3.1.2 Matrix Server Installation Guide

Table Of Contents

Chapter 2: Install PolyServe Matrix Server 8

If you will be using a client host outside the matrix to administer the

matrix, you will also need to install the Management Console on that

host. The Management Console is available on Linux and Windows.

1. Set Up the SAN Environment

Configure the Storage Array

Perform the initial configuration of the storage array as described in the

array product documentation. If you will be using the XIOtech

MAGNITUDE array, see the PolyServe Knowledge Base article

“Configure the XIOtech MAGNITUDE Array” for more information.

Create LUNs or Disk Partitions for Membership Partitions

Matrix Server uses a set of membership partitions to control access to the

SAN and to store the device naming database, which includes the global

device names that Matrix Server assigns to the SAN disks placed under

its control. The membership partitions must be placed on the SAN, not on

local storage.

Matrix Server can use either one or three membership partitions. To

ensure that a membership partition is always available, we strongly

recommend that you use three membership partitions.

We recommend that you use your disk array software to create three

LUNs for the membership partitions. Each LUN should be a minimum of

100 MB in size. If you cannot dedicate LUNs to the membership

partitions, instead create a separate partition on three of your shared

LUNs and put the membership partitions on those partitions. If you need

to subsequently modify the partition table on these LUNs, you will need

to shut down Matrix Server, as the membership partitions cannot be

deported while the matrix is running.

If the LUNs you intend to use for membership partitions are much larger

than the recommended 100 MB and you want to use this remaining space

for a filesystem, the data in the filesystem should be static in nature and

lightly accessed. Placing a heavily accessed filesystem on the same LUN

with a membership partition can potentially cause contention issues. It is

also recommended that you use this space only as a basic volume (psd)

and never as a component of a dynamic volume (psv).