NetApp is moving towards 12Gbps SAS or SAS-3 connectivity for disk shelves. DS224C shelves with IOM12 (12Gbps SAS) modules have been available for a while and now new generation controllers have onboard 12Gbps SAS ports as well separate 12Gbps capable SAS adapters.
Continue reading “Visio by DPTPB: ASIC failure with NetApp 12 Gbps SAS adapters and ports”
Some of you might think that the writer has officially gone mad now. What on earth does Cave Diving has to do with IT ?
When looking at surface (heh, another diving reference) not much, but on broader terms both have similarities. In order to survive in both disciplines, you have to manage risks and develop responses to situations where the risk has just been realized, a failure has just happened.
First iteration of transitional SAS cable Visio shapes looked odd to me, one end of the cable contained “12G” speed indication, while the other one was just empty shape without additional information, so I’ve changed the older cable end shapes to contain speed indication as well “6G”. This led to need for updated cable ends for older SAS 6Gbps cables as well.
As seen in example above running and routing cabling can be quite complex and is definitely the most time-consuming part of drawing process. Additionally in big drawings some areas can get really “busy” with lots of cabling and make the drawing to hard read.
Examples of such busy areas would be switches, like Cluster Interconnect and/or Front-End 10GbE switches. Other example would be High-End Storage controllers with many PCI slots filled with even more ports.
For documentation purposes you could use just port assignment boxes. Fill in correct port information into the boxes, skip cabling all together and you are done.
Continue reading “Visio by DPTPB: Not Running Cables in Drawings?”
Older generation SAS 6Gbps ports use QSFP form factor connector while newer generation SAS 12Gbps ports use smaller Mini-SAS HD form factor connector (at least with NetApp gear). These form factors are not compatible, i.e you cannot cable QSFP connector to Mini-SAS HD port or vice-versa.
To make things more confusing, there are also 12Gbps capable ports that are using QSFP form factor connector. In case of NetApp, X2069-R6 adapter is example of such combination.
Continue reading “Visio by DPTPB: Transitional SAS cables, QSFP to Mini-SAS HD”
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