below...
name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=0 lun=1;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=0 lun=2;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=0 lun=3;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=0 lun=4;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=0 lun=5;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=0 lun=6;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=0 lun=7;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=1 lun=1;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=1 lun=2;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=1 lun=3;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=1 lun=4;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=1 lun=5;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=1 lun=6;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=1 lun=7;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=2 lun=1;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=2 lun=2;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=2 lun=3;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=2 lun=4;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=2 lun=5;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=2 lun=6;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=2 lun=7;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=3 lun=1;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=3 lun=2;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=3 lun=3;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=3 lun=4;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=3 lun=5;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=3 lun=6;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=3 lun=7;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=4 lun=1;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=4 lun=2;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=4 lun=3;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=4 lun=4;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=4 lun=5;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=4 lun=6;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=4 lun=7;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=5 lun=1;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=5 lun=2;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=5 lun=3;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=5 lun=4;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=5 lun=5;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=5 lun=6;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=5 lun=7;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=6 lun=1;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=6 lun=2;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=6 lun=3;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=6 lun=4;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=6 lun=5;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=6 lun=6;

name="sd" class="scsi"
        target=6 lun=7;

# END RAID additional lun entries

## Additional stuff may follow here, your config may vary.



-----Original Message-----
From: Peter.Ondruska@fajx.net [mailto:Peter.Ondruska@fajx.net]
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 4:58 PM
To: Ray Pengelly
Subject: Re: UPDATE: 1TB External RAID shows up as 512GB




x86 version of Solaris has certains limits (this has been discussed in
Solaris x86 specialized list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/solarisx86/)
which prevent you from using 1TB or bigger. Split the array at hardware
level into smaller pieces.





"Ray Pengelly" <ray@biomed.queensu.ca>
Sent by: sunmanagers-bounces@sunmanagers.org

01/07/2004 08:22 PM


To

<sunmanagers@sunmanagers.org>


cc




Subject

UPDATE: 1TB External RAID shows up as 512GB











I believe some more info is needed of my setup.



I'm running Sol9x86 on a Tyan Tiger 2721-ugn  motherboard. This has builtin
Adaptec AIC-7902W Dual channel SCSI controller. On Channel A I have a 36GB
hard drive running as the system drive. On Channel B (my external channel) I
have an external Storcase DS560 RAID Array. This array uses an Accusys SCSI
to IDE Raid Controller. I have it loaded with 5 X 250GB drives in a RAID 5
configuration. The controller shows the Array to be 1TB. When I boot into
solaris and run SMC or format it shows up as 512GB.



Tim Chipman gave some insight with the following:



>We've got a Sol8X86 fileserver, it has an external 1.4 Tb disk array.

>When I was setting it up, I observed the same problem.  The vendor for

>the array was prompt to let me know of a known issue in Solaris 8 X86,

>which limits single LUN size for this platform to 512gb. [it is

>documented in sunsolve, and if you really need it I can probably dig up

>the case-ID/reference ##].



>Only workaround if you must have larger lun would be maybe to use

>disksuite and then create a metavolume spanning multiple luns physically

>sized @ the 512gb limit, and then mount this metadisk...



>I suspect the same limitation is present in sol9X86 but cannot confirm

>for certain :-)



>hope this is of slight help,





>Tim



Does anyone know if this is true for Solaris 9 x86 before I break my array
and reinitialize it with 2 LUNs?



I also got some info about installing the SUNWqus and SUNWqusu drivers but
isn't that just the driver for the Sun dual channel ultra-3 SCSI card or
does it just add support for larger LUNs?



Thanks



Ray





Ray Pengelly

Computing Support Technologist

Centre for Neuroscience Studies/

CIHR Group in Sensory-Motor Systems

Queen's University



Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use
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Received on Wed Jan 7 17:36:54 2004

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