SN6000 - a switch for the development of a storage network
Today we will tell you about the new StorageWorks SN6000 stackable switch with 20 eight-gigabit Fiber Channel ports. Such a device is primarily intended for building a SAN storage network in a small company where an IT professional usually does not have experience in setting up Fiber Channel equipment.
HP StorageWorks SN6000 comes standard with the Simple SAN Connection Manager (SSCM) utility, which, using graphic wizards, helps even a newcomer to SAN technologies to correctly determine the SAN device configuration, including the switch itself, the HBA server adapters, and the HP StorageWorks MSA or EVA disk array ( if there is one at the customer).
Usually, for each of these SAN components, a separate Fiber Channel parameter setting utility is used, and SSCM replaces them with one universal tool. As a result, SAN deployment is greatly simplified and the risk of configuration errors is reduced. SSCM automatically recognizes Fiber Channel switches connected to the storage network, HP StorageWorks servers and disk arrays. Also, using a convenient graphical user interface utility, you can divide the storage network into zones and distribute disk resources among them.
')
This does not end the SSCM capabilities — the utility allows you to monitor the status of SAN components from the graphical console and make changes to its configuration when new equipment is added to the storage network. It automates SAN maintenance processes such as monitoring its state, distributing LUNs, and updating device microcode, displays the network topology, keeps a log of events, and tracks SAN configuration changes.
To reduce the cost, the SN6000 can be purchased in its initial eight-port configuration. HP also offers companies that want to switch to an external disk array and build their first SAN, a ready-made SAN Starter Kit. The kit consists of a new HP StorageWorks P2000 G3 FC MSA array ( we’ve talked about it recently ) with two RAID controllers, two SN6000 switches, four HP 81Q Single-Port PCI-e FC server HBA adapters, 12 HP 8Gb Short Wave FC modules SFP + and 8 five-meter Fiber Channel cables. With this set, even a newcomer to Fiber Channel technology can easily deploy a small storage network with four hosts.
As the SAN evolves and new devices are connected to it, you can activate the remaining ports of the SN6000 by acquiring licenses for four additional ports. In addition, to improve the failover capability of the switch, on which the SAN depends, it is possible to install a second power supply and provide hot-swappable replacement of the power supply.
If all 20 ports of the SN6000 are used, then for the further expansion of the SAN network the stacking of switches is used. The SN6000 differs from other entry-level Fiber Channel switches with four dedicated ten-gigabit Fiber Channel ports for stacking (Inter-Switch Link, ISL), so stacking the switches does not need to free some of the ports to which SAN servers and storage systems are connected.
Due to this, stacking is performed in a hot mode (without disrupting the normal operation of the SAN) and there is less risk of improper connection of cables between switches. Note that the ports for stacking have long become standard for modular Ethernet switches, but in the equipment for Fiber Channel networks, they have only been used recently. The SN6000 stacking ports use a 10-gigabit Fiber Channel with the option of switching to a 20-gigabit interface, and after switching to a faster interface, you do not need to replace the cables connecting the ISL ports.
Up to six switches with 120 ports can be combined into a stack, and the SSCM controls the entire stack as a single device. In addition, up to five stacks of SN6000 switches can be interconnected.
Compared to integrating non-stackable Fiber Channel switches using a mesh topology, the SN6000 stack reduces the number of ports and cables used to connect individual switches — for example, building an 80-port configuration requires four SN6000s with 6 cables against five non-stackable 24-port switches with 20 cables . In addition, to connect ports of non-stackable switches, you will still need to purchase SFP modules for ports that perform ISL functions, and the stackable ports of the SN6000 provide higher bandwidth than the main eight-gigabit ports of the switch.
To optimize the operation of the SN6000 stacking ports, Adaptive Trunking is used, which automatically redistributes traffic between several ISL stack paths. Another I / O function, StreamGuard, ensures the continuous transfer of data streams across a storage network for critical applications (such as tape backup) when one of the servers connected to the SAN is rebooted.
The SN6000 is also suitable for expanding the existing large SAN network of a large enterprise. Due to compatibility issues with Fiber Channel switches when building and expanding SAN, customers typically try to use equipment from a single vendor on the storage network. SN6000 allows you to build a heterogeneous network thanks to the function Transparent Routing implemented in this switch, which transparently connects it to large Fiber Channel switches (so-called director, for example, HP StorageWorks B-Series and C-Series) and as a result, connected to the existing SAN are added to SN6000 storage systems and servers, but the stackable switch itself will be invisible to the old SAN.
This SN6000 deployment scenario for expanding an existing SAN can be used when building an additional SAN for backups using tape switches, which have tape libraries installed, or a separate SAN department connected to the main enterprise storage network, as well as gradually transferring SANs from technologies 2 or 4 Gbit / s for an eight-gigabit version of Fiber Channel.
