HP Direct-Connect External SAS Storage for HP BladeSystem Solutions Depoyment Guide

HP 3Gb SAS BL Switch
The HP 3Gb SAS BL Switch (HP 3Gb SAS BL Switch) is HP's first c-Class embedded SAS switch
designed to provide external storage for HP c-Class server blades.
Key features of the HP 3Gb SAS BL Switch:
• 3Gb SAS links through the BladeSystem c-Class enclosure high speed mid-plane to the server
bays
• Sixteen internal SAS connections to BladeSystem c-Class server bays (2x links)
• Eight external SAS ports for connections to external SAS storage enclosures (4x links)
• High data bandwidth up to 1200MB/s per external SAS port (300 MB/s per link; 300MB/s
x 4 links =1200 MB/s per port)
• 8x (high performance) SAS cabling support when attached to MDS600 storage enclosures
• High availability support, when two HP 3Gb SAS BL Switches are installed in the same
BladeSystem interconnect bay row
• Dual-domain support, when two HP 3Gb SAS BL Switches are installed in the same BladeSystem
interconnect bay row
• Zoning support
• Embedded HP Virtual SAS Manager software for switch management and zoning tasks
The HP 3Gb SAS BL Switch is a single-wide form factor and consumes one BladeSystem c-Class
enclosure interconnect bay. Dual-domain configurations use two HP 6Gb SAS BL Switches installed
in the same interconnect bay row.
For BladeSystem c3000 and c7000 enclosures, the HP 3Gb SAS BL Switch can be installed in the
following interconnect bays:
Supported interconnect baysBladeSystem enclosure model
3 and 4c3000
3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8c7000
To achieve proper connections, the interconnect bay in which you install the switch module must
map to the mezzanine slot in which the P700m Controller is installed. Connections between the
P700m on the server blade and the SAS switch in the BladeSystem interconnect bays are through
independent traces (mappings) on the BladeSystem c-Class enclosure midplane. For detailed
information about port mappings for the c3000 and c7000 enclosures, see the HP BladeSystem
Onboard Administrator User Guide, c3000 or c7000 user documents, and “Zoning requirements
and device mappings” (page 51).
As with other BladeSystem devices, the HP 3Gb SAS BL Switch can be managed through the
Onboard Administrator web interface. In addition, the Virtual SAS Manager application provides
switch-specific tasks, such as creating and assigning zone groups and updating switch firmware.
For more information about configuring and managing the switch using VSM, see “Software
information” (page 38).
22 Device information