IBM totalstorage fastt100, Installation, User And Maintenance Manual, Page: 32 / 160

Attention
To ensure proper operation when connecting EXP100 expansion units to the
FAStT100, you must verify that the EXP100 ESM firmware level is at level
9551 or later. If the ESM firmware level is lower than 9551, disconnect the
EXP100 and contact IBM support, your IBM reseller, or your IBM
representative for assistance. See the IBM TotalStorage FAStT EXP100
Expansion Unit Installation and User
′
s Guide for details on how to determine
ESM firmware versions.
Fibre channel defined
Fibre channel technology is outlined in the SCSI-3 Fibre Channel Protocol
(SCSI-FCP) standard. Fibre channel is a high-speed data transport technology that
is used for mass storage and networking.
Using a fibre-channel arbitrated loop (FC-AL), more than 100 fibre-channel devices
1
can be supported, compared to 15 small computer system interface (SCSI) devices.
The connection from the FAStT100 to the FAStT EXP100 is a 2 Gb fibre-channel
device that supports data transfer rates up to 200 MBps half-duplex and 400 MBps
full-duplex on optical interfaces.
SATA defined
The Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) interface offers increased data
rate performance over Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA), while
maintaining the benefits of ATA. SATA is designed to overcome the performance
barriers that have been forecasted for current parallel technologies while
maintaining the cost-efficiency of Parallel ATA. SATA specifications allow for thinner,
more flexible cables, and lower pin counts. It also enables easier, more flexible
cable routing management and the use of smaller connectors than is possible with
the existing Parallel ATA technology.
The Serial ATA Working Group introduced the first SATA specification, Serial ATA
1.0, in 2001 (http://www.serialata.org).
Product updates
You should download the latest version of the FAStT Storage Manager host
software and the FAStT storage server controller firmware (and, if you are
connecting EXP100 expansion units to the FAStT100 storage server, the EXP100
ESM firmware and the EXP100 disk drive firmware) at the time of the initial
installation and when product updates become available.
To be notified of important product updates, you must first register at the IBM
Support and Download Web site:
www.ibm.com/servers/storage/support/fastt
1. For the FAStT100, each drive is considered to be a device in a fibre-channel loop, even though the FAStT100 drive interface is
SATA (not fibre channel). The EXP100 ESM and the FAStT100 controller and SATA hard drive interposer convert SATA interface
protocol to fibre channel protocol.
2
IBM TotalStorage FAStT100 Storage Server: Installation, User’s, and Maintenance Guide