Step 9: Connect The Cables; Cabling Best Practices - HP AD510A - StorageWorks Modular Smart Array 1500 cs 2U Fibre Channel SAN Attach Controller Shelf Hard Drive Installation Manual

Step 9: Connect the cables

At this point in the process of installing your MSA, you have either installed your new SAN or
prepared your existing SAN for the MSA, your server is ready, your switch is ready, and the MSA is
ready. Now is the time for:
• Connecting the SCSI cables
• Connecting the Fibre Channel cables
• Connecting the power cords
Each of these connection types is discussed in the following paragraphs.

Cabling best practices

• Use the shortest possible cable between devices. Shorter cables are easier to manage and route
along the back of the rack. In addition, shorter cables reduce the possibility of signal
degradation that may occur over longer distances.
• Gather the cables in the rear of the MSA to ensure that the cabling in the back of the rack
system does not interfere with system operation or maintenance. Bind the cables loosely with
cable ties and route the excess cables out of the way, along the side of the rack. When the
cables are tied together and routed down the side of the rack, system components and
indicators are easily visible and accessible.
• Attach a label near both ends of each cable to identify the device connected to that cable.
Include the device, device name, port, or other information that you think will be helpful.
• Use colored markers to color code both ends of each cable, to help you visually identify a
particular cable without having to read or locate the label.
• In multipath configurations, you may want to loosely bind the matching pair of cables that
connect the devices.
• In environments having dual-controller (active/passive) multiservers (especially different server
models), it is important to ensure that the active HBA in each server is connected to the Fibre
Channel SAN switch that is connected to the active controller in the MSA1500, and the passive
HBA in each server is connected to the Fibre Channel SAN switch that is connected to the
passive controller in the MSA1500. HP recommends the following:
• Connect the first Fibre Channel HBA that is initialized during the POST to the active Fibre
Channel interconnect switch (that is, the Fibre Channel SAN switch that is connected to the
MSA1500 active controller—which is usually the controller on the right as you look at the
MSA1500 from the front).
NOTE:
Channel HBA on the lower slot number. However, because this can change depending on
your server architecture, always check your specific system architecture first.
• Connect the second Fibre Channel HBA that is initialized during the POST to the passive
Fibre Channel Interconnect Switch (that is, the Fibre Channel SAN switch that is connected to
the MSA1500 passive controller—which is usually the controller on the left as you look at the
MSA1500 from the front).
40 Installation procedures—All deployments
Typically, the first Fibre Channel HBA that is initialized during the POST is the Fibre