High-Availability Cluster Configurations; Hba Support For Nas Cluster Configurations; Hba Connectors; Fibre Channel Switches - Dell PowerVault 770N Platform Manual

High-Availability Cluster Configurations

This section provides information about the supported operating systems, HBAs, and HBA drivers
for your NAS cluster configuration.
NOTICE:
NOTICE:
cluster configurations are tested and certified using identical HBAs installed in all cluster nodes. Using
dissimilar HBAs in your cluster nodes is not supported.

HBA Support for NAS Cluster Configurations

NAS cluster nodes can use any of the following HBAs: Emulex LP9002L, Emulex LP982, Emulex
LP9802, or QLogic QLA2340. See "Installing Peripheral Components in Your NAS Cluster Node
PCI Slots" for PCI slot recommendations.

HBA Connectors

Only optical HBA connectors are supported.

Fibre Channel Switches

• Dual (redundant) fabric configurations are required.
• A maximum of 16 switches may be used in a SAN.
• A minimum of two and a maximum of eight Inter-Switch Links (ISLs) may exist between any
two directly communicating switches. A single ISL is permitted only when connecting to a
remote switch in an EMC
• A maximum of three hops (the number of ISLs that each data frame must traverse) may exist
between a host and a storage system.

Rules and Guidelines

When configuring your NAS cluster, all cluster nodes must contain identical versions of the
following:
• Operating systems and service packs
• Hardware drivers, firmware, or BIOS for the NICs, HBAs, and any other peripheral hardware
components
• Systems management software, such as Dell OpenManage™ systems management software
and EMC Navisphere

Maximum Distance Between Cluster Nodes

• The maximum cable length allowed from an HBA to a switch, from an HBA directly
connected to a storage system, or from a switch to a storage system is 300 meters using
multimode fiber at 2 Gb/sec. This distance may be increased through the use of switch ISLs.
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Platform Guide
All cluster nodes in a NAS cluster must run the same operating system.
HBAs installed in NAS clusters using redundant paths must be identical. PowerVault NAS
®
MirrorView™ configuration.
®
storage management software