Question regarding DB Mirroring on a SAN

  • We are putting in a new data warehouse server that will have all of its databases on a SAN.  Is it possible to have it paired up with a mirror server that would point to the same databases on the SAN?  Anybody know if this is possible or would i have to have a second instance of the database on the SAN? 

    I guess this would be how a cluster works currently but it wouldn't require me to have the certified hardware.

    Thanks!

    John

  • Aah, not if I understand you correctly.

    SQL Server on a SAN, yes, database mirroring on these servers, yes, 'point to the same databases', no.

    Some people use SANs to solve the DR problem - if you live hardware or OS dies you have another server ready and allow that r/w to the san partition to get the SQL server up again.

    You can also use database mirroring for the same effect, but writing to the same disk would make it pointless.

    n.b. Clustering is completely different.

  • You can do something similar, say with an EMC SAN using BCVs - business continuance volumes. i.e. a second set of 'mirrored' SAN volumes. Break the pair of mirroered volumes (BCVs) and assign them to another server and off you go. This only works well for reporting where the data does not have to be up to the minute. Then when you are done, shut down the second SQL Server, and rejoin the BCVs on the SAN and they will then sync uop again with the active set of LUNs.

    RegardsRudy KomacsarSenior Database Administrator"Ave Caesar! - Morituri te salutamus."

  • Thanks for the replies.  I didn't think this would work but I wanted to get it confirmed.

    We are getting a new EMC SAN but we were trying to conserve space on the SAN by not having another complete copy of the data warehouse.  It turns out that the second server may not be approved after all so it may be not be an issue after all.

    Thanks again!

    John

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