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

For more information
Device website: http://h18006.www1.hp.com/products/storageworks/3gbsas_switch/index.html
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 3Gb SAS BL Switch Installation Instructions—Includes physical installation instructions.
• HP BladeSystem c-Class Solution Overview Setup Poster—Provides an 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 3Gb SAS BL Switch User Guide—Includes detailed hardware descriptions and user
information
• HP 3G Virtual SAS Manager User Guide—Provides detailed information about and instructions
on how to configure zone groups on the 3Gb SAS BL Switch to control access to external SAS
storage enclosures.
Important tips
• When installing switches in BladeSystem c-CLass enclosure interconnect bays, make sure that
the interconnect bays map to the mezzanine slots of the desired server blade.
• 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.
• If needed, upgrade to the latest firmware version before use.
• If HP ProLiant BL620c G7 and HP ProLiant BL680c G7 Server Blades are included in the
solutions, HP 3Gb SAS BL Switch firmware version 2.2.15.0 or later must be installed on the
switch.
• When connecting devices to the HP 3Gb SAS BL Switch, be sure to follow HP recommended
best practices and note the following:
◦ Performance may be impacted if cabling and zoning recommendations are not
implemented. For more information, see “Zoning information” (page 50).
◦ Maximum supported length and type of SAS cable is dependant on the type of external
tape device or storage enclosure. For more information, see the QuickSpecs for the device
or enclosure.
◦ For best performance and fault tolerance, if ports are available, connect two cables from
the switch to each storage enclosure I/O module or controller. This additional cable offers
additional performance: one cable provides a 4x connection; two cables provide a 8x
connection.
◦ When using high performance (8x) SAS cabling, both cables must be attached to the
same quad of switch ports; either 1-4 or 5-8.
HP 3Gb SAS BL Switch 23