HP BladeSystem Deployment Guide for Solutions with 6Gb SAS BL Switches and External SAS Storage Enclosures

For more information
Device website: http://www.hp.com/go/6gbsasbl
BladeSystem Technical Resources website: http://www.hp.com/go/bladesystem/documentation
Be sure to read the following documents, shipped with the switch and BladeSystem enclosure:
• HP 6Gb SAS BL Switch Installation Instructions—Physical installation instructions.
• HP BladeSystem c-Class Solution Overview Setup Poster—Overview of the complete installation
process of an HP BladeSystem c-Class solution.
For more detailed information about the switch, see the following documents, available on HP
websites:
• HP 6Gb SAS BL Switch User Guide—Detailed hardware descriptions and user information.
• HP 6G Virtual SAS Manager User Guide—Detailed information about and instructions on
how to configure zone groups on the HP 6Gb SAS BL Switch to control access to external
SAS storage enclosures.
Important tips
• The HP 6Gb SAS BL Switch is supported for use in BladeSystem c3000 and BladeSystem
c7000 G2 or later enclosures. (The first-generation c7000 does not support the HP 6Gb SAS
BL Switch.) To determine your c7000 model, view the Insight Manager LCD panel or Onboard
Administrator display. First-generation c7000 models do not have a generational identifier,
while later models do indicate the generation. For example, the second generation c7000
enclosure is identified as the c7000 G2.
• When installing switches in BladeSystem c-CLass enclosure interconnect bays, make sure that
the interconnect bays map to the expansion slots of the desired server blade. For details, see
“Device relationships and mapping information” (page 50).
• Both switches in an interconnect bay row of the BladeSystem c-Class enclosure must be the
same model. For example, both switches must be HP 6Gb SAS BL Switches. Mixing an HP
6Gb SAS BL Switch and an HP 3Gb SAS BL Switch, a Fibre Channel switch, or an Ethernet
switch in the same interconnect bay row is not supported.
• When connecting devices to the HP 6Gb SAS BL Switch, be sure to follow HP recommended
best practices and note the following:
◦ Any mixture of supported external SAS storage enclosures and tape devices may be
connected to the same switch.
◦ Maximum supported length and type of SAS cable is dependant on the type of external
SAS storage enclosure or tape device. For more information, see the QuickSpecs for the
storage enclosure or tape device.
◦ For best performance and fault tolerance, if ports are available, connect two cables from
the switch to each storage enclosure controller or I/O module.
For more information about single domain, dual domain, and high-performance cabling, see
“Deployment examples” (page 71).
• Upgrade to the latest firmware version before use.
22 Device information