Images locked while Complete Sync

[marcello]

There is one big problem with V5 comparing to other mirroring software products.
I f you create a new HA image normaly you have to choose "clear virtual disk".
After you have finished installing the images the server starts a complete sync between primary and secondary server.
Until the synchronisation has finished it is not possible to access the primary image by the iSCSI initiator.
If an image has a big size (i.e. 1.8TB) this will last up to 55 (!!!) hours.
We use also other mirroring software and this software does not lock the primary image during mirroring only the secondary.
So If you want to install i.e. a File Server by using Starwind V5 HA with bigger images you have to wait up to two days to finish your installation.
This also will be a big problem if the sync between the two storage servers fail and crashes. Then you have to do also a complete sync and your production environment stands stil for two days.
Where is here the High Availibilty.
To do a complete sync (if fast sync fails) is O.K. but the active image must not be locked during sync process.

[Constantin (staff)]

You can not synchronize HA device after creating.
Currently we are investigating this case. Thanks for report.
If you choose option to clear disks - StarWind fills both HA devices with zeroes.

[marcello]

So what is the best way for creating a new HA image.
If you choose clear disk the images are filled with zeros and this will last a long time depending on the size of the files (i.e. 55 hours for 1.8TB).
I remenber in V4 you had the possibility to choose filling in with zeros ore not.
If you choose creating files without synchronisation (last item) and you reboot the secondary server you will be forced to do a complete sync which will now be simillar to the clear disk option (I had this problem on weekend).
The long time the sync process lasts is not the main problem. This is to all sync programms the same.
I.e. we are using also Storage Mirroring by HP - this software does also a complete mirror the first time and afterwards only replication (simillar to your Complte Sync and Fast Sync).
But the source is allways available only the target is locked - this should be also possible with Starwind HA.
Imagine this case: You have a file-server with 2TB HA-image and the sync fails for some reason, you are not be able to do a Fast Sync so you have to initiate a Complete Sync. Now your file-server cannot access the image the whole sync process through which means in that case more then two days (!!) your file-server is offline - so where is the high availibilty.

[Constantin (staff)]

Please, send us logs of StarWind with link to this topic, that we would be able to found out the reason of your problems

[marcello]

Today I had a Hyper-V crash because I had to shut down the secondary server (we havd to power off the USV in our second location)
When the secondary server came up again after 2 hours the primary server locked the images and it was not possible to do a fast sync (only complete sync which failed for the quorum)

[Constantin (staff)]

Dear, Marchello! Could you please turn on log level 3 by changing this option in StarWind.cfg file. Then restart the service, and plz re-create situation. After it send us the logs with link to this topic. Thanks a lot.