Chapter 1 System Overview 3
FC-AL Storage Array
Internal disk storage is provided by up to 12 hot-pluggable, dual-ported Fibre
Channel-Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL) disk drives. The basic system includes a single
FC-AL disk backplane that accommodates up to six disk drives. An optional
expansion backplane can be added to accommodate an additional six disk drives.
In full backplane configuration, both backplanes provide dual-loop access to each of
the FC-AL disk drives. One loop is controlled by an on-board FC-AL controller
integrated into the system motherboard. The second loop is controlled by a PCI
FC-AL host adapter card (available as a system option). This dual-loop configuration
enables simultaneous access to internal storage via two different controllers, which
increases available I/O bandwidth to 200 Mbytes per second (versus 100 Mbytes per
second for single-loop configurations).
A dual-loop configuration can also be combined with multipathing software to
enhance hardware redundancy and failover capability. Should a component failure
render one loop inaccessible, the software can automatically switch data traffic to the
second loop to maintain system availability. For more information about the
system’s internal disk array, see “Mass Storage Subsystem Configuration” on
page 77.
It is possible to use the FC-AL subsystem in a split backplane configuration. For
details, see “Full vs. Split Backplane Configurations” on page 83, as well as the “Split
Backplane Configurations” appendix in the Sun Fire V890 Server Service Manual.
External multidisk storage subsystems and redundant array of independent disks
(RAID) storage arrays can be supported by installing single-channel or multichannel
PCI host adapter cards along with the appropriate system software. Software drivers
supporting SCSI, FC-AL, and other types of devices are included in the Solaris OS.
Other Peripherals
The Sun Fire V890 server provides front-panel access to three mounting bays. One
bay houses an IDE DVD-ROM drive, which is standard in all system configurations.
The other two bays accommodate an optional removable wide SCSI tape device,
which must be ordered separately. The tape drive option also requires a SCSI cable
and a SCSI adapter card, which must be ordered separately. You can easily convert
the two SCSI device bays into a single full-height bay by removing the metal shelf
divider. For additional details, see “About Removable Media Devices” on page 67.
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