5.5 HP StorageWorks X9720 Network Storage System Administrator Guide (AW549-96026, March 2011)

Flex-10 networks
The server blades in the X9720 Network Storage System have two built-in Flex-10 10 NICs. The
Flex-10 technology comprises the Flex-10 NICs and the Flex-10 Virtual Connect modules in interconnect
bays 1 and 2 of the performance chassis. Each Flex-10 NIC is configured to represent four physical
interfaces (NIC) devices, also called FlexNICs, with a total bandwidth of 10ps. The FlexNICs are
configured as follows on an X9720 Network Storage System:
The X9720 Network Storage System automatically reserves eth0 and eth3 and creates a bonded
device, bond0. This is the management network. Although eth0 and eth3 are physically connected
to the Flex-10 Virtual Connect (VC) modules, the VC domain is configured so that this network is not
seen by the site network.
With this configuration, eth1 and eth2 are available for connecting each server blade to the site
network. To connect to the site network, you must connect one or more of the allowed ports as "uplinks"
to your site network. These are the ports marked in green in “Virtual Connect Flex-10 Ethernet module
cabling—Base cabinet” on page 186. If you connect several ports to the same switch in your site
network, all ports must use the same media type. In addition, HP recommends you use 10 links.
The X9720 Network Storage System uses balance-ALB mode for bond1. No other bonding mode is
supported. Properly configured, this provides a fully redundant network connection to each blade. A
single failure of NIC, Virtual Connect module, uplink, or site network switch will not fail the network
device. However, it is important that the site network infrastructure is properly configured for a bonded
interface to operate correctly both in terms of redundancy and performance.
Capacity blocks
A capacity block comprises an X9700c chassis containing 12 disk drives and an X9700cx JBOD
enclosure containing 70 disk drives. The X9700cx enclosure actually contains two JBODs—one in
each pull-out drawer (left and right drawer). Each drawer contains 35 disk drives.
The serial number is the serial number of the X9700c chassis. Every server is connected to every array
using a serial attached SCSI (SAS) fabric. The following elements exist:
• Each server has a P700m SAS host bus adapter (HBA) which has two SAS ports.
• Each SAS port is connected by the server blade enclosure backplane to a SAS switch. There are
two SAS switches such that each server is connected by a redundant SAS fabric.
• Each array has two redundant controllers. Each of the controllers is connected to each SAS switch.
Within an array, the disk drives are assigned to different “boxes,” where box 1 is the X9700c
enclosure and boxes 2 and 3 are the left and right pull-out drawers, respectively. The following
diagram shows the numbering in an array box.
Component and cabling diagrams182