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Conference ssdevo::hsz40_product

Title:	HSZ40 Product Conference

Moderator:	SSDEVO::EDMONDS

Created:	Mon Apr 11 1994
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	902
Total number of notes:	3319

753.0. "HSZ40 CACHE_POLICY why like it is?" by ATZIS3::PUTZENLECHNE () Thu Jan 30 1997 10:23

    Hello everybody!
    
    Can somebody give me a few explanations on the HSZ40
    with HSOF Version 2.7? There are some things which are not
    clear to me.
    
    If i read the description of the CACHE_POLICY-parameter
    in the "User-Guide" (appendix B, page B-79) i'm a little
    bit confused.
    
    
    I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY RAID- AND MIRRORSETS MUST BE MADE INOPERATIVE
    IN
    CASE OF A FAILED BATTERY OR IF THE BATTERIES GO LOW AFTER
    INITIALIZATION.
    
    Please give me feedback to the following questions:
    
    1) Why is it not enough to switch of the "write-back-cache" and let
    them be
       accessable in the "write-trough-mode"?
    
    2) What is the difference if the batteries are already low during
    controller-
       initialization or if they go low during operation?
    
    3) Why "is there some risk" if setting CACHE_POLICY=B? If the Units are
       only accessed in write-trough-mode (after a battery-failure) there
       is NO DATA in the cache which must be "maintained if a power failure
       occurs".
    
    4) I expirenced that there was a change from HSOF 2.5 to 2.7.
       With HSOF 2.5 it was possible to access units in write-trough-mode
       even if the battery was failed. This was much better!
       What is the reason why this is no longer possible with HSOF 2.7 ?
    
    5) I know that with HSOF 3.0 this problem does no longer exist for
       dual-redundant-controllers. But what happens to single-controller-
       configurations if a battery fail?
    
    
    The reason why i need answers to these questions are that no customer
    would understand why such a "simple failure" like a bad battery can
    cause a system-down nevertheless he has a dual-redundant-controller.
    
    (we had one critical situation)
    
    thanks for any information,
    
    Helmut

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
753.1	Covering the "write hole"	SSDEVO::JACKSON	Jim Jackson, HSx RAID team	`Thu Jan 30 1997 12:11`	17
	The HSx controllers use the write-back cache to eliminate the "write hole" that is a characteristic of all RAID levels (except for striping). In RAID 1 (mirror) sets, the "write hole" causes data to be different on the different members. In RAID 5 sets, the "write hole" causes the parity to be inconsistent, which can cause future data corruption. We view data corruption seriously, which is why we don't permit a RAID 5 set to operate if the battery is bad. When the battery is low and CACHE_POLICY=B, the units are accessed in "write-through" mode. In this mode, no user data is kept in the cache. However, write hole information is kept in the cache, so the cache is still necessary. If the write hole information is lost, none of the parity on the RAID 5 set can be trusted. This is why a CLEAR LOST_DATA command destroys all redundancy on a RAID 5 set. Does this help?
753.2		UTOPIE::OETTL	hide bug until worst time	`Thu Jan 30 1997 16:34`	9
753.3	OK - but.....	ATZIS1::PUTZENLECHNE		`Fri Jan 31 1997 03:52`	10
	reply .1 Thank you, well i understand this now, but why was this not already in HSOF 2.5 implemented in the same way? I know that in 2.5 it was possible to operate with "failed" batteries, or did they experience data-los-problems with 2.5 and changed it because of this in 2.7? Thank you so far, Helmut
753.4	V2.5 vs. V2.7	SSDEVO::THOMPSON	Paul Thompson, Colorado Springs	`Mon Feb 03 1997 18:42`	9
	V2.5 only checked the batteries at boot time. Therefore, if you had a failed battery, you would not know until either, power failed and you lost the data in cache, or you rebooted the controller. V2.7 implemented periodic tests of the battery to proactively identify failed batteries before the Customer lost data. Under either version of the firmware, once the battery failure is detected, access to RAID and Mirro sets is denied.
753.5	Thank You	ATZIS1::PUTZENLECHNE		`Wed Feb 05 1997 15:17`	11
	> V2.7 implemented periodic tests of the battery to proactively identify failed > batteries before the Customer lost data. except the cache_policy is set to B. Because i had a System running for more than 2 days with failed batteries. thanks for the informations, Helmut
753.6	Re: Cache policy "B"	SSDEVO::THOMPSON	Paul Thompson, Colorado Springs	`Fri Feb 07 1997 12:51`	14
	Regarding the reference to cache policy "B" in the previous note. Cache Policy "B" means that after a boot or reboot, if the battery is found to be "low", access to RAID and Mirror sets will be allowed while the battery is charging. With cache policy "A", access to the RAID and Mirror sets would be denied if the battery was low. If the battery is not found to be fully charged and declared "good" by the controller within ten (10) hours of a boot or reboot, access to the RAID and Mirror sets will be denied, regardless of the cache policy. In other words, ten (10) hours after a boot or reboot, the choice of settings of the cache policy parameter makes no difference. If the batteries have not been declared "good", access to RAID and Mirror sets will be denied.