Dell H810, H710P, H310 manual Using Disk Roaming, Configuring FastPath-Capable Virtual Disks

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Disk Roaming

Disk roaming is moving the physical disks from one cable connection or backplane slot to another on the same controller. The controller automatically recognizes the relocated physical disks and logically places them in the virtual disks that are part of the disk group. You can perform disk roaming only when the system is turned off.

CAUTION: Do not attempt disk roaming during RAID level migration (RLM) or online capacity expansion (OCE). This causes loss of the virtual disk.

Using Disk Roaming

Perform the following steps to use disk roaming:

1.Turn off the power to the system, physical disks, enclosures, and system components.

2.Disconnect power cables from the system.

3.Move the physical disks to desired positions on the backplane or the enclosure.

4.Perform a safety check. Make sure the physical disks are inserted properly.

5.Turn on the system.

The controller detects the RAID configuration from the configuration data on the physical disks.

FastPath

FastPath is a feature that improves application performance by delivering high I/O per second (IOPs). The Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) H710P and H810 cards support FastPath.

FastPath is a further enhancement of the Cut Through IO (CTIO) feature, introduced in PERC H700 and PERC H800, to accelerate IO performance by reducing the IO processing overhead of the firmware. CTIO reduces the instruction count required to process a given IO. It also ensures that the optimal IO code path is placed close to the processor to allow faster access when processing the IO.

Under specific conditions with FastPath, the IO by-passes the controller cache and is committed directly to the physical disk from the host memory, through the second core of the dual-core RAID-on-Chip (ROC) on the controller. FastPath and CTIO are both ideal for random workloads with small blocks.

NOTE: The PERC H310 and PERC H710 do not support FastPath.

Both CTIO and FastPath provide enhanced performance benefits to SSD volumes, as they can fully capitalize on the lower access times and latencies of these volumes.

FastPath provides IO performance benefits to rotational HDD-based volumes configured with Write Through and No Read Ahead cache policies, specifically for read operations across all RAID levels and write operations for RAID 0.

Configuring FastPath-Capable Virtual Disks

All simple virtual disks configured with write cache policy Write Through and read cache policy No Read Ahead can utilize FastPath. Only IO block sizes smaller than virtual disk’s stripe size are eligible for FastPath. In addition, there should be no background operations (rebuild, initialization) running on the virtual disks. FastPath will not be used if these operations are active.

NOTE: RAID 10, RAID 50, and RAID 60 virtual disks cannot use FastPath.

The following table summarizes the FastPath-eligibility of read and write IOs across the supported RAID levels.

