The MSA 2050 controller enclosures support up to eight Direct-Connect server connections, four per controller module. Connect appropriate cables from the server Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) to the controller host ports as described below, and shown in the following illustrations.
NOTE: Not all Operating Systems (OS) support Direct-Connect. For more information, see the Single Point of Connectivity Knowledge (SPOCK) Storage compatibility matrix:
Click here to log in SPOCK
.
To connect the MSA 2050 SAN controller to a server or switch - Using Fibre Channel (FC) Small Form Factor Pluggables (SFPs) in controller ports - Select FC cables supporting 16Gb data rates, that are compatible with the host port SFP connector (
Click here to access the QuickSpecs page for HPE MSA 2050 Storage
). Such cables are also used for connecting a local storage system to a remote storage system VIA a switch, to facilitate use of the optional remote snap replication feature.
To connect the MSA 2050 SAN controller to a server or switch - Using 10 GbE iSCSI SFPs or approved Direct Attached Copper (DAC) cables in controller ports - Select the appropriate qualified 10 GbE SFP option (
Click here to access the QuickSpecs page for HPE MSA 2050 Storage
). Such cables are also used for connecting a local storage system to a remote storage system via a switch, to facilitate use of the optional remote snap replication feature.
To connect the MSA 2050 SAN controller to a server or switch - Using the 1Gb SFPs in controller ports - Select the appropriate qualified RJ-45 SFP option (
Click here to access the QuickSpecs page for HPE MSA 2050 Storage
). Such cables are also used for connecting a local storage system to a remote storage system via a switch, to facilitate use of the optional remote snap replication feature.
To connect the MSA 2050 SAS controller to a server or switch - Using the Small Form Factor (SFF)-8644 dual High Density (HD) Mini-SAS ports - Select the appropriate qualified HD Mini-SAS cable option (
Click here to access the QuickSpecs page for HPE MSA 2050 Storage
). A qualified SFF-8644 to SFF-8644 cable option isused for connecting to a 12 Gb/s enabled host; Whereas a qualified SFF-8644 to SFF-8088 cable option is used forconnecting to a 6 Gb/s host/switch.
Connecting direct attach configurations
MSA 2050 controller enclosures support Dual-Controller only. When a partner controller fails, the array will fail over and run on a single controller until the redundancy is restored. A controller module must be installed in each Input/Output Modules (IOM) slot to ensure sufficient airflow through the enclosure during operation.
NOTE: The MSA 2050 SAN diagrams that follow use a single representation for each cabling example. This is due to the fact that the port locations and labeling are identical for each of the three possible interchangeable SFPs supported by the system. Within each cabling connection category, the MSA 2050 SAS model is shown beneath the MSA 2050 SAN model.
One server/one HBA/dual path
Figure 1: Connecting hosts: Direct attach - One server/one HBA/dual path
Two servers/one HBA per server/dual path
Figure 2: Connecting hosts: Direct attach - Two servers/one HBA per server/dual path
Four servers/one HBA per server/dual path
Figure 3: Connecting hosts: Direct attach - Four servers/one HBA per server/dual path
Connecting switch attach configurations
Figure 4: Connecting hosts: Switch attach - Two servers/two switches
The management host directly manages systems Out-of-Band over an Ethernet network.
Connect an RJ-45 Ethernet cable to the network management port on each MSA 2050 controller.
Connect the other end of each Ethernet cable to a network that management host can access (Preferably on the same subnet).
NOTE:
Connections to this device must be made with shielded cables grounded at both ends with metallic Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)/Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) connector hoods, in order to maintain compliance with Network Equipment-Building System (NEBS) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations.
Access VIA HTTPS and SSH is enabled by default, and access via HTTP and Telnet is disabled by default.
Connecting two storage systems to replicate volumes
Remote snap replication is a licensed feature for Disaster-Recovery. This feature performs asynchronous replication of Block-Level data from a volume in a primary system to a volume in a secondary system by creating an internal snapshot of the primary volume, and copying the changes to the data since the last replication to the secondary system VIA FC or internet SCSI (iSCSI) links.
The two associated volumes form a replication set, and only the primary volume (Source of data) can be mapped for access by a server. Both systems must be licensed to use remote snap, and must be connected through switches to the same fabric or network (No direct attach). The server accessing the replication set need only be connected to the primary system. If the primary system goes offline, a connected server can access the replicated data from the secondary system.
Replication configuration possibilities are many, and can be cabled in switch attach fashion to support MSA 2050 SAN systems on the same network, or on different networks. As user consider the physical connections of system specifically connections for replication keep several important points in mind:
Ensure that controllers have connectivity between systems, whether the destination system is Co-Located or remotely located.
Qualified converged network controller options can be used for host I/O or replication, or both.
The storage system does not provide for specific assignment of ports for replication. However, this can be accomplished using virtual LANs for iSCSI and zones for FC, or by using physically separate infrastructure.
For remote replication, ensure that all ports assigned for replication are able to communicate appropriately with the remote replication system (Check the CLI Reference Guide for more information (
Click here to access the CLI Reference Guide for HPE MSA 1050/2050
.)) by using the query Peer-Connection CLI command.
