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ASTEK A54812-SW, User Manual

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ASTEK A54812-SW User Manual Download Page 22

Page 22 

2.7 

Optimizing Switch Performance with SATA Drives

 

 
Due to the nature of SATA drives the performance of the SAS bus will vary depending on the SATA IOs rate.  
During domain discovery the SATA drives will stop the IO stream for 1000 milliseconds.   This interrupt of the IO 
stream will decrease the overall bandwidth.    To minimize the impact to the IO bandwidth it is recommended to 
either turn off switch discovery or change the switch discovery polling time.    Turning off the switch discovery 
does not affect the SAS domain discovery when a change occurs on the SAS domain.  The domain changes will be 
reflected back to the OS and handled correctly.   
When the switch discovery is turn off any changes to the SAS domain will not be seen by the SDM GUI.  To see the 
changes the switch discovery needs to be enabled through the SDM GUI.  Normal discovery will still occur 
updating all the servers connected to the domain.  The other option is to change the switch polling time to 
minimize the effect of the SATA delay on the bandwidth.  This document will explain how to turn off the switch 
discovery or change the switch polling time for discovery. 
The SDM GUI will be used to change the switch settings to either turn off the switch discovery of change the 
switch polling time. 
 

Option 1 Disable the switch discovery polling

. 

 
Click on the “Server” menu, then “Configure”, then SDM Settings”     (see figure below). 
 

 

 

Summary of Contents for A54812-SW

Page 1: ...A54812 SW SAS Switch User Guide Version Release April 12 2016 ...

Page 2: ...s 18 2 2 2 A54812 SW LEDs 18 2 3 Installing the A54812 SW Switch 19 2 3 1 Replacing a failed fan 19 2 3 2 Replacing a failed power supply 20 2 4 Connecting to a Host 20 2 5 Changing the IP Address 21 2 5 1 Setting a Static IP Address 21 2 5 2 Setting a Dynamic IP Address 21 2 6 Connecting SAS and SATA Hardware 21 2 7 Optimizing Switch Performance with SATA Drives 22 2 8 Safety Emissions Susceptibi...

Page 3: ...nfigure Zone Groups and Zone Sets 32 3 6 3 Manually Configure Zone Groups 34 3 6 4 Manually Configure Zone Sets 36 3 7 Devices Tab 40 3 7 1 Properties Tab 42 3 7 2 Environmentals Tab 42 3 7 3 Attached Devices Tab 45 3 7 4 Phys Tab 46 3 7 5 Phy Counters Tab 47 3 7 6 Zone Group Tab 47 3 7 7 Operations Tab 48 3 7 8 SNMP SMTP Tab 56 3 8 Configuration Backup and Restore 59 3 8 1 Restore 59 3 8 2 Smart ...

Page 4: ...s of 12 0 Gb s 6 0Gb s or 3 0Gb s Connectors support Serial ATA SATA link rates of 6 0Gb s or 3 0Gb s 10 100 Base T Ethernet for enclosure management Three hot swap fans Dual hot swap power supplies 1 2 SAS and the A54812 SW Switch SAS replaces Ultra320 SCSI as the next phase in the evolution of the SCSI standard The SAS interface addresses enterprise data storage and retrieval requirements with f...

Page 5: ...nternal power supply module three enclosure fans and temperature and power supply voltage sensing and alerts The switch is housed in a 1U chassis for easy shelf placement in rack mounted server clusters NOTE All the connectors support active cabling optical for longer cable runs Passive cables can also be connected to these ports for normal cable runs The following figure shows how the A54812 SW s...

Page 6: ...s The A54812 SW switch has 12 x4 Mini SAS HD connectors numbered 0 through 11 It supports connection to SAS devices at link rates of 12 0Gb s 6 0Gb s and 3 0Gb s Ethernet Phy The external 10 100 Ethernet port provides access to the SDM management application which sets up storage configurations in the SAS domain monitors the status of the switch and runs diagnostic tests It also provides access to...