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Contents H710P, and H810 User’s Guide Dell Inc. All Rights Reserved Contents Management Applications For Perc Cards Driver InstallationDeploying The Perc Card Support For Internal Multiple ControllersCacheCade Security Key Management In The Bios Configuration Utility TroubleshootingSecurity Key And RAID Management Multiple Disks Become Inaccessible Source Disk Fails During Replace Member OperationAppendix RAID Description Disk Mirroring Overview Specification H310 H710 H710PSpans per Disk Group Specification H310 H710 H710P H810Supported Operating Systems Getting HelpContacting Dell Related DocumentationDocumentation Feedback Page There are four power saving modes available FeaturesPhysical Disk Power Management Configured Spin Down DelayFull Initialization Of Virtual Disks Types Of Virtual Disk InitializationConsistency Checks Background Initialization Of Virtual DisksFastPath Using Disk RoamingConfiguring FastPath-Capable Virtual Disks Disk RoamingWrite Virtual Disk MigrationMigrating Virtual Disks ReadVirtual Disk Write Cache Policies Write-Back And Write-ThroughConditions Under Which Write-Back Is Employed Number Capacity Description Level Reconfiguration Of Virtual DisksVirtual Disk Read Cache Policies Source RAIDOne disk Disk into aMirrored virtual Disk by addingReclaims disk Fault ToleranceSmart Feature Automatic Replace Member With Predicted FailureRedundant Path Support For Perc H810 Only Patrol ReadPhysical Disk Hot Swapping Using Persistent Hot Spare SlotsUsing Replace Member And Revertible Hot Spares Physical Disk Failure DetectionController Cache Preservation Battery Transparent Learn CyclePage Removing The Perc Controller Deploying The Perc CardRemoving and Installing the Perc Adapter PCIe slot SAS cable connectors Perc adapter ScrewRemoving and Installing the Perc Mini Monolithic Controller Installing The Perc ControllerSupport For Internal Multiple Controllers Setting Up Redundant Path Support On The Perc H810 AdapterServer Storage Redundant Path Support Configuration With Two EnclosuresPage Driver Installation Installing a driverClick Continue Popular support tools section, click Drivers and Downloads Click on the Hardware tab Reboot the system when promptedSelect Install from a list or specific location Updating The Linux DriverUpgrading The Kernel Version installed Page Dell OpenManage Storage Management Bios Configuration UtilityEntering The Bios Configuration Utility Management Applications For Perc CardsNotation Meaning and Use Example Exiting The Configuration UtilityTo exit the Bios Configuration Utility Ctrl R Menu Navigation ControlsMgmt, Ctrl Mgmt, and Foreign View Setting Up Virtual DisksNotation Meaning and Use Ctrl Mgmt, and Foreign ViewSummary Of RAID Levels Parameter DescriptionSelect Create New VD and press Enter Virtual Disk ManagementCreating Virtual Disks ParameterDescriptionConverting Physical Disk To RAID Capable For Perc H310 Selecting Virtual Disk ParametersRunning a Data Consistency Check Converting Physical Disk To Non-RAID For Perc H310Initializing Virtual Disks Checking Data ConsistencyPage Page Break Mirror Managing Preserved CacheChoose Break Mirror and press Enter Managing Dedicated Hot Spares Select Manage Preserved CacheSelect Manage Ded. HS and press Enter Deleting Disk Groups Clearing The ConfigurationSelect Clear Config Deleting Virtual DisksBios Configuration Utility Menu Options Virtual Disk Management VD MgmtVirtual Disks Physical Disks Security property of the Disk Group Virtual Disks Action Description Virtual Disk ActionsPhysical Disk Actions Physical Disk Management PD MgmtRebuild Controller Management Ctrl MgmtController Management Actions Foreign Configuration View Setting LED BlinkingPhysical Disk Management Creating Global Hot Spares Removing Global Or Dedicated Hot SparesReplacing An Online Physical Disk Restrictions and Limitations Stopping Background InitializationPerforming a Manual Rebuild Of An Individual Physical Disk Controller Management Enabling Boot SupportEnabling Boot Support For a BIOS-Enabled Controller Enabling Bios Stop On ErrorDisabling Auto Import Uefi RAID Configuration UtilityRestoring Factory Default Settings Entering The Uefi RAID Configuration UtilityController Management Menu Exiting The Uefi RAID Configuration UtilityConfiguration Options Device Settings menuVirtual Disk Management Physical Disk Management MenuEnclosure Management CacheCade Virtual Disk Characteristics Configuring And Managing CacheCade Virtual DisksCacheCade CacheCade Virtual Disk Management Creating CacheCade Virtual DisksSelect Create CacheCade Virtual Disk and press Enter Manual Resizing Of CacheCade Virtual Disks Reconfiguring CacheCade Virtual DisksAutomatic Reconfiguration Of CacheCade Virtual Disks Deleting CacheCade Virtual DisksPage Local Key Management LKM Security Key Management In The Bios Configuration UtilitySecurity Key And RAID Management Security Key ImplementationChanging The Security Key Creating a Security KeyDeleting a Security Key Creating Secured Virtual DisksSecuring Pre-Existing Virtual Disks Highlight the Secure Disk Group option and press Enter Troubleshooting Security Key Errors Secured Foreign Import ErrorsInstant Secure Erase Failure To Instant Secure Erase Task On Physical Disks Failure To Delete Security KeyExtra Enclosure Error Message TroubleshootingBios Error Messages Discovery Error MessageMissing Disks In Virtual Disk Error Message Previous Configuration Of Disks Removed Error MessageMissing Virtual Disks Error Message Dirty Cache Data Error Message Bios Disabled Error MessageDrive Configuration Changes Error Message Action Cable problems, press any key or Y to continue Adapter At Baseport Not Responding Error MessageVirtual Disks Offline Error Message Virtual Disks Degraded Error MessageForeign Configuration Found Error Message Virtual Disks Partially Degraded Error MessageMemory Or Battery Problem Error Message Firmware Fault State Error MessageMultibit ECC Errors Detected Error Messages Foreign Configuration Not Found In Ctrl R Error MessagePrevious Configuration Cleared Or Missing Error Message Invalid SAS Topology Detected Error MessageConfigured Disks Removed Or Not Accessible Error Message Battery Discharged Or Disconnected Error MessageDegraded State Of Virtual Disks Perc Card Has Yellow Bang In Device Manager Memory ErrorsGeneral Issues Preserved Cache StatePhysical Disk In Failed State Physical Disk IssuesUnable to Rebuild a Fault Tolerant Virtual Disk Fatal Error Or Data Corruption ReportedVirtual disk Multiple Disks Become InaccessibleVirtual Disk Fails During Rebuild Using a Global Hot Spare Rebuilding a Failed Physical DiskSmart Errors Virtual Disk Fails Rebuild Using a Dedicated Hot SparePhysical Disk Takes a Long Time To Rebuild Error Replace Member ErrorsLinux Operating System Errors Issue General disk fails CorrectiveDriver Does Not Auto-Build Into New Kernel Unable To Register Scsi Device Error MessageInstall a DKMS-enabled driver package Reboot to the new kernelActivity LED Status LED Disk Carrier LED IndicatorsDisk Striping Appendix RAID DescriptionSummary Of RAID Levels RAID TerminologyDisk Mirroring Spanned RAID LevelsParity Data Example of Distributed Parity RAID
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H310, H710, H710P, H810 specifications

