Specifications

Storage Subsystem Guide 5
2 The SGI InfiniteStorage NAS
Storage System
System Overview
TheInfiniteStorageNASServerandtheTitanServerarehighlyscalableand
modularnetworkattachedstorage(NAS)servers,withmulti‐gigabit
throughputfromnetworktodisk.Thesesystemsconsistofthefollowing
elements:
•SystemManagementUnit(SMU)
• InfiniteStorageNASServersand/orTitanServers
•VirtualServers(EVSs)
•PrivateManagementNetwork
•PublicDataNetwork
•StorageSubsystem(s)
System
Management
Unit
TheSystemManagementUnit’s(SMU’s)WebManagerinterfaceprovides
front‐endserveradministrationandmonitoringtools.Itsupportsclustering,
datamigration,andreplication,andactsastheQuorumDeviceinacluster.
Althoughintegraltothesystemasawhole,theSMUdoesnotmovedata
betweenthenetworkclientand
thestorageserver.
TherearetwokindsofSMU;externalandinternal.
•AnexternalSMUcanmanageuptoeight(8)storageservers/clustersin
anycombination.EachexternalSMUcanmanagebothIS‐NASServers/
clustersandTitanServers/clusters.
AnexternalSMUisaseparatedeviceinthestorageserversystem.
To
eliminatetheSMUasasinglepointoffailure,youcanconfigureyour
systemwithasecondexternalSMUasastandbySMU.
•AninternalSMUcanmanageasinglestand‐aloneIS‐NASServer(an
externalSMUisrequiredtomanagemorethanasingleIS‐NASServer).
An
internalSMUisaservicethatrunsontheIS‐NASServerandprovides
thesamemanagementandmonitoringfunctionalityasanexternalSMU.
WhenusinganinternalSMU,thereisnowaytoconfigureastandbySMU.
Storage Server(s) ThepatentedarchitectureoftheIS‐NASServerandtheTitanServeris
structuredaroundbi‐directionaldatapipelinesandahardware‐basedfile
system.Itscalesto4petabytes,supportinghighersustainedaccessloads