Page 7: ... port In other words the port is created dynamically when the connection is made The following figure shows both a narrow SAS port and a wide SAS port Figure 5 Narrow and Wide SAS Ports The A54812 SW switch has 48 phys numbered 0 through 47 Each of the 12 SAS connectors on the switch case numbered 0 through 11 in this document contains four phys making them wide ports During normal operation the S...

Page 8: ...S domain grows to include multiple hosts and multiple storage volumes you can segregate one host from another host or restrict one host from accessing storage owned by another host SAS zoning partitions the SAS topology to isolate selected hosts from each other or to permit selected hosts to access only selected storage volumes The A54812 SW switch supports the full SAS 3 0 T10 zoning model Zoning...

Page 9: ...in a ZPSDS and initiators and targets can belong to more than one set However only one set can be active In addition more than one ZPSDS can exist in a SAS domain A ZPSDS has a zone manager for its configuration and management The SDM utility see Chapter 3 SAS Domain Manager Graphical User Interface configures the zone manager The following figure shows a simple example of zoning Figure 7 Simple Z...

Page 10: ...ed Changes to the active zone set for example a change to zone group or zone set membership or a change to zone group permissions do not take effect until the next zone set activate command When the SAS topology changes for example when you move a host or storage attachment from one switch connection to another you must manually redefine zone group permissions within the active zone set The switch...

Page 11: ...ss requirements you can define them as a single zone group You can define JBOD 2 JBOD 3 and JBOD 4 as a zone group because they are always used together as a backup resource To create a suitable configuration run the SDM utility and create the zone groups shown in the following figure Figure 9 Creating Zone Groups Next use the SDM utility to assign the following permissions by creating zone sets Z...

Page 12: ...or x8 For any other configuration contact your field applications engineer The maximum connections permitted are as follows Six cascaded expanders with each switch counting as one expander Four cascaded switches A total of 64 total expanders in the topology The following examples show several ways in which you can connect devices to the A54812 SW switch Example 1 shows four servers host bus adapte...

Page 13: ... required you can expand the RAID array or you can create a configuration with a second cascading switch as shown in the next example Example 3 shows eight servers and one cascading switch connected to the A54812 SW switch Several JBODs and RAID arrays connect to the other switch NOTE Example 5 and Example 6 also show configurations with cascading switches Figure 12 Example 3 Multiple Servers and ...

Page 14: ...configuration gives the server a redundant path through the switches for high availability If one switch or connection fails the server can still access the JBOD through the other connection Example 5 shows a large data storage network that includes two A54812 SW switches and several expanders NOTE Expanders are either zoning expanders or non zoning expanders When SAS drives are attached to a zoni...

Page 15: ...added SAS devices during device discovery You can use the SDM utility to modify and expand the storage configuration NOTE For zoning to function correctly you must cable A54812 SW switches directly to one another or you must cable them through SAS 2 0 oe SAS 3 0 zoning expanders Example 6 shows a daisy chain or cascaded switch configuration with four A54812 SW switches This example assumes that va...

Page 16: ...ch to any connector in the switch above it The cascade sequence is limited to four switches Example 7 shows a star tree configuration of four switches with Switch B Switch C and Switch D connected directly to Switch A As in Example 6 Figure 15 this example assumes that various SAS targets and SAS initiators are attached to the other connectors on the switches ...

Page 17: ...tion NOTE The cables can run from any connectors on Switch B Switch C and Switch D to any connectors on the central Switch A You can attach more switches to the other connectors on Switch A You also can attach additional switches to Switch B Switch C or Switch D ...

Page 18: ...ash drive that contains this document If any item is missing or damaged contact your local reseller for replacement 2 2 Identifying Switch Components The following figure shows the connectors and LEDs on the A54812 SW switch Each of the 48 SAS phys has a corresponding fault status LED and an activity LED The switch also includes a rate LED and activity LED for the Ethernet connector Figure 17 Swit...

Page 19: ...mum recommended ambient temperature of 45 C 113 F When installing the switch consider the following information The acceptable temperature and humidity operating ranges for installation and operation of the switch are as follows Temperature range 15 C to 45 C dry bulb Relative humidity range 5 percent to 90 percent non condensing Maximum dew point temperature 32 C Install the A54812 SW switch in a...

