Avago Technologies Syncro CS 9286-8e - Manual (Page 7)

Avago Technologies
- 7 -
Syncro CS 9286-8e Solution User Guide
November 2014 Chapter 1: Introduction
Hardware Compatibility
 Full MegaRAID® features, with the following exceptions.
— T10 Data Integrity Field (DIF) is not supported.
— Self-encrypting drives (SEDs) and full disk encryption (FDE) are not supported.
— CacheCade 2.0 (write back) is not supported.
— Dimmer Switch® is not supported.
— SGPIO sideband signaling for enclosure management is not supported.
1.4 Hardware Compatibility
The servers, disk drives, and JBOD enclosures that you use in the Syncro CS 9286-8e solution must be selected from
the list of approved components that LSI has tested for compatibility. Refer to the web page for the compatibility lists
at
http://www.lsi.com/channel/support/pages/interoperability.aspx .
1.5 Overview of the Cluster Setup and Configuration
Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 describe how to install the hardware and software so that you can use the fault tolerance
capabilities of HA-DAS to provide continuous service in event of drive failure or server failure, expand the
system
storage.
Chapter 2 describes how to install the Syncro CS 9286-8e controllers and connect them by cable to an external drive
enclosure. In addition, it lists the steps required after controller installation and cable connection, which include
the
following:
 Configure the drive groups and the virtual drives on the two controllers
 Install the operating system driver on both server nodes.
 Install the operating system on both server nodes, following the instructions from the manufacturer
 Install StorCLI and MegaRAID Storage Manager™ utilities
Chapter 3 describes how to perform the following actions while using a supported OS:
 Install and enable the cluster feature on both servers.
 Set up a cluster under the supported operating systems
 Configure drive groups and virtual drives
 Create a CacheCade 1.0 virtual drive as part of a Syncro CS 9286-8e configuration.
1.6 Performance Considerations
SAS technology offers throughput-intensive data transfers and low latency times. Throughput is crucial during
failover periods where the system needs to process reconfiguration activity in a fast, efficient manner. SAS offers a
throughput rate of 124 Gb/s over a single lane. SAS controllers and enclosures typically aggregate four lanes into an
x4-wide link, giving an available bandwidth of 48 Gb/s across a single connector, which makes SAS ideal for
HA
environments.
Syncro CS controllers work together across a shared SAS Fabric to achieve sharing, cache coherency, heartbeat
monitoring and redundancy by using a set of protocols to carry out these functions. At any point in time, a particular
VD is accessed or owned by a single controller. This owned VD is a termed a local VD. The second controller is aware of
the VD on the first controller, but it has only indirect access to the VD. The VD is a remote VD for the second controller.