Accusys ExaSAN SW-08 - Manual (Page 3)

User Guide Page ii
PREFACE
Notice
The product features and specifications described in this guide are subject to change without notice.
The manufacturer shall not be liable for any damage, or the loss of information resulting from the
performance or use of the information contained herein.
About This Guide
Congratulations on your purchase of the ExaSAN (pronounced X-sa-SAN) Compact, a breakthrough
turn-key desktop storage solution, specifically designed for small-to-medium-sized Apple Xsan
collaborative workgroups. It delivers shared data access, exceptional performance, and scalable capacity
at a very affordable ownership cost and requires only low maintenance budget.
This guide contains instructions for installing and using the ExaSAN Compact system, as well as an
introduction to Xsan (Apple Inc.’s Storage Area Network file system) and RAID (Redundant Array of
Independent Disks) technologies.
If you are new to Xsan and RAID, this guide will help you become familiar with these technologies, and
the ways you can use them to your advantages. If you are already familiar with these technologies, use
this guide as a reference for implementing your ExaSAN Compact solution to achieve maximum
performance and reliability.
For details of hardware installation, setup, configuration and considerations, see
• Chapter 1, “Introducing ExaSAN Compact”
• Chapter 2, “Preparing to Insatll ExaSAN Compact”
• Chapter 3, “Installing ExaSAN Compact”
• Chapter 4, “Using ExaSAN Compact”
For explanations of Xsan and recommended RAID level in relation to your ExaSAN Compact
implementation, see
• Chapter 5, RAID Overview
• Chapter 6, Xsan Overview
For explanation and examples of DAS (Direct Attached Storage) to ExaSAN Compact migration, see
• Chapter 7, Migrating from DAS to ExaSAN Compact
For using the SW04/08 switch for storage sharing without installing Xsan management software, see
• Chapter 8, “ExaSAN LUN Masking Overview”
In addition, see the “ExaSAN Compact SW04/08 Quick Start Guide” for step-by-step setup instructions.
Trademarks
Accusys and the names of Accusys products and logos referenced herein are trademarks and/or service
marks or registered trademarks and/or service marks of Accusys, Inc.