Reference Guide

Introduction 7
NOTE: For more information about supported systems, HBAs, and operating system
variants, see the Dell Cluster Configuration Support Matrices at dell.com/ha.
Cluster Storage
Ta bl e 1-2 lists supported storage systems and the configuration requirements
for the cluster nodes and stand-alone systems connected to the storage
systems.
Internal disk
controller
One controller connected to at least two internal hard drives
for each node. Use any supported RAID controller or disk
controller.
Two hard drives are required for mirroring (RAID 1) and at
least three are required for disk striping with parity (RAID 5).
NOTE: It is highly recommended that you use hardware-based
RAID or software-based disk-fault tolerance for the internal
drives.
Table 1-2. Cluster Storage Requirements
Hardware Components Requirement
Supported storage
system
Compellent Storage Center with dual Series-30 or Series-
40 storage center controllers in a clustered configuration
Disk enclosure • 11 Fibre Channel loops, each with up to seven
enclosures
• 10 SAS chains, each with up to eight enclosures and 96
hard drives
• 11 SATA loops, each with up to five enclosures
Hard disk At least three for RAID 10 (2 data and 1 spare) and at
least six for RAID 5 (5 data and 1 spare)
NOTE: RAID 6 and Dual Mirrored RAID 10 are also
supported. Do not use RAID 0 in the cluster.
Fibre Channel Front-
End I/O card
Must support N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) in order
to support Virtual Port mode.
Table 1-1. Cluster Node Requirements
(continued)
Component Minimum Requirement