Hi, I'm working on a proyect and I have to add a SAN solution to my customer infaestructure. My customer already have a HP Server and we I wanted to add another server, but an IBM one. I thought adding an IBM storage (DS3200) that has two SAS interfaces. The problem is that the IBM distribuitor says that doesn't know if the HP server will be able to communicate with the IBM SAS Storage. So, one possibility was to put in the HP Server an HP SAS HBA Controller. The second option is putting an IBM SAS HBA Controller. I think because SAS is an standard, that it doesn't matter what brand I use of HBA. Shouldn't it work anyway?

There's another option that is adding an iSCSI storage instead of SAS one. The problem is I don't know the performance that the iSCSI storage have. What I want to put inside it is VM with Exchange Server (50 mailbox), an ERP (for 50 users) with it's SQL Server, a VM File Server, a VM with Active Directory.

So, the questions are:

1- Does anybody have experience with iSCSI storage in order to see if its performance if goog enough (I'm planning to use a dedicated gigabit switch for the iSCSI network)?

2- Does anybody know if I can use different brands of servers (in this example one IBM and one HP) with a IBM SAS Storage? Has anybody already done it? Are the HP SAS HBA compatible with IBM iSCSI storage? Are the IBM SAS HBA compatible with HP Servers?

3- In case of being able to do what I say in question 2, what do you suggest? To put a HP SAS HBA inside the HP Server or to put an IBM SAS HBA inside de HP Server?

Of course the option I would like to use is adding an IBM SAS Storage instead of using an iSCSI one, but I'm not sure of their compatibilty between HP Servers and IBM storage.

Thanks in advanced.