I got curious after sending the last message that I tried a few things.
Here's the original test server with three SATA drives. Drive 1 for host running Server 2008 Hyper-V. Drive 2 for SBS2008 virtual. Drive 3 for Server 2008 virtual. Added N5200 Pro and configured for iSCSI. In virtual SBS2008 use iSCSI initiator and connected to the N5200 as additional storage. In virtual Server2008 use iSCSI initiator and connected to the N5200 as additional storage. Both virtual servers see extra storage. Yesterday configured host server to use the N5200 via iSCSI, created vhd on the N5200 and installed Server 2008 to that vhd on the N5200. Used host Hyper-V Manager to configure settings for new virtual server and then told it to start the VM. VM started without a problem. I have the three VMs configured to start at 5 minute intervals. Next step is to power off the server and start it back up to simulate a long power failure and see if all three start. No I haven't done any speed tests yet. Figured I would try to get everything setup and working and then do some of the other tests. The only forum I looked at was the Thecus forum listed on their web site. Answered a couple of questions I had by reading there. I admit I didn't look around much to compare what else was out there. I was looking for something with a little more to offer customers, a chance to experiment with iSCSI some without spending too much and it had to work with Server 2008. A few I looked at didn't have 2008 support yet or it was only in the more expensive stuff. I'll have to look at the Drobo stuff. Art From: Eric E Eskam [mailto:ees...@usgs.gov] Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 6:01 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: RE: Drobo Pro "Art DeKneef" <art.dekn...@cox.net> wrote on 05/18/2009 05:02:37 PM: > I plan on trying to boot from it this week if I can get some time. Please keep us informed! Have you had a chance to benchmark/speed test it? > Light is being polite. Some things I have found by just trying things and > some from the forums. Which forum are you using? > I haven't decided that the lack of information is that > Thecus doesn't want to do it or they haven't realized the potential. I think a little of both. From what I gathered, they were genuinely surprised at the level of interest in iSCSI in the SMB space. Thanks for your feedback! And even though I said Qlogic twice yesterday, Qlogic just makes iSCSI accellerator NICs - the other array I was looking at is Qnap: <http://www.qnap.com/> http://www.qnap.com/ One of the nice things I like about Drobo, and compels to keep looking at them despite their lightweight technical information and support is their volume/array management. Qnap is close, but no where near as simple as "plug in the disk and the array figures it out" like Drobo is. Eric Eskam =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. Government "The human mind treats a new idea the same way the body treats a strange protein; it rejects it." - P. B. Medawar ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
