HP StorageWorks Scalable File Share System Installation and Upgrade Guide Version 2.2

Interconnect topology 1–15
1.5 Interconnect topology
The interconnect types supported for use with HP SFS systems are as follows:
• Gigabit Ethernet networks
• Dual Gigabit Ethernet interconnect
• Bonded Gigabit Ethernet interconnect
• Quadrics interconnect
• Myrinet interconnect
• Voltaire InfiniBand interconnect
Client nodes can access file system data on an HP SFS system using one of several supported network
protocols. The network protocols supported by HP SFS are:
• TCP/IP, for Gigabit Ethernet and dual or bonded Gigabit Ethernet interconnects.
• The Kernel Comms kernel interface, for Quadrics interconnects.
• The GM interface, for Myrinet XP and 2XP interconnects.
• The Voltaire stack, for Voltaire InfiniBand interconnects.
Figure 1-11 shows the network portion of the Lustre software stack.
Figure 1-11 The network portion of the Lustre software stack
Each network requires a different LND (Lustre Networking Device layer), which is a small, network-specific
layer. Operations that are common to multiple networks are implemented in the network-independent LNET
layer above. (LNET is new in HP SFS Version 2.2. In previous releases of the HP SFS product, it was referred
to as the Portals layer, and LNDs were referred to as NALs. See Section 8.1 for information about
interoperability between HP SFS versions.)
The following general rules apply:
• An HP SFS system can serve file systems over any one of the fast interconnects (Quadrics, Myrinet,
Voltaire InfiniBand) in addition to using a Gigabit Ethernet interconnect.
However, a dual or bonded Gigabit Ethernet interconnect cannot co-exist with another fast
interconnect.
• All servers in the HP SFS system must have the same interconnect configuration.
VIBLND QSWLND GMLND SockLND
Voltaire IB
Kernel
comms
GM TCP/IP
PTLRPC
I/O
LNET
File system layers
Network IO
I/O - Data transfer, remote DMA, I/O events
LNET - Enhanced Portals API
One LND per network
Network - specific APIs
PTLRPC - Connection establishment RPC handling and dispatching