Cabling a cluster

About this section

This section provides you with the procedures required to cable the cluster if you have

• a minimum cluster configuration of one disk shelf per filer
• a maximum cluster configuration

You must cable the cluster in the following order:

• Cable the Channel A connections on your filer and disk shelves
• Cable the Channel B connections on your disk shelves
• Cable the cluster by
  • using the cluster interconnect cable to connect the cluster interconnect adapter in each filer
  • connecting the Channel B connection between disk shelf 0 and the partner filer.

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    Note: An FC-AL interface can connect to a maximum of eight daisy-chained disk shelves. Both filers in a cluster, each with two or more FC-AL interfaces, can connect to disk shelves with a total storage capacity of up to 1.5 TB. The distribution of the 1.5 TB storage capacity for a filer with two or more FC-AL interfaces is left to your discretion.

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Assumptions made in this section

The following assumptions are made in this section:

• That you have installed your filers and disk shelves in an equipment rack based on the procedures provided in the hardware guides for your filer and disk shelves.

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  Note: If you mix Fibre Channel StorageShelf FC8s (which contain only 18-GB fibre channel disks) with Fibre Channel StorageShelf FC7s (which contain only 9-GB fibre channel disks) in a loop of daisy-chained disk shelves, the Fibre Channel StorageShelf FC7 (9GB) must be disk shelf 0. Disk shelf 0 is the disk shelf that is directly connected to the filer.

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• That you have labeled the FC-AL interfaces as described in "Configuring your cluster."
• That you have labeled the LRC card above the EDM card in each disk shelf as Channel A, if this identification is not etched on the disk shelf fans.

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  Note: Associate a solid-colored label for each Channel A interface. You apply labels of this color on every cable in the loop connected to this interface.

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• That you have labeled the LRC card below the EDM card in each disk shelf as Channel B, if this identification is not etched on the disk shelf fans.

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  Note: Identify the color of the label that you applied in the middle of each shelf-to-shelf cable for the Channel A loop. For the Channel B loop, choose the striped label matching the solid-colored label. For example, if you applied a red label for the Channel A loop, use the red striped label for the Channel B loop.

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Copyright © 1999, Network Appliance, Inc. All rights reserved.

Part No. 210-02327
File: cluster2.htm
Last updated: 02/22/99 13:18:57