Dell FL100, FE100 manual Cabling Your Public Network, Cabling Your Private Network

Fibre Channel devices using HSSDC connections must not be connected directly to Giganet devices using HSSDC connections.

Cabling Your Public Network

The NICs in the PowerEdge systems (cluster nodes) provide at least two network connections for each cluster node—a dedicated private network (cluster interconnect) between the nodes and a public network connection to the local area network (LAN). NICs connected to the LAN can also provide redundancy at the communications level in case the cluster interconnect fails. See your Microsoft Cluster Service (MSCS) doc- umentation for more information on cluster interconnect redundancy.

Using NICs in Your Public Network

Connection to the public LAN is provided by a Broadcom NetExtreme Gigabit Ether- net or Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit Server Adapter installed in each node. The Dell PowerEdge Cluster FE100/FL100 Datacenter Server supported NICs running Trans- mission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) may be used to connect to the public network. Additional NICs may be installed to support additional separate public LAN segments.

Cabling Your Private Network

Your cluster configuration can use Broadcom NetExtreme Gigabit Ethernet NICs or Giganet cLAN 1000 host bus adapters for the private network (cluster interconnect).

The private network is established by using a network switch and/or Giganet cLAN switch. You can use standard Ethernet cables to connect these Broadcom NetExtreme Gigabit Ethernet NICs to a network switch or the GigaNet cable to con- nect from the Giganet adapter to the cLAN GigaNet switch.

The private network can be used for intracluster communications, intercluster com- munications, or a separate, dedicated network, which can provide some or, all of the following features depending on the applications:

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Database replication, snapshots, and synchronization

High-speed network backup

Application-to-database communications

Web server-to-application or web server-to-database communications

Using Broadcom NetExtreme Gigabit Ethernet Controllers in Your Private Network

The private network is established by using a straight-through Category 5 (CAT 5) unshielded network cable to connect the Broadcom NetExtreme Gigabit Ethernet NICs to the private network through a network switch.

support.dell.com Cabling the Cluster Hardware 4-3