I would be interested in hearing if there are any other sites who
have purchased the HP Mirrored Disk/iX software (product #
30349A), who might want to take part in an informal Disc Mirror
"BOF" at IPROF-96, before the SIGMPE meeting (no time yet;
IPROF scheduling still in process).
 
Main thing our site wants to push for:  To get HP to enhance the
product to mirror the MPEXL_SYSTEM_VOLUME_SET.  Realize
mirroring the <really-incredibly-tiresome-to-keep-typing-name>
might not be a trivial enhancement, but not being able to do so
leaves a *big* hole in what is supposed to be a "high availability"
product.  I.e.:  If all user data on private volumes is mirrored that
may be safe, but if a disc in the  MPEXL_SYSTEM_VOLUME_SET
blows up the system is still down, with no opportunity to schedule
replacement of the bad spindle at off-peak periods.  And the next
step up (a.k.a. SharePlex/ix) is incredibly more expensive overall:
Buy a second system;  buy software for a second system;  pay
hardware &software support on a second system;  manage a
second system).
 
Right now this question pretty clearly comes under the cog of
SIGMPE (and I am not necessarily trying to change that).  But
since I suspect that the percentage of MPE/iX sites that are
running Mirrored Disc/iX is relatively low, seems like it might
make sense to have a SIGMPE sub-committee discuss this at
length;  rather than use up precious IPROF time for all SIGMPE.
Then maybe Mirror BOF attendees could give a short summary
to the full SIG.
 
Note that my understanding from various public and private
messages is that although mirroring the <long name> will be
a bit "trickier" than doing non-system volumes, there should
not be any technical show-stoppers.  In fact, I believe someone
mentioned that when HP was first working on Mirrored Disc the
intent was to support mirroring the <how about:  SYS_VOL> in a
"future release", but somehow they never got back/around to
doing it.
 
SIDEBAR:   Remember Image ~20 years ago ??  HP planned
(well, O.K., user-friendly software engineers that used to work for
HP planned) to include integral B-trees in Image "soon" after
the initial release.  But the original Image development team
was broken up, and so here we are, ~20 years later, finally
actually about to get delivery of this major enhancement to
Image/SQL.....  "Soon" is of course another one of those
wonderful words of matchless elasticity.....     ;-)
 
REFLECTION:   Our site doesn't want to wait 20 years for
Mirrored Disc to support doing the SYS_VOL.
 
I am putting in an SR on this issue;  don't have the number yet.
 
Comments ??
Any Mirrored Disc users out there ??
 
Ken Sletten
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smail:     Ken Sletten
                NUWC Division Keyport
                Code 3311, Building 894
                Keyport, WA  98345-7610
tel: 360-396-2525   fax: 360-396-7861 / 2851
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