2.0 Chelsio Unified Storage Router (USR) SAS-to-iSCSI Appliance
Dell and Chelsio Communications have teamed together to provide a product which could be utilized with the PowerVault tape libraries to provide a 10Gb iSCSI. PowerVault tape libraries already offer a variety of interface options, including Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and Fiber Channel (FC), but do not have native iSCSI support. The Chelsio-developed USR 1100 SAS-to-iSCSI appliance meets Dell’s 10Gb iSCSI tape solution needs.
As shown in Figure 1, the Chelsio USR SAS-to-iSCSI appliance is a 1U rack mounted device which allows the customer to bridge Dell SAS tape devices to their 10Gb iSCSI SAN.
Figure 1 - Chelsio USR SAS-to-iSCSI Appliance
Chelsio USR Port Layout
The Chelsio USR SAS-to-iSCSI appliance features two 10Gb Ethernet ports and two 6Gb SAS ports. This allows the customer to attach up to eight 6Gb SAS tape drives to the iSCSI SAN using a 1 to 4 SAS fan out cable for each SAS port. The Chelsio USR also features two 1Gb Ethernet ports which are used to remotely access the Chelsio USR management interface through a web browser. Alternatively, the management interface can be accessed through the VGA, serial, and USB ports by using a keyboard- video-mouse (KVM) switch. Figure 2 shows the location of key external components of the appliance.
Figure 2 - Chelsio USR Ports
Optimal Connectivity to a Dell PowerVault Tape Library
The Chelsio USR has two 6Gb mini-SAS (SFF-8088) ports which connect to the PowerVault tape library. While a customer could attach only a single mini-SAS to mini-SAS cable to each port this would limit the Chelsio USR to having two tape drive connections.
Enhancing the Dell iSCSI SAN with Dell PowerVaultTM Tape Libraries and Chelsio Unified Storage Router iSCSI Appliance