Dell offers a range of storage controller technologies, notably the H810, H710, H710P, and H310, which cater to different enterprise needs. These controllers are designed to support various storage configurations, enhancing overall system performance and reliability.

The Dell H810 is a high-performance PCIe 3.0 RAID controller that supports up to eight internal drives and is particularly suited for demanding workloads. It features advanced RAID levels including RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60, providing flexibility for various data protection strategies. The H810 also supports up to 32TB of storage capacity, making it suitable for environments that require substantial data management capabilities.

The H710 is another powerful RAID controller, widely recognized for its balance of performance and cost-efficiency. It features 1GB of cache memory, which aids in accelerating read and write operations. The H710 supports the same RAID levels as the H810 and allows for up to 512MB of non-volatile memory. This ensures data integrity even in the event of a power failure, making it reliable for critical applications.

The H710P is an enhanced version of the H710, with a significant upgrade in its cache capabilities. It offers 2GB of battery-backed cache memory, further enhancing data processing speeds and improving responsiveness. The H710P is ideal for intensive workloads and virtualization, where rapid access to data is essential. This controller also includes features such as RAID storage pooling, intelligent data tiering, and support for multiple virtual disks.

Finally, the H310 is a cost-effective option for small to medium-sized businesses or those with less demanding storage requirements. It offers similar RAID support as the higher-end controllers but operates with a simpler architecture. The H310 features 512MB of cache, providing sufficient performance for regular workloads without the additional complexities of more advanced controllers.

In summary, Dell's H810, H710, H710P, and H310 storage controllers each serve distinct purposes, providing various features, technologies, and performance characteristics tailored to different business needs. From high-capacity storage solutions to user-friendly setups, Dell’s offerings ensure that organizations can efficiently manage their data storage requirements.
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