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Platform Guide 7
System Configurations
The PowerEdge Cluster FE655W solution supports the following Fibre Channel configurations:
• Fibre Channel embedded switches connected to external SAN fabrics
• Fibre Channel embedded switches connected to up to two storage systems
• Fibre Channel pass-through modules connected to a storage system
• Fibre Channel pass-through modules connected to external SAN fabrics
Rules and Guidelines
When configuring your cluster, all cluster nodes must contain identical versions of the following:
• Operating systems and service packs
• Hardware, drivers, firmware or BIOS for the embedded NICs, Fibre Channel daughter cards, and any
other peripheral hardware components
• Systems management software, such as Dell OpenManage™ systems management software and
EMC
®
Navisphere
®
storage management software
Maximum Distance Between Cluster Nodes
The maximum distance allowed between two PowerEdge 1855/1955 server enclosures with embedded
switches, or from a PowerEdge 1855/1955 server enclosure directly connected to a storage system or to an
external switch, or from a switch to a storage system is 300 meters (984 feet) using multimode fiber at
2 Gbps. The maximum distance is 100 meters (328 feet) when using multimode fiber at 4 Gbps.
The total distance between a PowerEdge 1855/1955 server enclosure and a storage system, or between
two PowerEdge 1855/1955 server enclosures with Fibre Channel pass-through modules, may be increased
through the use of single-mode or multi-mode switch Inter-Switch Links (ISLs).
The maximum cable length for Fast Ethernet and copper Gigabit Ethernet is 100 meters (328 feet), and
for optical Gigabit Ethernet is 550 meters (1804 feet). This distance may be extended using switches and
virtual local area network (VLAN) technology.
The maximum latency for a round-trip network packet between nodes is 500 milliseconds.
Obtaining More Information
See the Dell PowerEdge Cluster FE655W Systems Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for high
availability cluster hardware and software installation and configuration information.