Page 20: ...er end of the RJ 45 cable into an Ethernet hub a switch or a computer Start the SDM utility on the host By default the switch supports the configuration parameters listed in the following table which provides a point to point non network Ethernet connection between the switch and the host WARNING Provide the A54812 SW switch with an AC protective earth ground connection Never defeat the ground con...

Page 21: ...s tab 4 Click the Configure IP link to open the Configure IP box 5 Click the DHCP IP radio button 6 Power off the switch 7 Connect the switch to the network 8 Power on the switch which now receives an IP address assignment 9 Run the provided Xip utility with these options to see the SAS address and IP information for all attached xip i get avail For network management contact your system administr...

Page 22: ... will be reflected back to the OS and handled correctly When the switch discovery is turn off any changes to the SAS domain will not be seen by the SDM GUI To see the changes the switch discovery needs to be enabled through the SDM GUI Normal discovery will still occur updating all the servers connected to the domain The other option is to change the switch polling time to minimize the effect of t...

Page 23: ...ffect on the SATA discovery delay Click Apply 2 8 Safety Emissions Susceptibility Declarations and Notices 2 8 1 CE This equipment conforms to the requirements of the CE Mark and meets the following requirements EN55022 2010 CISPR 22 2010 Information technology equipment Radio disturbance characteristics EN 55024 2010 CISPR 24 2010 Information Technology Equipment Immunity characteristics IEC 6095...

Page 24: ...nnecting cables and equipment other than those specified by Astek It is your responsibility to correct interference caused by such unauthorized modification substitution or attachment Chapter 3 SAS Domain Manager Graphical User Interface This chapter explains how to use the SAS Domain Manager Graphical User Interface SDM GUI application to configure and monitor storage configurations with the A548...

Page 25: ...e following figure shows the SDM main window with the menu bar and Summary tab Figure 21 SDM GUI Main Window The Summary tab lists the Server Host Name the IP address of the switch on which SDM GUI is running the domain status and domain ID the overlay name and other information The bottom section of the window lists information about SDM including the software version the host name of the current...

Page 26: ...hat trigger discovery are blocked Disabled Value between 10 and 300 The client prompts you to enable discovery because it was disabled If you enable discovery the polling interval is set to the value that you enter and it takes effect immediately If you do not enable discovery the polling interval is set to the value that you enter but it does not take effect until discovery is enabled The command...

Page 27: ...out SDM GUI and the server on which it is running The information includes the version host name and operating system 3 5 Views Tab The Views tab displays information about the domain including the end device table the alias table zone groups and zone sets This information is available to both admin and user accounts 3 5 1 View End Device Table As shown in the following figure the View End Device ...

Page 28: ...Page 28 Figure 23 End Device Table 3 5 2 View Alias Table As shown in the following figure the View Alias Table option displays a list of all aliases ...

Page 29: ...ng figure the View Zone Groups option displays a list of zone groups To view details about any zone group select it from the list on the left of the window An asterisk following a zone group name indicates that the zone group is currently active Figure 25 View Zone Groups ...

Page 30: ...es zone groups and zone sets In addition it has several wizards for domain configuration and management tasks To use the specific commands described in this section click the hyperlinks on the Domain tab 3 6 1 Alias Management The Alias Management options enable you to create modify and delete aliases 3 6 1 1 Create Modify Aliases The Create Modify Aliases option enables you to create or modify al...

Page 31: ...alias names that are unique and that do not resemble valid SAS addresses 16 hexadecimal characters that start with the number 5 The only special characters you can use in an alias are pound dash and _ underscore The tree displays aliases only for the devices presently in the domain To see aliases for other devices use the View Delete Aliases command 3 6 1 2 View Delete Aliases The View Delete Alia...

Page 32: ...or Isolation Wizard The Initiator Isolation Wizard creates a zone set that isolates initiators from one another while exposing all targets to each other Use the Initiator Isolation Wizard to automatically configure a zone set and two associated zone groups based on a snapshot of the domain Each window of the wizard includes instructions to guide you through the configuration process After it promp...

