Installing The Bladecenter Configuration; Connecting Bladecenter Hosts To The Ds3500 - IBM DS3500 Installation, User's, And Maintenance Manual

Before you install the BladeCenter configuration, consider the following information:
v Make sure that the BladeCenter chassis, blade server, SAS connectivity module, and SAS expansion
card are supported. Go to http://www.ibm.com/servers/storage/support/disk/, select the link for the
DS3500, and see the interoperability matrix.
v Make sure that an Advanced Management Module is installed in the BladeCenter chassis. The latest
level of management-module firmware is available at http://www.ibm.com/bladecenter/.
v For the latest SAS connectivity module firmware, SAS expansion card firmware, blade server BIOS
code, and device drivers, see http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/.

Installing the BladeCenter configuration

To install the IBM BladeCenter SAS Expansion Card (CFFv), IBM BladeCenter SAS Connectivity Module,
and blade server, complete the following general steps:
1. Install an IBM BladeCenter SAS Expansion Card (CFFv) in each blade server that you want to connect
to the DS3500. See the documentation that comes with the SAS expansion card for installation
requirements and procedures.
2. Install the blade servers in the BladeCenter chassis. See the documentation that comes with the blade
server for installation requirements and procedures.
3. Install the IBM BladeCenter SAS Connectivity Modules in the I/O bays in BladeCenter unit. See the
documentation that comes with the SAS connectivity modules for installation requirements and
procedures.
4. Go to "Connecting BladeCenter hosts to the DS3500."

Connecting BladeCenter hosts to the DS3500

The dual-controller DS3500 comes with two SAS host connectors on each controller, enabling up to 28
blade servers in one BladeCenter unit to be redundantly connected to the storage subsystem.
To protect against the loss of any one path from the host blade servers to the DS3500, use redundant host
connections.
To connect a SAS expansion card that is installed in a blade server to the DS3500, complete the following
steps:
1. Connect a SAS cable from the SAS host connector on the DS3500 storage controller to any SAS port
on an IBM BladeCenter SAS Connectivity Module that is installed in a BladeCenter unit (port 3 is
recommended).
2. To create a redundant host connection, connect a SAS cable from a second SAS connectivity module to
a host connector on the other controller in the DS3500. You can only create a maximum of two
redundant host connections in a dual-controller DS3500, one connection each from the blade center to
the DS3500 controller host port as shown in Figure 3-57 on page 3-46.
Attention: You can connect only one DS3500 to the BladeCenter SAS Connectivity Module. No other
external devices can be connected to the SAS connectivity module.
3. (Optional) For additional storage, you can connect EXP3500 storage enclosures to the DS3500. For an
illustration showing how to configure the storage enclosures, see Figure 3-23 on page 3-20.
Figure 3-57 on page 3-46 shows an example of a DS3500 that is connected to one BladeCenter unit.
Chapter 3. Cabling the storage subsystem and storage enclosure
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