can intercluster switches be used for more than one cluster?

[elic_co]

Hey,

I have two CN1610 switches serving a 4 node cluster.

Can I connect to these switches another 4 nodes for a different cluster?

Is this supported? will this work but will not be supported?

thanks!

[SpindleNinja]

Why?    

Though I believe it would be the latter. 

[elic_co]

because i don't have extra switches for seperation, i must install these 4 nodes as a single new cluster and have no other place to connect them to

[SpindleNinja]

got ya.  Could be worth reaching out to your account rep to see if an fPVR is an option,  but I'm guessing they won't go for it.  Maybe someone offically from netapp will chime in.   

And there's zero chance they wouldn't get a second pair of switches for a new cluster even if the cost was low? 

[elic_co]

The main issue is not the price, it's the delivery time that takes long

We need to perform the installation sort of asap. we'll be able to seperate the new cluster from the shared switches to the new dedicated ones if there will be but it could take a few weeks, in the meantime the switches will have to be shared

[SpindleNinja]

You'd be suprise how quickly you can get a pair of CN1610.    🙂 

I would still avoid that config personally.   

To add, I recally early version of ONTAP 9x just joining the cluster it detects on the switch automatically,  and later version (I think after 9.3)  it will promtp for an IP of the cluster to join). 

Good luck though.  

[AlexDawson]

Sharing cluster switches is not supported or supportable, sorry.

I would suggest to setup as a 2 node switchless cluster, then expand to 4 nodes when you get the additional switches

In 9.3 we remove the ability to specify the name of the cluster you wish to join, so you'd have to monkey around with manual vlan configuration etc (and ideally a second set of links between switches). Not the way I'd want to run my enterprise storage system..