User`s guide
PLANNING FOR HYPER-V
November09 Page7
Planning the SAS Direct Attach Installation with the
Dell PowerVault MD3000 Storage Array
The Dell PowerVault MD3000 storage array, with SAS host interface connectivity, can
connect with up to four servers. The configuration that you choose depends on the
number of servers you have, whether you are connecting to servers or a cluster node,
and the level of data redundancy that your configuration requires.
• Redundancy
Redundancy is established by installing separate data paths between the server and
the storage array, in which each path connect to the different RAID controller
modules. Redundancy protects the server from losing access to data in the event of
path failure because both RAID controllers can access all of the disks in the storage
array. Figure 1 shows redundant, high-availability cabling configuration for two hosts.
This configuration is a best practice for Microsoft Hyper-V installations.
Note Use two dual-ported host bus adapters (HBAs) and connect to one port from
each of these HBAs to improve availability. With such a configuration, a cable or
a SAS HBA could fail, and the access to the data is still guaranteed.