NonStop NS1000 Planning Guide (H06.07+)

Integrity NonStop NS1000 System Description
HP Integrity NonStop NS1000 Planning Guide—542527-003
4-5
ServerNet Fabric I/O
Overview
ServerNet 3 routers are used within the Integrity NonStop NS1000 system as building
blocks for the ServerNet fabric, which employ fiber-optic links exclusively and is a
collection of connected routers and links that form a flexible internal or external
network. This high-speed network within an Integrity NonStop NS1000 system logically
connects blade elements to the ServerNet adapters and system I/O such as disks and
Ethernet LANs by way of ServerNet switch boards in the IOAM enclosure. The
ServerNet switch boards in the IOAM enclosure provide logical connectivity to the
blade elements and I/O devices.
In the Integrity NonStop1000 server, fiber-optic links connect ServerNet PCI adapter
cards in the blade elements to 4PSEs located in the IOAM enclosure. The 4PSEs
provide the physical ServerNet connectivity to the blade elements by externalizing the
ServerNet links from the IOAM enclosure midplane. Up to four 4PSEs can be installed
in an IOAM enclosure, in slots 1 and 2 of modules 2 and 3. Each 4PSE supports up to
four blade elements on one fabric.
The ServerNet network architecture is full-duplex, packet-switched, and point-to-point
in a star configuration. It employs two independent I/O communications paths
throughout the system: the ServerNet X fabric and the ServerNet Y fabric. These dual
paths ensure that no single failure disrupts communications among the remaining
system components.