Test system with multiple SCSI drives

[Kilocomp]

Alright this is semi OT, since it is dealing with a multi OS setup question with possibly a hardware solution. I am currently building/designing a test network. For this test network I have several servers and workstations. On the workstations they will have IDE drives plus the Romtec Trios hard drive selector. With the selector I will be able to have different test configuration I can bring up without having additional computer or having to reload the system all the time. I want to be able to have this same option for the servers I will have, but they will be running SCSI drives. I possible could setup a hotswap system, but that seems to be to expensive just to do this. I would like to have the drives isolated from each other as one is being used (like Trios selector does), but it is not a requirement. Possibly a nice software solution exits to allow me to do this? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Nick

 

[Nothinman]

Why not look at VMWare? You can have as many test configs as you have hard drive space, they'll all be perfectly isolated and they appear to each other (even the host running VMWware) as completely seperate PCs.

 

[Woodie]

Build the servers on chassis w/ hot-swap setups. Do NOT use RAID (if it's there), as the controller will not like it when you swap drives. Make each HD SCSI ID=0 (that's the default bootable device)

Install one HD, install the first OS, configure it, whatever. (Usually do MS OSes first)
Now, do a graceful shutdown & power off.
Label the HD!
Install a second HD, install the second OS, configure it, whatever.
Now, do a graceful shutdown & power off.
Label the HD!
Repeat as needed. To switch OSes, you'll have to shut down, swap the drive out, and boot up again.
If you can, use static IP addresses, with different names and adresses for the different configurations.

VMWare might be easier to use, since it doesn't require reboots and "spare" hard drives in trays, etc.
You should be able to find a used Compaq server, w/ built-in hot-swap capability, w/ 3-4 9gig drives already in trays on ebay, or at dot-bomb auctions.

 

[Drakkhen]

Well, another way to try it out would be to just change the boot device scsi ID in the card.

If you have 3 drives, and each has their own ID (0,1,2), the default boot device is ID 0. Then, if your card supports it, you can, at boot time, go into the bios of your SCSI controller and just choose whichever ID you want to be the boot device.

While this won't give you the complete isolation that you are looking for, it will give you the multi-boot option that should help.