StarWind Software

Hello All,

I've "inherited" around 100TB of raw storage across ~12 Proliants and am researching the best use for a lab environment (not Hyper-Converged, vSAN only - iSCSI).
I'm having a difficult time locating documentation on the following topics:

1. General Windows OS requirements (Roles, Features, config before installation of Starwind).
2. Calculation of total usable storage.
   It is my understanding (so far) that a two node Starwind vSAN is essentially a mirror (total usable storage equals usable storage of one node). What about three nodes? Or four? or N?
3. Wouldn't using two or more nodes make (the recommended) RAID 10 config on an individual node unnecessary? What is the recommended "local layout" for three or more nodes?

Can someone point me in the right direction?
Thx in advance!
Rgds - Marcus.

Regarding #2, I found

https://www.starwindsoftware.com/resour ... arison.pdf

which also answers #3.

However, does this mean Starwind is not designed to have more that three nodes in one "SAN" ?

Thx again,
M.

1) You don't enable Hyper-V role if you have to plan building non-HCI environment (storage only), you enable Hyper-V role if you want HCI (hyperconverged) thing. Everything else is irrelevant (OK, you might want file server functionality for
layering SMB3 or NFS or top of a HA iSCSI or you might want Scale-Out File Server role for SoFS but that's very rare scenarios TBH).

2) It's still a mirror between 2-3 nodes inside a bigger amount of nodes. It's a combination of "grid" and "data locality" concepts. See:

https://www.starwindsoftware.com/data-locality-page

https://www.starwindsoftware.com/grid-architecture-page

3) You use RAID10 with spindles and you use RAID5/6 with SSDs (which is vast majority of our HCI appliance sales these days). We now work on republishing our LSFS and with a proper results we'll be recommending RAID6 for local HDDs as well.

amos.max wrote:Hello All,

I've "inherited" around 100TB of raw storage across ~12 Proliants and am researching the best use for a lab environment (not Hyper-Converged, vSAN only - iSCSI).
I'm having a difficult time locating documentation on the following topics:

1. General Windows OS requirements (Roles, Features, config before installation of Starwind).
2. Calculation of total usable storage.
   It is my understanding (so far) that a two node Starwind vSAN is essentially a mirror (total usable storage equals usable storage of one node). What about three nodes? Or four? or N?
3. Wouldn't using two or more nodes make (the recommended) RAID 10 config on an individual node unnecessary? What is the recommended "local layout" for three or more nodes?

Can someone point me in the right direction?
Thx in advance!
Rgds - Marcus.