Sun StorEdge 6920 System Getting Started Guide Table Of ContentsPrevious ChapterNext ChapterBook Index


C H A P T E R  1
System Overview

This chapter describes the components and terminology of the Sun StorEdge 6920 system. It includes the following sections:

System Features

The Sun StorEdge 6920 system has a modular architecture with integrated system- wide manageability. The Sun StorEdge 6920 system features include:


FIGURE 1-1 Sun StorEdge 6920 System Environment

Illustration showing the system with attached storage and remote management stations.


Hardware Overview

The system base cabinet contains all of the hardware components for the system.


FIGURE 1-2 Sun StorEdge 6920 System Base Cabinet - Front and Back Views

Illustration showing the major components of the Sun StorEdge 6920 system.


TABLE 1-1 describes the Sun StorEdge 6920 system hardware components.


TABLE 1-1 System Hardware Components
Component
Description

Storage Service Processor (SSP)

The Storage Service Processor is a management host residing in the system's base cabinet. The management software arrives pre-installed on the Storage Service Processor. The Storage Service Processor is cabled to the service panel, allowing for easy serial and local area network (LAN) connections. All data host and external storage connections are made through the service panel. You do not connect directly to the Storage Service Processor.

Data Services Platform (DSP)

The DSP provides virtualization services for the storage devices in the system. The DSP houses redundant switch fabric cards (SFCs), storage resource cards (SRCs), storage I/O (SIO) cards, and management interface cards (MICs).

Storage resource card (SRC) sets

Storage resource card (SRC) sets handle packet processing for the DSP Fibre Channel (FC) interface. Each SRC set consists of a storage I/O (SIO) card and an SRC card. SIO cards provide the physical interface to storage arrays and data hosts. Each processor on an SRC card manages two adjacent ports on the SIO card.

Switch fabric cards (SFCs)

The switch fabric cards provide central data path switching functions for the DSP.

Storage I/O (SIO) cards

A board that provides the Fibre Channel and optionally, gigabit Ethernet ports for the Data Services Platform. This card is always paired with a storage resource card (SRC). The system supports two types of SIO cards. The SIO-8 card has eight FC ports and the SIO COMBO card has six FC ports and one gigabit Ethernet port. The FC ports provide the physical interface to arrays and data hosts. The gigabit Ethernet port provides connectivity for replicating data to another Sun StorEdge 6920 system located at a remote site.

Management interface cards (MICs)

Two management interface cards (MICs), located in the bottom two slots of the DSP, provide the system interface and management control functions for the DSP.

Storage arrays

The storage arrays make up the physical storage of the Sun StorEdge 6920 system. The individual disk trays in an array can contain 7 or 14 disk drives each.

Service panel

The service panel simplifies the cabling to the system. The Service Processor Panel and I/O panel provide the following connections:

Service Processor Panel

  • Modem connection
  • LAN connections for management
  • Serial ports
  • AUX port to connect to the DSP management interface card (MIC), which provides management interface failover

I/O panel

  • FC I/O connections for data hosts and external storage, and FC-based remote replication
  • Gigabit Ethernet connections for gigabit Ethernet-based remote replication
  • Power connections for expansion cabinet management
  • Ethernet and FC connections for expansion cabinets

You connect cables to these accessible panel connections rather than to individual components of the system.

Storage Service Processor (SSP) accessory tray

The Storage Service Processor accessory tray provides a number of functions for the system, including:

  • Network terminal concentrator (NTC)
  • Router with a firewall
  • Modem to connect to the Sun StorEdge Remote Response service
  • Ethernet hub to manage internal network traffic

AC power sequencer panel

Each AC power sequencer, located at the lower front and back of the base cabinet, contain the power switch and AC circuit breaker.


From the front of the system's base cabinet, you can view the LEDs for the Storage Service Processor, Data Services Platform (DSP), and storage arrays. Each of the 14 Fibre Channel RAID disk drives has LEDs that indicate drive activity:

From the back of the base cabinet, you can access the service panel for cabling data hosts, storage area network (SAN), local area network (LAN), and external storage devices to the system. You can also access storage arrays and the DSP's field-replaceable units (FRUs) such as power and cooling units, array controllers, and management interface cards (MICs).

Depending on your configuration, your system can consist of only a base cabinet, or it can include one or two expansion cabinets.