HP StorageWorks SN6000 comes standard with the Simple SAN Connection Manager (SSCM) utility, which, using graphic wizards, helps even a newcomer to SAN technologies to correctly determine the SAN device configuration, including the switch itself, the HBA server adapters, and the HP StorageWorks MSA or EVA disk array ( if there is one at the customer).
Usually, for each of these SAN components, a separate Fiber Channel parameter setting utility is used, and SSCM replaces them with one universal tool. As a result, SAN deployment is greatly simplified and the risk of configuration errors is reduced. SSCM automatically recognizes Fiber Channel switches connected to the storage network, HP StorageWorks servers and disk arrays. Also, using a convenient graphical user interface utility, you can divide the storage network into zones and distribute disk resources among them.
')
This does not end the SSCM capabilities — the utility allows you to monitor the status of SAN components from the graphical console and make changes to its configuration when new equipment is added to the storage network. It automates SAN maintenance processes such as monitoring its state, distributing LUNs, and updating device microcode, displays the network topology, keeps a log of events, and tracks SAN configuration changes.
To reduce the cost, the SN6000 can be purchased in its initial eight-port configuration. HP also offers companies that want to switch to an external disk array and build their first SAN, a ready-made SAN Starter Kit. The kit consists of a new HP StorageWorks P2000 G3 FC MSA array ( we’ve talked about it recently ) with two RAID controllers, two SN6000 switches, four HP 81Q Single-Port PCI-e FC server HBA adapters, 12 HP 8Gb Short Wave FC modules SFP + and 8 five-meter Fiber Channel cables. With this set, even a newcomer to Fiber Channel technology can easily deploy a small storage network with four hosts.
As the SAN evolves and new devices are connected to it, you can activate the remaining ports of the SN6000 by acquiring licenses for four additional ports. In addition, to improve the failover capability of the switch, on which the SAN depends, it is possible to install a second power supply and provide hot-swappable replacement of the power supply.
If all 20 ports of the SN6000 are used, then for the further expansion of the SAN network the stacking of switches is used. The SN6000 differs from other entry-level Fiber Channel switches with four dedicated ten-gigabit Fiber Channel ports for stacking (Inter-Switch Link, ISL), so stacking the switches does not need to free some of the ports to which SAN servers and storage systems are connected.
Due to this, stacking is performed in a hot mode (without disrupting the normal operation of the SAN) and there is less risk of improper connection of cables between switches. Note that the ports for stacking have long become standard for modular Ethernet switches, but in the equipment for Fiber Channel networks, they have only been used recently. The SN6000 stacking ports use a 10-gigabit Fiber Channel with the option of switching to a 20-gigabit interface, and after switching to a faster interface, you do not need to replace the cables connecting the ISL ports.
Up to six switches with 120 ports can be combined into a stack, and the SSCM controls the entire stack as a single device. In addition, up to five stacks of SN6000 switches can be interconnected.
Compared to integrating non-stackable Fiber Channel switches using a mesh topology, the SN6000 stack reduces the number of ports and cables used to connect individual switches — for example, building an 80-port configuration requires four SN6000s with 6 cables against five non-stackable 24-port switches with 20 cables . In addition, to connect ports of non-stackable switches, you will still need to purchase SFP modules for ports that perform ISL functions, and the stackable ports of the SN6000 provide higher bandwidth than the main eight-gigabit ports of the switch.
To optimize the operation of the SN6000 stacking ports, Adaptive Trunking is used, which automatically redistributes traffic between several ISL stack paths. Another I / O function, StreamGuard, ensures the continuous transfer of data streams across a storage network for critical applications (such as tape backup) when one of the servers connected to the SAN is rebooted.
The SN6000 is also suitable for expanding the existing large SAN network of a large enterprise. Due to compatibility issues with Fiber Channel switches when building and expanding SAN, customers typically try to use equipment from a single vendor on the storage network. SN6000 allows you to build a heterogeneous network thanks to the function Transparent Routing implemented in this switch, which transparently connects it to large Fiber Channel switches (so-called director, for example, HP StorageWorks B-Series and C-Series) and as a result, connected to the existing SAN are added to SN6000 storage systems and servers, but the stackable switch itself will be invisible to the old SAN.
This SN6000 deployment scenario for expanding an existing SAN can be used when building an additional SAN for backups using tape switches, which have tape libraries installed, or a separate SAN department connected to the main enterprise storage network, as well as gradually transferring SANs from technologies 2 or 4 Gbit / s for an eight-gigabit version of Fiber Channel.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/98464/
All Articles