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Can a single port of a HBA connect to two drives?

 
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Scorpio_1963
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Can a single port of a HBA connect to two drives?

I plan to add a new tape library (MSL4048) to a system using a new two port fibre HBA (SN1100E) with two fibre cables to each of two LTO-6 drives (6250). Someone has suggested that a currently spare port on an existing HBA could be used for this purpose, but I can’t even figure out how a single cable could physically connect to two drives unless perhaps they are daisy-chained? But even in that case I believe that the drives are supplied with only one of the two ports active? Is this why the drives have two ports?

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Torsten.
Acclaimed Contributor
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Re: Can a single port of a HBA connect to two drives?

The second port of the drive is for path redundancy between the drive and a switch using NPIV (read the user guide about this), IMHO not really useful ...

 

So in your case a single cable between a server port and a drive is enough - forget daisy chaining, this is not possible.


Hope this helps!
Regards
Torsten.

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Scorpio_1963
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Re: Can a single port of a HBA connect to two drives?

Thanks,

 

I’m one of those people who knows just enough to be dangerous, but I also struggle to differentiate between someone’s good theories and practical reality. I was trusting that what they told me was correct but could not see how it was physically possible without something else there like a fibre switch or daisy chaining.

 

I will go with your advice, than you.