Owners Manual
2
Requirements for Fluid Cache
The following are prerequisites for deploying Fluid Cache for SAN. Refer to the Release Notes for the
most recent requirements.
The supported versions of firmware, drivers, and software are required to run Fluid Cache. These are
listed in the Release Notes and are available at dell.com/support. For download instructions, see
Downloading Firmware, Drivers, and Software.
NOTE: For the current list of validated components, see the Dell Fluid Cache for SAN Compatibility
Matrix available at http://www.dell.com/CacheSolutions.
Table 1. System Requirements
Servers The cluster on which you deploy Fluid Cache must contain a minimum of
three server per each cache cluster and a maximum of nine servers.
Cache Devices There must be a cache device installed on at least two servers in the cluster.
Network Adapters A network adapter that supports Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) over
Converged Ethernet (RoCE) must be installed on each server in the cluster.
Network Switch A compatible switch must be available for the cache network. A redundant
switch configuration is recommended.
SAN Management
Software
Enterprise Manager must be started and configured to manage the Storage
Center in use with Fluid Cache.
SAN Connectivity All servers in the cluster must be connected to the SAN and be displayed on
the Dell Compellent array.
Table 2. Hardware and Software Requirements
Element Requirement
Servers Dell PowerEdge servers that support Dell Express Flash PCIe SSDs:
• Dell PowerEdge FC630 (FX2S chassis)
• Dell PowerEdge M620
• Dell PowerEdge M630
• Dell PowerEdge M820
• Dell PowerEdge R620
• Dell PowerEdge R630
• Dell PowerEdge T630
• Dell PowerEdge R720
• Dell PowerEdge R730
NOTE: Dell PowerEdge R730 servers support only SR-IOV and does
not support Dell Express Flash PCIe SSDs.
8