PRIMECLUSTER Global Disk Services Configuration and Administration Guide 4.1 (Solaris(TM) Operating System)

A.2.8 Hot Spare

• Hot Spare for Hierarchized Mirror Groups

  If an I/O error occurs in a disk that is connected to a lower level group, a spare disk is automatically connected to the highest level mirror group, but not to the lower level group. For example, if a disk and a concatenation group are mirroring each other, and an I/O error occurs in one of the disks connected to the concatenation group, a spare disk is automatically connected in place of the concatenation group for mirroring.
  
  A spare disk is selected independently of the disk case or controller number of a disk where an I/O error occurred.
  In external hot spare mode (default), spare disks are selected randomly.
  In internal hot spare mode, spare disks whose controller number is 0 and that do not belong to disk array units are selected.

  [Figure: Hot Spare for Hierarchized Mirror Groups]

  

• Number of Spare Disks

  There is no limit to the number of spare disks that can be registered with one class. Although there is no general rule in deciding the number of spare disks, it is recommended to assign 10% of disks and lower level groups for spare disks. In other words, one spare disk for every 10 disks or lower level groups combined is a good rule of thumb.

• Spare Disk Size

  Spare disk automatic connection is restrained if there is not sufficient space on a spare disk to copy volumes in a mirror group. It is recommended to assign the largest size disk within the class for the spare disk.

• Hot Spare for Proxy Volumes

  Spare disks are not connected to groups that include proxy volumes. It is recommended to create proxy volumes in groups other than those that include volumes used by primary services, or on single disks.

• Shadow Classes

  Spare disks cannot be registered with shadow classes.

• Disk Array Unit's Hot Spare Function

  If disk array units with hot spare functions are mirrored, it is recommended to use their own hot spare functions.

• Spare Disk Failure

  If an I/O error occurs in a spare disk that was automatically connected to a mirror group, another spare disk will not automatically be connected in place of the failed spare disk.

• Synchronization Copying Invoked by Hot Spare

  The synchronization copying with hot spare is run at lower speed as compared to similar copying with other events (such as volume creation and disk creation) in order to suppress the load imposed on the system. By default, delay time by 50 milliseconds is set. To change this delay time, use the sdxparam command.

  
  For details, see "sdxparam - Configuration parameter operations."

• Spare Disk Manual Connection

  In the within-case hot spare mode, if a disk case totally becomes inaccessible due to an I/O cable coming out or disk case going down, a spare disk that belongs another disk case is not automatically connected. For example, if disk case 1 shown in [Figure: Hot Spare in Internal Mode] of "Hot Spare" is down, a spare disk (disk 4) is not automatically connected in place of disk 1.
  In such an event, follow the procedures below to manually recover the mirroring status by using a spare disk.
  

  1. Change the spare disk to an undefined disk.

     
     For disk type changing methods, see "Changing Disk Class Attributes" in "Class Configuration" when using the GDS Management View, or "sdxattr - Set objects attributes" when using the command.
     
     

  2. Connect the disk in step 1 to the mirror group where the I/O error occurred.

     
     For the disk connection methods, see "Group Configuration" when using the GDS Management View, or the description about the -C option in "sdxdisk - Disk operations" when using the command.