Chapter 1. Introduction
This chapter describes the operating specifications, features, and components for the IBM TotalStorage DS4100 storage server (hereafter referred to as DS4100 or storage server). This chapter also includes a list of hardware that comes with the storage server.
Overview
IBM DS4000 solutions support the large and growing data storage requirements of business-critical applications. These scalable IBM DS4000 solutions offer you data access and protection to meet your existing enterprise storage requirements and prepare for the future.
Designed for data archival, data reference, and near-line storage applications, the DS4100 utilizes the latest Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) disk drive technology. The DS4100 supports up to fourteen 1.5 Gbps 250 GB SATA disk drive modules, offering up to 3.5 terabytes (TB) of capacity per enclosure.
Note: SATA hard drive CRUs cannot be interchanged with the fibre-channel hard drive CRUs that are supported in other DS4000 storage products.
The DS4100 can be used in storage area networks to satisfy the needs of various fixed content, data-reference applications that require large amounts of storage capacity but do not have the high utilization and access characteristics satisfied by fibre channel disk drive storage. The storage server provides continuous, reliable service, using hot-swap technology for easy replacement without shutting down the system.
IBM currently offers two versions of the DS4100:
vDS4100 base storage server (Machine Type 1724, Model 100)
vDS4100 single-controller storage server (Machine Type 1724, Model 1Sx)
About the DS4100 base storage server
The DS4100 base (dual-controller) storage server (Machine Type 1724, Model 100) is a rack-mountable storage server that comes with two RAID controllers, two power supplies, and two cooling units. It provides dual, redundant controllers, redundant cooling, redundant power, and battery backup of the RAID controller cache. The DS4100 base storage server is designed to provide maximum host and drive-side redundancy, enabling full redundant drive loop support to additional disk storage capacity in the drive expansion enclosures via the drive loop port from each RAID controller. In addition, each RAID controller supports direct attachment of two hosts that contain two fibre channel host bus adapters each. External cables and small form-factor pluggable (SFP) modules connect the storage server to the storage expansion unit and the host servers.
Up to seven DS4000 EXP100 storage expansion units can be connected together with the DS4100 base storage server in a fibre-channel loop, providing connections to a maximum of 112 hard drives. With the DS4100 base storage server, you can configure RAID-protected storage solutions of up to 28 TB (by connecting the DS4100 base storage server to seven drive expansion enclosures with 250 GB SATA hard drives), providing economical and scalable storage for your rapidly growing application needs for limited access, data reference storage capacity. The DS4100 base storage server is designed with redundant 2 Gbps fibre channel
