RS12/FC Dual Active Multiarray SPOFless Cabling schemes

[Francesco Tamba]

Hi,
i'm installing a W2K AS MSCS cluster with 2 LT6000r with 2 HBA each + 2 RS12/FC with 2 FCArray Cards and 2 Fibre Switch 8 ports.
This configuration was not made from my company as we provide only services but i was not able to find any cable schemes for this configuration (Dual Active with Multi Array and Switch configuration). Even the HP Configuration Guide for W2K AS Cluster lack this cabling scheme. Any hint or help? Thanks in advance!

[Marco Hogeveen]

Francesco,

When you look at the installation guide at http://netserver.hp.com/docs/download.asp?file=ig_rs12_2.pdf you can see a multi-array and hub configuration at page 41.
But this is for a standalone server only.
The configuration guide at http://netserver.hp.com/docs/download.asp?file=cg_lt60002kfc.pdf you can see that the number of RS12FC cabinets in a cluster should be one!
So it looks like the configuration you??re planning to install is not supported.
Why don??t you daisy-chain a RS12 SCSI to 1 RS12FC?

Marco

[Francesco Tamba]

Thanks Marco but...this configuration comes from a competence center HP itself.
It seems to me that the chain with a RS12 SCSI is just an economic matter not a technical one.
In the HP Rack Sotrage /12FC Installation Guide there is a similar configuration like the one i described and it's called "Multi Array and Hub Configuration" pag.40. The difference with my enviroment is that we have Fibre Switch instead of an a Hub and the Cluster mode.

[Enes Dizdarevic]

Your configuration is supported, provided you follow some guideline. First you have to know that there is no way to use 2 HBA's to access one RS12/FC from one server (there is no software like AutoPath for RS12/FC). That means that you will be using one HBA to access one RS12/FC and another HBA for another RS12/FC. That means you have to follow configuration guide for cluster configuration consisting of 2 servers, each with one HBA and one rs12/FC. There are two possible configurations: one without hub or switch called spofless and one with one hub or switch called spof. Since you have two switches it means your competence center wanted you to have spof configuration. Configuration guides for that configuration can be downloaded from: http://netserver.hp.com/products/high_availability/ms_supported_config.asp#lt6000r
If you want installation guides you must have password for certified installer corner.