Chapter 1. Preparing to install the SAN Volume Controller
Before installing the SAN Volume Controller, you must meet the hardware,
software, and environmental requirements (including a suitable rack cabinet
physical location). Learning about the controls, indicators, operator-information
panel, and connectors will prepare you for the installation procedures.
The SAN Volume Controller combines software and hardware into a
comprehensive, modular appliance that uses symmetric virtualization.
Symmetric virtualization is achieved by creating a pool of managed disks (MDisks)
from the attached storage systems. Those storage systems are then mapped to a set
of volumes for use by attached host systems. System administrators can view and
access a common pool of storage on the storage area network (SAN). This
functionality helps administrators to use storage resources more efficiently and
provides a common base for advanced functions.
Each SAN Volume Controller node is an individual server in a SAN Volume
Controller clustered system on which the SAN Volume Controller software runs.
The nodes are always installed in pairs; a minimum of one pair and a maximum of
four pairs of nodes constitute a system. Each pair of nodes is known as an I/O
group.
Applicable machine types and models
The following machine types and models apply to the SAN Volume Controller.
Table 5. Machine types and models
Machine type / model Description Height in rack units
2145-SV1 SAN Volume Controller node 2U
2147-SV1 SAN Volume Controller node
with three-year warranty and
Enterprise Class Support
2U
2145-12F SAN Volume Controller SAS
expansion enclosure with
one-year warranty for up to
12 3.5-inch SAS drives
2U
2147-12F SAN Volume Controller SAS
expansion enclosure with
three-year warranty and
Enterprise Class Support for
up to 12 3.5-inch SAS drives
2U
2145-24F SAN Volume Controller SAS
expansion enclosure with
one-year warranty for up to
24 2.5-inch SAS drives
2U
2147-24F SAN Volume Controller SAS
expansion enclosure with
three-year warranty and
Enterprise Class Support for
up to 24 2.5-inch SAS drives
2U
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