Dell SC8000 - Storage Center Hardware Components; Controllers; Switches; Enclosures

Chapter 1 Introduction
2 Storage Center SC8000 Controller Deployment Guide
Storage Center Hardware Components
ADellCompellentStorageCenterconsistsofoneortwocontrollers,switches,andoneor
moreenclosures.
Controllers
AStorageCentercontrollerprovidesthecentralprocessingcapabilityfortheStorage
CenterOperatingSystem(OS),applicationsoftware(StorageCenterSystemManager),and
managingRAIDstorage.AStorageCentercanbeconfiguredwithasinglecontroller
(single‐controllerStorageCenter)orapairofcontrollers(dual‐controllerStorageCenter).
Ina
dual‐controllerStorageCenterconfiguration,thepairofcontrollersmustbethesame
controllermodel.
IOcardsinthecontrollerprovidecommunicationwithdriveenclosuresandserversthat
usethestorage.ControllersprovidetwotypesofIOports:
 Front‐endports:Hosts,servers,orNetworkAttachedStorage(NAS)appliancesaccess
storagebyconnectingtocontrollerFibreChannelIOcards,FCoEIOcards,oriSCSIIO
cardsthroughoneormoreFibreChannelorEthernetnetworkswitches.Portsforthese
connectionsarelocatedonthebackofthecontroller,
butaredesignatedasfront‐end
ports.
 Back‐endports:Enclosures,whichholdthephysicaldrivesthatprovideback‐end
storage,connectdirectlytothecontroller.FibreChannelandSAStransportsare
supportedthroughportsdesignatedasback‐endports.Back‐endportsareintheirown
privatenetworkbetweenthecontrollersandthedriveenclosures.
Switches
DellCompellentoffersFibreChannel(FC)andiSCSIswitchesandIOcardsaspartofthe
totalStorageCenterproductpackage.Switchesproviderobustconnectivitytoservers,
allowingfortheuseofmultiplecontrollersandredundanttransportpaths.Cabling
betweenthecontrollerIOcardsandswitches(andservers)isreferredto
asfront‐end
connectivity.
Enclosures
Enclosureshouseandcontroldrivesthatprovidestorage.Enclosuresareconnected
directlytocontrollerIOcards.Theseconnectionsarereferredtoasback‐endconnectivity.
 NewStorageCenterdeploymentsuse6GBSerialAttachedSCSI(SAS)diskenclosures.
 FibreChannelSwitchedBunchofDisks(SBOD)andSerialAdvancedTechnology
Attachment(SATA)enclosuresaresupportedforexistingStorageCentersandfor
controllermigrationsonly(forexample,upgradinganexistingStorageCenterby
migratingfromaCT‐SC040controllertoanSC8000controller).