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Disk shelf’s and cabling??

nsitps1976
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Would someone please be so kind as to explain a few things for me?

- I would like to know the main differences between the disk shelf models (ds4243, ds14mk2 & mk4)

- Also, how the shelf’s are cabled together assuming this is a single system with dual controllers

- Any documentation/diagrams to help me understand the best practice for cabling shelf’s

- When would SAS cables be used instead of fibre

Many thanks in advance

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

chriskranz
9,380 Views

DS14mk2 and DS14mk4, these are 2 generations of the same module. an ESH (Enhanced Switching Hub???) module that works at 2GB or 4GB (hence the names). You can have ESH2 modules in either shelf, but ESH4 modules would only work in a DS14mk4 shelf. These are both FC only, although that can be via a copper interconnect of a normal FC cable with GBICs. Your whole disk loop wants to (ideally) be the same speed so you'd get full 4GB or dedicated 2GB. Maximum of 6 shelves per loop, disk shelves need to be uniquely numbered in each loop.

DS4243 (DS = Disk Shelf, 4= 4U high, 24= number of disks, 3= 3GB SAS (although it has 4 in the SAS matrix making 12GB)) is a SAS only shelf, so these use SAS cables rather than FC.

The cabling is pretty much the same for either disk shelf. To create HA cabling (recommended) you'd connect one storage controller to the top disk shelf controller, then loop down each top shelf controller to eachother. At the bottom the connection goes back to the partner storage controller (opposite of where you started). The bottom storage controller would be the reverse of the first, so partner controller starts, back into the primary controller at the bottom. It doesn't really matter which order you do this in, so long as you have redundant paths across different loops to each system. Disk ownership is software based, so don't worry about cabling the owning controller into certain disks as you can soft change this when the system has booted.

The only additional cabling you'll want to be aware of is ACP (Alternative Control Path) which controls the active data path for SAS disk shelves and allows for advanced load balancing and failure detection in the loop. You really want this if you have more than 2 ACP shelves, but the cabling is a bit too complicated to explain in words. It's slightly different than the shelf storage cabling, you basically create one giant loop out of Ethernet cabling through all the ACP connections and shelf controllers then back to both storage controllers. You need a standard Ethernet port on the storage controllers, or the E0P port on the 2040.

Documentation -> Disk Shelves -> Disk Shelves (the anchor link is broken for the first link and it has a space in it!)

DS4243 Installation and Service Guide: https://now.netapp.com/NOW/knowledge/docs/hardware/filer/210-04708_A0.pdf

DS14mk1,2,4 Hardware Service Guide: https://now.netapp.com/NOW/public/knowledge/docs/hardware/filer/210-01431.pdf

DS14mk2 AT Hardware Service Guide: https://now.netapp.com/NOW/knowledge/docs/hardware/filer/210-02360_F0.pdf

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