For more information about hardware components, go to the online help system. Click the Search tab and enter hardware.

Storage Array Configurations

The storage array design is modular, with a variety of possible configurations. Each configuration option includes two controllers (also referred to as a controller pair) to provide redundancy and failover capabilities. Each storage array also has redundant Fibre Channel (FC) data paths and two power supplies with an integral battery backup system. In the event of a total power failure, each array has sufficient power from the batteries to shut down the system in an orderly fashion.

The system is available in three supported storage array configurations as described in TABLE 1-2.


TABLE 1-2 Storage Array Configuration Options

Option

Controllers x Trays

Number of Disk Drives

Minimum Capacity

Maximum Capacity

1

2 x 2

14 to 28

504 gigabytes

4 terabytes

2

2 x 4

28 to 56

1 terabyte

8 terabytes

3

2 x 6

42 to 84

1.5 terabytes

12 terabytes



FIGURE 1-3 Storage Array Configuration Options

Illustration showing two-by-two, two-by-four, and two-by-six array configurations.


The configuration of the system is based on requirements for throughput, amount of storage, and economy. For example, if throughput is more important to you than economy, you might want your system to use the option 1 storage array configuration. In contrast, if the amount of storage is more important to you than throughput, the option 2 or 3 storage array configuration might be appropriate for your storage needs.

A controller tray contains disk drives and built-in RAID management hardware. An expansion tray contains disk drives only and is managed by a controller tray.

FC I/O connections on the service panel connect to the controller of each array in the base cabinet. This cabling is attached at the factory before the system is shipped.

For more information about array configurations, see the online help.

Internal and External Networks

The Sun StorEdge 6920 system incorporates three separate networks: The Storage Service Processor LAN, the internal component LAN, and the site LAN (TABLE 1-3).


TABLE 1-3 Internal and External LANs

Network

Description

Storage Service Processor LAN

The Storage Service Processor LAN is used by the Sun StorEdge Remote Response system to remotely monitor the Sun StorEdge 6920 service. When multiple Sun StorEdge 6920 systems (up to eight at the same site) are installed, the systems can share a single telephone line.

Internal Component LAN

The Storage Service Processor communicates with components that make up the system over this LAN. This network is not accessible from outside the system and is isolated from the data path. An Ethernet hub manages internal network traffic on the Sun StorEdge 6920 system.

Site LAN

This LAN connects to the customer's intranet (Ethernet LAN) through the User LAN port on the service panel. This network enables access to the system from a management host. A management host is used to configure, control, and monitor the system through a web browser or the remote scripting CLI client. A firewall is included in the router of the Storage Service Processor accessory tray between the site LAN and the Storage Service Processor LAN.



Note - In addition to the firewall supplied with the Sun StorEdge 6920 system, you can also use a site firewall implemented with your own corporate security policies. However, you cannot use your own firewall in place of the firewall supplied with the Sun StorEdge 6920 system.


External Storage Devices

In addition to its internal storage arrays, the Sun StorEdge 6920 system provides support for virtualization of data stored on external storage devices. Data stored on external storage devices can be preserved and added to the system as a legacy volume. You can also use external storage as a means of increasing storage capacity. In this case, the data on the external storage device is not preserved and the capacity is added to a storage pool as one virtual disk. You can also migrate data from an external storage device to a volume on the system by using data mirroring.

You can monitor the health of external storage devices by using the Sun Storage Automated Diagnostic Environment Enterprise Edition software, which is provided on the Host Installation Software CD.

For more information about support for external storage devices, see Connecting External Storage Devices and the online help.

Expanding System Capacity

Your system is preconfigured at the factory based on the number of disks and capacity ordered. As your storage requirements increase, you can expand the capacity of your system by adding disks, trays, expansion cabinets, FC ports, and external storage devices. System components are available as field-replacement units (FRUs) and can be installed in the field. FRU installation instructions are available through the online Storage Automated Diagnostic Environment Service Advisor.

Software Overview

This section describes the following software used in the system:

User Interfaces

You can access the system using the two main interfaces to the system:

The remote scripting CLI client provides the same control and monitoring capability as the browser interface, and it is also scriptable for running frequently performed tasks. If you want to configure storage from a remote management host, you can install the remote scripting CLI client on an external management host and then use the sscs commands to access the system. You can access the remote scripting CLI client from any management host that is connected to the User LAN port.