Page 33: ...nes You can delete the defined zones by selecting the check box and clicking Delete After you define all the zones the wizard uses the zone definitions to create the minimal number of zone groups and to configure their permissions The wizard creates one zone group per defined zone populating the zone group with the phys associated with the connectors in that zone and setting up permission for the ...

Page 34: ...ommunicate with each other The wizard then compares each zone group to all other zone groups including zone groups created during this process searching for phys that are in both zone groups If it finds any such phys parents it creates a new zone group child and moves the identified phys to the child The wizard then grants permission for the child s phys to communicate with each other as well as w...

Page 35: ...iew details about any zone group select the group from the pull down list on the left of the window An asterisk at the end of a zone group name indicates that the zone group was active at the time of activation Figure 25 shows the View Zone Groups window 3 6 3 3 Modify Zone Group Use the Modify Zone Group command to modify existing zone groups by adding or removing phys or renaming an existing zon...

Page 36: ... delete zone sets 3 6 4 1 Synchronize Zone Manager Password Before you can activate zoning you must use the Synchronize Zone Manager Password command to synchronize the zone manager password of all the zoning expanders and switches in the domain for example in JBODs and other switches If many expanders use different passwords you must use this command many times requiring multiple password entries...

Page 37: ...eate Zone Set command to create a new zone set You can click on the matrix to indicate that both zone groups in the associated row column can communicate with one another A blank cell indicates that the two zone groups are not allowed to communicate A dash in a cell indicates an illegal selection caused by a phy conflict between zone groups A phy can be a member of one zone group per zone set To s...

Page 38: ... deactivate a zone set Only one zone set can be active at a time and a zone set must be active for its definitions to be applied to the domain Changes to the active zone set or zone group permissions do not take effect until the next zone set activation When all zone sets are inactive zoning is disabled and domain access is unrestricted As shown in the following figure the Activate Deactivate Zone...

Page 39: ...f the zone set and component zone groups are made An asterisk at the end of a zone group name indicates that the zone group is currently active 3 6 4 6 Delete Zone Set Use the Delete Zone Set command to delete an existing zone set As shown in the following figure you delete a zone set by selecting the zone set from the list on the left of the window and then clicking Delete ...

Page 40: ...e Properties Environmentals Attached Devices Phys Operations and SNMP The tabs displayed on this row depend on both the account type and the device selected in the tree You can access an Operations tab if you select an edge expander on the tree while using an admin account The following figure shows a device tree on the Devices tab The Properties tab appears on the right side of the window ...

Page 41: ...d if you click on an end device all other end devices with which it has permission to communicate appear in blue To view a list of the symbols used to represent devices in the domain click the blue word legend in the upper left of the window The following figure shows the list of symbols ...

Page 42: ...l Properties information includes SAS Address Vendor ID and Device Type The rest of the displayed information varies depending on the type device that is selected 3 7 2 Environmentals Tab The Environmentals tab appears for devices that contain SCSI Enclosure Services SES targets The following figure shows an example of the type of data that appears on this tab Environmental data for each device th...

Page 43: ...ide this range are not accepted The warning threshold is set to 70 C The critical threshold is set to 80 C Fans Threshold The fan speed threshold range for the A54812 SW switch is 5 000 to 18 000 rpm Threshold values outside this range are not accepted The warning threshold is set to 10 000 rpm The critical threshold is set to 5 000 rpm Voltage Threshold Enter voltage values as a percentage The vo...

Page 44: ...M GUI also displays the overall device and domain state accordingly From the Environmental tab click Thresholds to display or change the Threshold value as shown in the following figure Figure 38 Threshold Values The A54812 SW switch firmware does not support changing the overall threshold Expand the temperature icon or the voltage icon to get the actual elements as shown in the following figure T...

Page 45: ... Attached Devices Tab The Attached Devices tab appears for all expanders and end devices This tab shows a list of devices directly connected to the selected device and the phys used in those connections The following figure shows the Attached Devices tab ...

Page 46: ...46 Figure 40 Attached Devices Tab 3 7 4 Phys Tab The Phys tab which appears for expanders lists information about the phys on the selected expander The following figure shows the Phys tab Figure 41 Phys Tab ...

