NonStop NS1000 Planning Guide (H06.08+)

Recommendations for Fibre Channel Device Configuration
Different device types should be on different Fibre channel loops. For example, do not put disk
and tape devices on the same Fibre Channel loop.
These recommendations apply to VIO Fibre Channel ports and FCDM configurations:
• Primary FCDM connects to the VIO Fibre Channel port 1.
• Mirror FCDM connects to the VIO Fibre Channel port 2.
• FC-AL port A1 is the incoming port from a Fibre Channel port on the VIO enclosure or from
another FCDM.
• FC-AL port A2 is the outbound port to another FCDM.
• FC-AL port B2 is the incoming port from a Fibre Channel port on the VIO enclosure or from
a FCDM.
• FC-AL port B1 is the outbound port to another FCDM.
• In a daisy-chain configuration, the ID expander harness determines the enclosure number.
Enclosure 1 is always at the bottom of the chain.
• Fibre Channel ports are located in slot 1of a VIO enclosure.
• Ethernet ports are located in slots 6b, 6a/7a, and 7b of a VIO enclosure.
• The group number for a VIO enclosure is 100.
• With primary and mirror FCDMs in the same cabinet, the primary FCDM resides in a lower
U than the mirror FCDM.
• Fibre Channel disk drives are configured with dual paths.
• Where possible, Fibre Channel ports and FCDMs are configured with four Fibre Channel
ports and four FCDMs for maximum fault tolerance. If Fibre Channel ports are not in groups
of four, the remaining Fibre Channel ports and FCDMs can be configured in other
fault-tolerant configurations, such as with two Fibre Channel ports and two FCDMs or four
Fibre Channel ports and three FCDMs.
• The Integrity NonStop NS1000 system supports only configurations with two VIO enclosures.
In systems with two VIO enclosures:
— With four Fibre Channel ports and two FCDMs, the primary Fibre Channel port resides
in VIO enclosure module 2, and the backup Fibre Channel port resides in VIO enclosure
module 3. (See the example configuration in “Four Fibre Channel Ports, Two FCDMs,
Two VIO Enclosures” (page 86).)
— With eight Fibre Channel ports and four FCDMs, the primary Fibre Channel ports reside
in VIO enclosure module 2, and the backup Fibre Channel ports resides in VIO enclosure
module 3. (See the example configuration in “Eight Fibre Channel Ports, Four FCDMs,
Two VIO Enclosures” (page 87).)
• Daisy-chain configurations follow the same configuration restrictions and rules that apply
to configurations that are not daisy-chained. (See “Daisy-Chain Configurations” (page 88).)
• FCDMs containing mirrored volumes must be installed in separate daisy chains.
• Daisy-chained configurations require that all FCDMs reside in the same cabinet and be
physically grouped together.
• Daisy-chain configurations require an ID expander harness with terminators for proper
FCDM and disk drive identification.
Example Configurations of the VIO Enclosures and FCDMs
These subsections show various example configurations between Fibre Channel ports on the
VIO enclosures and FCDMs:
• “Four Fibre Channel Ports, Two FCDMs, Two VIO Enclosures” (page 86)
• “Eight Fibre Channel Ports, Four FCDMs, Two VIO Enclosures” (page 87)
• “Daisy-Chain Configurations” (page 88)
Fibre Channel Devices 85