Split Topology; Daisy-Chaining Multiple Powervault Md1000 Storage Enclosures - Dell PowerVault MD1000 SAS Solution Manual

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A REFERENCE GUIDE FOR OPTIMIZING DELL™ MD1000 SAS SOLUTIONS

VER A00

Split Topology

In split mode, the enclosure is divided into two logical enclosures; with each host connection

accessing its own set of physical disks. The primary Enclosure Management Module (EMM)

(located on the left side of the enclosure when viewed from the rear), accesses physical disk slots

7 through 14. The secondary EMM accesses physical disk slots 0 through 6. To connect a server

to an enclosure in split mode, the In port of each EMM should be attached to a connector of a

PERC 5/E controller. The Out port of an EMM in split mode is disabled, since enclosure daisy-

chaining is not supported in this mode.

Split mode is useful in deployments where a single PowerVault MD1000 storage enclosure help

provide limited amounts of storage each for two different servers.

Note: In split mode, each host server can see its own physical disks (e.g. drive., physical disk 0 – 6

or 7 – 14) but not the other server's physical disks.

Note: Split mode does not support daisy-chaining.

Note: A system with a single EMM set in split mode will function properly, but the server will only

be able to see the physical disks that are connected to the EMM.

Dual Hosts

Figure 3: Split mode configuration

In unified mode, up to three enclosures may be daisy-chained together from a single PERC 5/E

controller port. A maximum of six PowerVault MD1000 storage enclosures (3 enclosures per port)

may be connected to a single PERC 5/E controller. (Note: Although this is a supported

configuration, one should consider total solution availability before attaching this quantity of storage

to a single-controller solution.). When connecting multiple enclosures, the first enclosure is

connected to the PERC 5/E controller via the In port of the primary EMM. The second enclosure is

connected from the Out port of the primary EMM on the first enclosure to the In port of the primary

EMM on the second enclosure. The connection is made with a standard SAS cable. The third

enclosure is connected in the same manner as the second enclosure.

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5/06/2005

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