Allow a sufficient number of ports to perform replication. This permits the system to balance the load across those ports as I/O demands rise and fall. If some of the volumes replicated are owned by controller A and others are owned by controller B, then allow at least one port for replication on each controller module and possibly more than one port per controller module depending on replication traffic load.
For the sake of system security, do not unnecessarily expose the controller module network port to an external network connection.
Conceptual cabling examples address cabling on the same network and cabling relative to different networks.
NOTE:
Remote snap must be licensed on all systems configured for replication, and the controller module firmware version must be compatible on all systems licensed for replication.
Systems must be correctly cabled before performing replication. Below are the links for detailed information about using remote snap to perform replication tasks:
This section shows example replication configurations for MSA 2050 SAN controller enclosures. The following illustrations provide conceptual examples of cabling to support remote snap replication.
NOTE: Simplified versions of controller enclosures are used in cabling illustrations to show host ports used for I/O or replication, given that only the external connectors used in the host interface ports differ.
Virtual replication supports FC and iSCSI host interface protocols.
The 2U enclosure rear panel represents MSA 2050 SAN 4-port models.
Host ports used for replication must use the same protocol (Either FC or iSCSI)
Blue cables show I/O traffic and green cables show replication traffic.
MSA 2050 SAN controller modules can use qualified SFP options of the same type, or they can use a combination of qualified SFP options supporting different interface protocols. If user use a combination of different protocols, then host ports 1 and 2 are set to FC (Either both 16 Gb/s or both 8 Gb/s), and host ports 3 and 4 must be set to iSCSI (Either both 10 GbE or both 1Gb). FC and iSCSI ports can either be used to perform I/O or replication.
NOTE:
MSA 2050 controller enclosures support Dual-Controller configuration only. A controller module must be installed in each IOM slot to ensure sufficient airflow through the enclosure during operation.
Each of the following diagrams show the rear panel of two MSA 2050 SAN controller enclosures equipped with Dual-Controller modules. The controller modules can use qualified SFP options of the same type, or they can use a combination of qualified SFP options supporting different interface protocols.
MSA 2050 SAN controllers support FC and iSCSI host interface protocols for host connection or for performing replications.
Multiple servers/single network
The diagram below shows the rear panel of two MSA 2050 SAN controller enclosures with both I/O and replication occurring on the same physical network. With the replication configuration shown below, employ Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) for iSCSI or zoning for FC to provide separate networks. Create a VLAN or zone for host I/O to one of the arrays, a second VLAN or zone for host I/O to the other array, and a third VLAN or zone for replication to isolate I/O traffic from replication traffic. The configuration would appear physically as a single network, while logically, it would function as multiple networks.
Figure 6: Connecting two storage systems for remote snap: Multiple servers/one switch/one location
The diagram below shows the rear panel of two MSA 2050 SAN controller enclosures with I/O and replication occurringon different physical networks. Use three switches to enable host I/O and replication. Connect two ports from each controller module in the left storage enclosure to the left switch. Connect two ports from each controller module in the right storage enclosure to the right switch. Connect two ports from each controller module in each enclosure to the middle switch. Use multiple switches to avoid a single point of failure inherent to using a single switch, and to physically isolate replication traffic from I/O traffic.
Figure 7: Connecting two storage systems for remote snap: Multiple servers/switches/one location
The diagram below shows the rear panel of two MSA 2050 SAN controller enclosures with both I/O and replication occurring on different networks.
Figure 8: Connecting two storage systems for remote snap: Multiple servers/switches/two locations
The diagram below also shows the Rear-Panel of two MSA 2050 SAN controller enclosures with I/O occurring on the FC SAN and replication occurring on the Ethernet Wide Area Network (WAN). This diagram represents two branch offices cabled to enable disaster recovery and backup. In case of failure at either the local site or the remote site, user can fail over the application to the available site.
After installing the hardware and powering on the storage system components for the first time, verify that the controller modules, expansion modules, and disk drives are using the current firmware release.
NOTE: Update component firmware by installing a firmware file obtained from the HPE web download site. To install an HPE ROM flash component or firmware smart component, follow the instructions on the HPE website.
Otherwise, to install a firmware binary file, follow the steps below.
Using the SMU, in the System topic, select Action > Update Firmware.
The update firmware panel opens. The update controller modules tab shows versions of firmware components currently installed in each controller
NOTE: Partner firmware update using management interfaces:
The SMU provides an option for enabling or disabling partner firmware update for the partner controller
To enable or disable the setting VIA the CLI, use the set Advanced-Settings command, and set the partner-firmware-upgrade parameter. See the CLI reference guide for more information about command parameter syntax
HPE recommends that partner firmware update is enabled (The default setting)
Optionally, user can update firmware using SFTP or FTP as described in the SMU reference guide.
NOTE:
See the topics about updating firmware within the SMU reference guide before performing a firmware update.
To locate and download the latest software and firmware updates for users, product.
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