[Xen-users] Xen + SAN

[Shaun Reitan <mailinglists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm just curious what some of you guys out there are using for remote 
storage with XEN.  We currently are a service provider using xen for our 
customers virtual servers.  Right now each server is deployed with a 
raid controller and 4 disks in a raid 10 configuration.  The raid 
controller + BBU are not cheap and add an extra expense to the server. 
Not only that but disk IO is what causes us to deploy a new host.  For 
the most part these servers end up with a lot of unused Ram, CPU, and 
Disk Space.  What we are considering doing is setting up a SAN, 
something like a 48 disk raid 10 array that the hosts can be attached to 
some how.
I'm curious what some of you guys out there are doing and or using.  Our 
virtual servers right now are PVM's with logical volumes attached.  I've 
been looking at ISCSI but the problem I'm seeing with ISCSI is that the 
disks that are exported to the initiator just pop up as /dev/sd devices 
and there seams to be no simple way to map that device to the guest 
easily using our automation system.  I've also been looking a little 
into AOE but not sure if that would work.  If we did disk based images 
the solution for the most part would be easy, but from what I've read 
LV's attached to the guest perform a lot better than a raw disk image.
Hopefully some of you can pass on your experience!  Thanks!

~Shaun


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