HP P2000 G3 MSA Array Systems - Manual (Page 24)

24 Installing the enclosures
Connecting controller and drive enclosures
P2000 G3 MSA System controller enclosures — available in either 24-drive (2.5”) or 12-drive (3.5”)
chassis — support up to eight enclosures (including the controller enclosure) for storage/expansion, or a
maximum of 149 disk drives. You can also configure drive enclosures of mixed type, as shown in Table 3
on page 26.
The firmware supports both straight-through and reverse SAS cabling. Reverse cabling allows any drive
enclosure to fail — or be removed — while maintaining access to other enclosures. Fault tolerance and
performance requirements determine whether to optimize the configuration for high availability or high
performance when cabling. P2000 G3 MSA System controller enclosures support both 3Gbps and 6Gbps
internal disk drive speeds, together with 3Gbps and 6Gbps expander link speeds. Controller and
expansion modules are identified by <enclosure-ID><controller-ID>. When connecting multiple
drive enclosures, use reverse cabling to ensure the highest level of fault tolerance.
For example, Figure 6 on page 29 shows controller module 1A is connected to expansion module 2A,
with a chain of connections cascading down (blue). Controller module 1B is connected to the lower
expansion module (5B) of the last drive enclosure, with connections moving in the opposite (reverse)
direction (green).
NOTE: P2000 G3 MSA System controller enclosures support hot-plug replacement of redundant
controller modules, fans, power supplies, and I/O modules. Hot-add of drive enclosures is also supported.
Connecting controller and D2700 6Gb drive enclosure
A D2700 6Gb drive enclosure, supporting 6Gb internal disk drive and expander link speeds, can be
attached to a P2000 G3 FC MSA System LFF or P2000 G3 FC MSA System SFF controller enclosure using
supported mini-SAS to mini-SAS cables of 0.5m to 2m length (see Figure 3 on page 28).
Connecting controller and P2000 6Gb 3.5" 12-drive enclosure
A P2000 6Gb 3.5" 12-drive enclosure, supporting 6Gb internal disk drive and expander link speeds, can
be attached to a P2000 G3 FC MSA System LFF or P2000 G3 FC MSA System SFF controller enclosure
using supported mini-SAS to mini-SAS cables of 0.5m to 2m length (see Figure 2 on page 28).
Connecting controller and MSA70 3Gb drive enclosure
P2000 G3 MSA System controllers support MSA70 3Gb drive enclosures running firmware version 2.18 or
later.
For information about the MSA70 3Gb drive enclosure, including detailed steps to upgrade the firmware,
see the HP StorageWorks 70 Modular Smart Array Enclosure User Guide located on the MSA2000
Software Support/Documentation CD shipped with your product, or at http://hp.com/support/manuals .
If you connect a 3Gb drive enclosure to a 6Gb controller enclosure, data throughput occurs at the drive
enclosure’s 3Gb data rate (see Figure 5 on page 29).
Diagrams within this document use IOM (I/O Module: also referred to as expansion module).
Connecting controller and MSA2000 3Gb 3.5" 12-drive enclosure
Connecting an MSA2000 3.5” 12-drive enclosure to a P2000 G3 FC MSA System LFF or P2000 G3 FC
MSA System SFF requires supported mini-SAS to SAS cables. If you connect a 3Gb drive enclosure to a
6Gb controller enclosure, data throughput occurs at the drive enclosure’s 3Gbps data rate (see Figure 4 on
page 28).
IMPORTANT: Adding a fourth drive enclosure may require a separate, longer cable. For a current list of
supported cables, check the MSA2000 G2 Quickspecs located on the HP MSA products page at
http://www.hp.com/go/msa . Select your product. Quickspecs links are located on the right.