Using Dell PowerVault Fibre Channel Switches

You can connect cluster nodes to the PowerVault shared storage system by using redundant PowerVault Fibre Channel switches. When cluster nodes are connected to the storage system through Fibre Channel switches, the cluster configuration is tech- nically attached to a SAN.

To connect your cluster nodes to the PowerVault shared storage system, your system must have the following hardware components:

Two PowerVault 51F or 56F Fibre Channel switches (more switches may be nec- essary depending on the configuration)

Copper high-speed serial data connector (HSSDC) or fibre optic cables to connect the cluster nodes to the Fibre Channel switches

Copper cables with an HSSDC connector on one end and a DB-9 connector on the other to connect the Fibre Channel switch to the PowerVault storage systems

Attaching a PowerVault Storage System to a SAN-Attached Cluster

The following sections provide configuration and cabling examples for attaching a PowerVault storage system to a SAN-attached cluster.

Connecting the PowerEdge Cluster to a Single PowerVault Storage System

You can add fast and reliable data redundancy to your cluster configuration by adding a PowerVault storage system. This configuration allows you to share the SAN with other clusters and servers, thereby adding scalability to your cluster configuration.

To attach a PowerVault storage system to your cluster, connect each cluster node to both Fibre Channel switches and connect each Fibre Channel switch to the PowerVault storage processors on the cluster's shared storage.

An example of a PowerVault storage system attached to a PowerEdge cluster is shown in Figure 10-2.

10-6 User’s Guide

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Dell FE100, FL100 manual Using Dell PowerVault Fibre Channel Switches

FL100, FE100 specifications

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