support.dell.com Cabling the Cluster Hardware 4-1

CHAPTER 4

Cabling the Cluster Hardware
This chapter provides information on the following components and procedures:
•Cluster cabling components
•Fibre Channel copper connectors
•Cabling your public network
•Cabling your private network
•Protecting your cluster from power failure
•Cabling your mouse, keyboard, and monitor in a Dell rack

Cluster Cabling Components

Dell PowerEdge Cluster FE100/FL100 Datacenter Server configurations require
cabling for the Fibre Channel storage systems, cluster interconnects, client network
connections, and power connections. These systems and components are intercon-
nected to provide four independent functions listed below, each of which is described
in more detail throughout this chapter:
•Shared storage system—Connects the servers' redundant host bus adapters
(HBAs) to the cluster's shared storage system. The server-to-storage connection
can be achieved through a direct connection or through a storage area network
(SAN). See Chapter 10, “SAN Components,” for more detailed information on
SAN configurations.
•Cluster interconnect (private network)—Connects the cluster nodes to each
other to exchange cluster information and health status, such as the cluster heart-
beat and access to the quorum resource. This connection can be made by using a
Broadcom NetExtreme Gigabit Ethernet network interface controller (NIC) (for
the FE100) or Giganet cLAN 1000 NIC (for the FL100) with Category 5 (CAT 5) or
cLAN cabling, respectively, connected to each cluster node.
•Network connection for public traffic (public network)—Provides a connec-
tion between each cluster node and the public network. This connection can be
made using the Broadcom NetExtreme Gigabit Ethernet NIC and Category 5
(CAT 5) ethernet cabling or the Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit Server Adapter and fibre
optical cabling to connect the NIC to the public network.