Dell 3000i Server User Manual


 
Hardware Installation 13
Figure 2-3. One or Two Direct-Attached Servers (or Two-Node Cluster), Dual-Path Data, Dual Controllers (Duplex)
Network-Attached Solutions
You can also cable your host servers to the MD3000i RAID controller iSCSI ports through an IP storage
area network (SAN) industry-standard 1GB Ethernet switch. By using an IP SAN "cloud" Ethernet
switch, the MD3000i RAID controller can support up to 16 hosts simultaneously with multiple
connections per session. This solution supports either single- or dual-path data configurations, as well as
either single or dual controller modules.
Figure 2-4 shows how up to 16 standalone servers can be attached (via multiple sessions) to a single
MD3000i RAID controller module through a network. Hosts that have a second Ethernet connection to
the network allow two separate physical paths for each host, which ensures full redundancy if one of the
paths fail. Figure 2-5 shows how the same number of hosts can be similarly attached to a dual MD3000i
RAID controller array configuration.
1 standalone (one or
two) host server
2 two-node cluster 3 Ethernet
management port
(2)
4 MD3000i RAID
Enclosure (dual
controllers)
5 corporate, public or
private network
5
2
1
3
4