The remote scripting CLI client for the Solaris Operating System is provided on the Host Installation Software CD that is delivered with the system. Host software for other operating systems is available from the Sun Download Center (SDLC).

For information about installing the remote scripting CLI client, see Chapter 4. For information about managing the system using the CLI, see the sscs(1M) man page.

Resident Software

TABLE 1-4 describes the software that is pre-installed on the Sun StorEdge 6920 system.


TABLE 1-4 Resident (Pre-installed) System Software

Software

Description

System and storage management software

Provides configuration services through a centralized management tool.

System monitoring and diagnostic software

Provides a diagnostic monitoring tool for the system. It can be configured to monitor on a 24-hour basis, collecting information that enhances the reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) of the Sun StorEdge 6920 system.

Revision analysis and maintenance software

Provides a tool for upgrading firmware revisions of all components resident in the system. It also keeps track of component firmware levels and firmware revisions.

Sun StorEdge Remote Response software

Connects to the Sun Service Center, allowing trained personnel to remotely monitor, troubleshoot, diagnose, and service the system. If the Sun Service Center determines that there is a problem, Sun will recommend and perform maintenance on the system.


Data Services Software

Sun StorEdge 6920 data services software helps the storage administrator to effectively manage data and provide critical data services for key applications in the data center. The following data services applications are available as optional licensed software.

Sun StorEdge Storage Pool Manager

The Sun StorEdge Storage Pool Manager software enables virtualization and pooling of storage assets across applications. Licensing for up to two terabytes of capacity is provided with the system. Additional right-to-use (RTU) licensing is required for use of larger capacities.

Sun StorEdge Data Snapshot

Sun StorEdge Data Snapshot software allows you to create point-in-time snapshot copies of a volume. The snapshot copies can be read/write-mounted by applications to secondary storage and used for backup, application testing, or data mining without the need for the primary storage to be taken offline. The right-to-use (RTU) license is issued per system and is based on the capacity of primary storage that will be snapped.

Sun StorEdge Data Mirror

Sun StorEdge Data Mirror software enables you to create local, independent read-and-write copies of data. Applications can access the mirrored data while other operations, such as backups, data recovery, and applications testing, occur in parallel without disrupting production application access. Licensing is based on the total capacity of the primary volumes that are being mirrored.

Sun StorEdge Data Replicator

Sun StorEdge Data Replicator software enables you to replicate data from one site to another. Replica sites can be located anywhere in the world and data can be transparently written to both primary and secondary sites simultaneously. The software includes a fast resynchronization feature that allows data to be synchronized quickly in the event of a link failure between sites, or at predetermined intervals. Licensing is based on the total capacity of the primary volumes that are being replicated.

Required Host Software

In addition to the software that is pre-installed on the system, there is additional software that must be installed on hosts for the system either to function properly or to gain additional functionality. This software is summarized in the following sections.

Solaris Host Software

The Host Installation Software CD that is packaged with the system includes a variety of Solaris host-based software for managing the Sun StorEdge 6920 system. You specify the functionality you require, and the CD installs the necessary software.

The software on the Host Installation Software CD includes:

To enable multipathing functionality, each Solaris data host must have Sun StorEdge SAN Foundation software installed before it can reliably communicate with the system's storage. You may also choose to purchase VERITAS software, as described in Additional Supported Software, to enable Dynamic Multipathing (DMP).

Host Software for Other Operating Systems

Additional host software enables data hosts that run operating systems other than the Solaris OS to communicate with the Sun StorEdge 6920 system. For details about the supported operating systems and versions, see the Sun StorEdge 6920 System Release Notes.

This software consists of the following:

You can download host software for operating systems other than Solaris OS from the Sun Download Center at: 

http://wwws.sun.com/software/download/sys_admin.html

Go to the Download Center, select the Sun StorEdge 6920 system related software link, and follow the instructions to register and download the host software.

Additional Supported Software

The following host-based software is supported by the Sun StorEdge 6920 system:

Supported Third-Party Software

The Sun StorEdge 6920 system is compatible with the following third-party applications:

You can purchase any of this software and install it on hosts connected to the Sun StorEdge 6920 system. For a list of supported releases and versions, see the Sun StorEdge 6920 System Release Notes.



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