About This Documentation (PDF and HTML)
Overview of the Sun Blade Storage Module M2
Terminology Used In This Document
Installing the Storage Module Into the Chassis
Assigning and Managing Storage
Overview of the Sun Blade Storage Module M2 Product Notes
Supported Firmware, Hardware and Software
Solaris Operating System Issues
Performing Maintenance and Hot Plug Actions
Importing Existing Virtual Drives to a Replacement REM
Storage Module Sensors and Indicators
Introduction to the Sun Blade Storage Module M2
Maintaining the Sun Blade Storage Module M2
The following illustration shows a block diagram of how the server module and storage module interface with the chassis.
The storage module interfaces through the chassis to provide extra storage for installed server modules as follows:
The storage and server modules plug into the chassis midplane through any free slot of a Sun Blade 6000 Modular System chassis. The drives of the storage module are connected to the chassis through SAS expanders in a dual path configuration. A SAS expander in the SAS-2 NEM completes the path through the blade chassis to the server modules. The Chassis Monitoring Module (CMM) Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) manages the chassis SAS-2 domain and host-to-storage access.
At least one SAS-2 NEM is required for the storage module. For host-to-disk dual path support, two SAS-2 NEMs are required. For single path support there must be one SAS-2 NEM in slot NEM 0. For a list of supported SAS-2 NEMs, see System Requirements.
Note - The storage module cannot work with SAS-1 NEMs, nor can you mix SAS-1 and SAS-2 NEMs in the chassis. For more information, see SAS-1 and SAS-2 Compatibility.
Note - At the release of this document, there is no support for connecting SAS devices to the external connectors of SAS-NEMs. Only internal chassis host-to-storage connections are allowed. If your host requires external storage, you can install a PCIe ExpressModule Host Bus Adapter in the chassis and connect to a supported external storage device.
The host server module must have a supported SAS-2 RAID Expansion Module (REM) installed to access the storage module. The server module's REM controls its own internal drives as well as CMM-assigned drives on the storage module. The REM connects to the chassis SAS-2 domain through the SAS-2 NEMs to the storage module (see System Requirements for supported REMs).
Note - The Sun Blade Zone Manager feature of the CMM ILOM cannot assign storage that is internal to a server module. The server module has exclusive control of its own internal drives.