Accusys ExaSAN SW-08 - Manual (Page 12)

1. Introduction
User Guide Page 1-3
Accusys currently offers a couple of PCIe storage units which can be integrated with the SW04/08 switch.
You may connect any combination of up to three PCIe RAID disk systems to the SW04/08 switch.
1. A08S-PS (desktop tower, 8 hard drives)
2. A12S2-PS (rack mount, 12 hard drives)
If you already have one of the earlier ExaSAN RAID HD systems as listed below, you will need to
contact Accusys Technical Support for assistance with configuration.
3. ExaSAN RAID HD system A12S-PA (rack mount, 12 hard drives)
4. ExaSAN RAID HD system A16S/D-PA (rack mount, 16 hard drives)
5. ExaSAN RAID HD system A24S/D-PA (rack mount, 24 hard drives)
Note that the terms “RAID disk system” and “storage unit” are used interchangeably to mean the same
hardware component in this guide. Refer to the specific RAID Disk System User Guide for additional
information about the RAID systems.
Also note that these disk systems come with a chassis, disk controller, and disk trays only. The hard disk
drives (HDDs) are not included. See Section 1.1.3.2 for considerations concerning HDDs.
Further note that there is a Re-drive card packaged with the PCIe RAID system. In a DAS (Direct
Attached Storage) configuration, this card is to be installed in the host system to provide the PCIe
interface with the RAID system. However, the ExaSAN Compact solution does not require the direct
connection between any workgroup host system and the storage unit. Therefore it is not necessary to
install the Re-drive card.
1.1.3.2 Hard Disk Drive (HDD) for the RAID System
This component is ordered separately from a third-party vendor. The quantities depend on the number and
model of RAID systems you have. Consult your RAID system User Guide for additional information.
Hard disk drives come in different storage capacities performance levels. However, be aware that all hard
drives in a RAID system should match in size and speed. Furthermore, all hard drives in an array should
be of identical model with the same firmware version.
Accusys recommends the SATA Enterprise HDDs for your RAID disk systems.
1.1.3.3 ExaSAN PCIe Switch (SW04/08)
The ExaSAN Compact system offers two switch models: the SW04 and SW08. They vary only in the
number of supported host systems, 4 and 8, respectively. Note that the terms “host system” and
“workgroup client system” may be used interchangeably to refer to the same SAN system component
throughout this guide.