NonStop NS14000 Planning Guide (H06.10+)

NOTE: For NonStop NS14000 servers that contain I/O Adapter Module (IOAM) enclosures,
refer to the H06.07 (or earlier) version of this manual for planning, configuration, and maintenance
information of the IOAM enclosure.
Overview of the ServerNet Fabric
ServerNet 3 routers are used within the Integrity NonStop NS14000 systems as building blocks
for the ServerNet fabric. The ServerNet fabric employs 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 NS14000 system logically connects NonStop
Blade Complexes to the VIO enclosures and system I/O such as disks and Ethernet LANs by way
of logic boards in the VIO enclosures. The logic board in each VIO enclosure provides logical
connectivity to processors (through the LSUs) and I/O devices.
In the Integrity NonStop14000 server, fiber-optic links connect LSUs in the NonStop Blade
Complex to the VIO enclosures. The ServerNet-to-processor ports (ports 14.1 through 14.4) on
the VIO enclosures provide the physical ServerNet connectivity to the LSUs by externalizing the
ServerNet links from the VIO enclosures. Each VIO enclosure 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.
Simplified ServerNet System Diagram
This simplified diagram shows the ServerNet architecture in the Integrity NonStop NS14000
system. It shows the X and Y ServerNet communication pathways between the NonStop Blade
Complexes (NSBC), ServerNet-to-processor ports, logic boards, Ethernet ports, and Fibre Channel
ports.
ServerNet Fabric I/O 41