Page 47: ...Tab 3 7 6 Zone Group Tab The Zone Group tab becomes active if there is an active zone set and if you click on an end device In the following figure the Zone Group tab is active because the selected initiator is a member of an active zone set In the device tree the devices that can communicate with each other appear in blue The following two sections exist in the Zone Group tab The Zone Group Membe...

Page 48: ...s Tab The Operations tab appears only when you select an expander from an admin account The following figure shows the commands that are listed in this tab when the A54812 SW switch is selected The commands vary depending on the selected device type ...

Page 49: ...cation of the image matches the targeted device SDM GUI prevents downloading of incompatible firmware based on the currently installed firmware version SDM GUI automatically resets the expander after a successful update The following figure shows the first steps of the update process First select an expander firmware image Then verify and activate the file Figure 45 Download Firmware ...

Page 50: ...6 Upload Firmware 3 7 7 3 Enable Disable Reset Phys Use the Enable Disable Reset Phys command to enable disable or reset specified expander phys To disable one or more phys remove the check mark in the Enabled column and click Apply To reset one or more phys select the check box in the Reset column and click Apply The phys are automatically enabled after a switch reset The following figure shows t...

Page 51: ...ches that is currently selected in the device tree You must confirm the reset command 3 7 7 5 Configure IP Use the Configure IP command to change the IP address for the Astek switches that is currently selected in the device tree You can set either a static IP address or a dynamic IP address as shown in the following figures ...

Page 52: ...et Date Use the Get Date command to obtain the switch date SDM GUI shows the device date in a user friendly format 3 7 7 7 Set Date Use the Set Date command to set the switch date 3 7 7 8 Display Device Log Use the Display Device Log command to show the device log for the selected device ...

Page 53: ...on the switch to use the same four event counters The use of switch counters does not impact the switch performance Refer to the Phy Events section of the SAS 2 0 specification for more information about the counters used by the performance monitors and error monitors Figure 50 Performance Monitoring Operations SDM GUI supports the following three monitoring operations Display The Display Performa...

Page 54: ...ing Changing the time base changes how often the switch firmware updates the monitored values Figure 52 Set Active Performance Monitoring Config Read The Read performance and error monitor values command returns the current performance value and the error monitor value As shown in the following figures SDM GUI prompts you for the starting phy and a phy range Then SDM GUI displays the current count...

Page 55: ...Page 55 Figure 53 Select Range for Monitor Values Figure 54 Performance Monitor Values ...

Page 56: ...e default community string username is public Some SNMP managers use objects in the system MIB to perform a scan of the agent The MIB is stored in a set of files that are provided to an SNMP server to describe the SNMP interface for the switch The file set is included on the CD with the switch and is available for download on the Astek website This specification instead defines the high level obje...

Page 57: ...enticationFailure The following figure shows the Agent Security screen Figure 56 Agent Security System MIB Use the System MIB command to change the settings in the SNMP system MIB configuration page Any of the three strings can be set to empty The following figure shows the System MIB screen Figure 57 System MIB ...

Page 58: ...dresses can be set The agent sends all TRAPs to any valid IP addresses specified by this command To disable an entry clear the check box to the left of the IP address All TRAPs are sent using the community string specified in the Agent Security command The following figure shows the Trap IP screen Figure 58 Trap IP ...

Page 59: ... devices This feature copies the backup configuration data onto the new switch irrespective of the present Figure 62 Configuration Backup and Restore 3 8 2 Smart Restore Use this feature to duplicate an existing setup or to create similar zone groups and zone sets on a new setup In addition if you remove a faulty device and add a new device this functionality can quickly restore the aliases from t...

Page 60: ...Page 60 ...

Page 61: ...address of the A54812 SW switch to the list of trusted websites You changed the default IP address of the A54812 SW switch but you forgot the address and you can no longer access the switch through the Ethernet To retrieve the IP address through an in band connection use the Xip utility supplied on the CD that ships with the A54812 SW switch To list the available expanders in your topology run the...

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