System components

NAS Platform and Unified Storage Series 4000 Hardware Reference

Version
14.8.x
Audience
anonymous
Part Number
MK-92HNAS030-28

The system contains many components and is housed in a rack or cabinet. This section describes the main system components.

Component Description
Hitachi NAS Platform or Hitachi Unified Storage File Module server

The system can contain a single server or several servers that operate as a cluster. Clusters that use more than two servers include two 10 Gbps Ethernet switches. Hitachi Vantara supports two switches for redundancy.

System management unit (SMU)

The SMU is the management component for the other components in a system. An SMU provides administration and monitoring tools. It supports data migration and replication, and acts as a quorum device in a cluster configuration. Although integral to the system, the SMU does not move data between the network client and the servers.

In a single-server configuration, typically an embedded SMU manages the system. In clustered systems and some single-node systems, an external SMU provides the management functionality. In some cases, multiple SMUs are advisable.

Storage subsystems A Hitachi NAS Platform system or a Hitachi Unified Storage File Module system can control several storage enclosures. The maximum number of storage enclosures in a rack depends on the model of storage enclosures being installed. Refer to the Storage Subsystem Administration Guide for more information on supported storage subsystems.
Fibre Channel (FC) switches

The server supports FC switches that connect multiple servers and storage subsystems.

See Hitachi Vantara Support Connect for information about which FC switches are supported.

External Fast Ethernet (10/100) or Gigabit Ethernet switches

(HNAS 4040 model only)

A standalone server can operate without an external Ethernet switch, as long it uses the embedded SMU and there are fewer than three RAID subsystems attached.

A standalone server requires an external Ethernet switch if there are more than two RAID subsystems attached or if there are two RAID subsystems attached and an external SMU is used.

All cluster configurations require an external Ethernet switch.

External 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) switches

A single node server can operate without an external Ethernet switch if the server uses the embedded SMU. This is also true if fewer than three RAID subsystems are attached to the server.

If an external SMU is used, a single node server requires a cable from the SMU to Eth1.

With the HNAS 4040 model, the switch is also required if there are more than two RAID subsystems attached or if there are two RAID subsystems attached.

All cluster configurations require an external Ethernet switch.

See Hitachi Vantara Support Connect for information about the 10 GbE switches that have been qualified for use with the system, and to find out about the availability of those switches.

10 GbE switches

The server connects to a 10 GbE switch for connection with the public data network (customer data network).

Also, a 10 GbE switch is required for internal cluster communications for clusters of three or more nodes.

See Hitachi Vantara Support Connect for information about the 10 GbE switches that have been qualified for use with the server, and to find out about the availability of those switches.

Hitachi Vantara requires dual 10 GbE switches for redundancy. In a dual-switch configuration, if one switch fails, the cluster nodes remain connected through the second switch.