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2071
March 24th, 2013 01:00
Can I connect one EMC AX4-5i to the network switch using fiber optics cable ?
HI every one.
I'm new to system administration and my boss asked me to create a small network using EMC AX4-5i storage and some computers for testing purposes, now as I understand from the manual the the fiber optics plug in this EMC unit is only to connect other expansions but as there are no extra Storage units but the main one in my case
can I use this one fiber optic plug to connect the unit to the network switch ??
and If any body tried that can you tell me what could happen if I did it ??
thanks every one and looking to hear your answers.
Abdulrahman
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christopher_ime
2K Posts
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March 25th, 2013 23:00
Abdulrahman,
Firstly, consider moving this to the proper community to get the most visibility. You can do so by selecting "Move discussion" in the upper right and choosing:
Support Community > CLARiiON Support Forum
In order to compare exactly what your are referring to, can you verify that the rear of your AX4-5i compares identically to the diagram above?
1) If you are referring to the port outlined in red in the lower left corner of each SP, then that as you point out is for DAE expansion only and is actually a (3Gbps) SAS port.
2) If you do own an AX4-5i, it is the iSCSI model and all front-end connectivity will be 1Gbps iSCSI only
3) Even if you owned a model with SFP optic transceivers, they would not be an optical Gigabit Ethernet modules so you wouldn't be able to connect them to a "network switch". They are for connectivity via Fibre Channel. Any support for 1Gbps or 10Gbps (optical) Ethernet interfaces for host connectivity did not arrive until more recently with the CX4.
abd_alsoufi
4 Posts
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March 26th, 2013 02:00
Thanks for replaying Christopher.
Yes the back side of my EMC looks exactly as the diagram, and sorry for putting my question in the wrong community, I will move it.
so would there be any risk to connect it to a network switch just for testing ??
I know this seems strange and even stupid, But I like trying strange stuff.
thanks again
christopher_ime
2K Posts
1
March 26th, 2013 03:00
No need to apologize. Just making sure it gets maximum visibility so others can chip in and that others in the community can also find this should anyone else have the same question.
So just to verify, now that we verified that you have the exact layout above as seen in the diagram (which doesn't have an FC port), are we by chance now talking about connecting the iSCSI interfaces which are labeled above or the mgmt interface which is the single 1GbE port both of which are traditional (Cu) Ethernet?
Or do you in fact have an FC port which you are mistaking for optical Gigabit Ethernet? Or are you thinking that you could connect the (3Gbps) SAS port somehow which has its own unique connector to a "network switch" of some sort?
Sorry, except for the iSCSI interfaces or the mgmt interfaces, those would be the only things you could connect to a typical "network switch".
abd_alsoufi
4 Posts
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March 26th, 2013 22:00
I'm talking about the ports outlined in red ( from your diagram ), and I didn't specify a certain kind of switches, so are there any kind of switches that can do it ??
The Idea is that I have only the main EMC storage unit with no expansions, so I would like to get a better data moving speed by connecting it to a switch using fiber optics instead of normal SCSI cables through the ports you outlined in red ( if I'm saying any thing Stupid please tell me where is my mistake )
By the way I'm an Oracle DBA and I don't have any experience with networks ( only humble experience with general servers issues ) so be nice with me
christopher_ime
2K Posts
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March 26th, 2013 23:00
No worries. No you won't be able to connect anything but an expansion tray to the 3Gbps SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) port. It is strictly for back-end connectivity.
The only host, or front-end, connectivity options for your model is (Copper) 1Gbps iSCSI w/ 2x ports per SP which you can then present LUNs via (in-band) and then the (Copper) 1Gbps mgmt ports w/ 1x port per SP that is used to bring up the management interface (out-of-band).
abd_alsoufi
4 Posts
0
March 27th, 2013 06:00
Thanks man