HP storageworks EVA4400 technical specification confusion ?

[ift38375]

Hi,
We are using hp san device EVA4400 model with dual controller and controller model is HSV300.
My questions are
1. HBA card and RAID card is inbuilt feature of controller or we can buy both seperately from vendor specific.
2. What is use of dual controller.
3. Is it mandatory to use two SAN Switch with dual controller SAN device.
4. Suppose I do not want to use two SAN Switch and directly connect through cable. Is it possible ?
5. What will impact if we do not use two SAN Switch and connect SAN device to server/blade.

Regards
Kuldeep Singh

[Johan Guldmyr]

Hi, 

1. They are builtin and cannot be changed.
2. Redundancy and performance. One controller can serve all LUNs during a firmware upgrade/reboot. Both controllers can and do serve different LUNs.
3. No
4. Yes it is - you just have to change the ports on both controller and HBA to direct connect mode
5. Mostly it's an issue when/if you want to grow the network. Keep a port free in each controller - then if you in the future need to connect more devices (and use switches) you can do it easily. Connect each server to both controllers (dual port HBA).

[ift38375]

4. Which port we need to change ? Please mention exact port ( like as GE, FC HBA).
Here you are talking about port of two things ; controller and HBA but I am confused here whose HBA. As per my knowledge HBA is not a hardware, it is port which can be exists either on controller or Server/Blade.

5. It is still not clear, why use two switch with dual san controller, if dual controller gives feature of redundancy then why we need of two san switch between controller and server/blade.

[Torsten.]

4) connect to the management module of the EVA (by browser) and set the mode of the FC ports.

5) for redundancy/performance. This is how you design a SAN for HA: double everything

[Sheldon Smith]

The switches provide fabric redundancy. From time to time, the switch firmware needs to be updated for bug fixes, security patches and the like. If everything is connected to one switch, you will have to shut everything down during the switch firmware upgrade process.

Look at the SAN Design Guide, available from SPOCK - Single Point of Connectivity Knowledge for HP Storage Products
https://www.hpe.com/Storage/Spock/