Dell PS6100 User manual

Dell EqualLogic
Configuration Guide
Dell Storage Engineering
•Configure unified block and file storage solutions based on EqualLogic PS Series
arrays and the FS Series Family of NAS Appliances.
•Recommendations and best practices for iSCSI SAN and scale-out NAS network fabric
design.
•Updated capacity guidelines, capabilities, limitations, and feature sets for the
EqualLogic product family.
Version 14.1 March 2013

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 i
Abstract
This configuration guide provides technical guidance for designing and implementing Dell EqualLogic
PS Series storage solutions in iSCSI SAN environments. The goal of this guide is to provide a single
reference for product technical information and recommended SAN and NAS design methods:
•Details on the capacity and capabilities of different EqualLogic PS Series family and FS Series
family of NAS Appliances
•An overview of the peer storage feature set provided by the EqualLogic storage controllers and
the NAS feature set provided by the FS Series NAS Service
•iSCSI SAN design guidelines for optimizing redundancy, availability and performance of
EqualLogic storage arrays.
•Host configuration guidelines and recommendations for Ethernet switch configuration
This document should be used strictly as a guide in planning an EqualLogic SAN solution. It should not
be considered a statement of support for any specific configuration. Actual viability of any
configuration will depend on the capabilities of the individual components (switches, network
interface controllers, initiators, etc.) that make up the SAN infrastructure.
This configuration guide is intended for storage administrators, SAN designers, storage consultants, or
anyone who is considering purchasing or has purchased EqualLogic PS Series Arrays for use in a
production storage area network.
THIS WHITE PAPER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND MAY CONTAIN TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND
TECHNICAL INACCURACIES. THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITHOUT EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND.
© 2013 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material in any manner whatsoever without the express written
permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden. For more information, contact Dell.
Dell, the DELL logo, and the DELL badge, PowerConnect™, Dell™ EqualLogic™, PowerEdge™and PowerVault™are trademarks
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trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 ii
Revision history
Revision Date Changes
14.1
March 2013 Added section 14 Data Center Bridging
Added volume limits for Synchronous Replication in Table 3
Modified section 7.1.2 and section 7.2
Changed all references in tables in section 4 to read PS41x0
and PS61x0
Added note in section 5.1
Updated Appendix D – EqualLogic Upgrade Paths
Updated the Related Publications
13.4 December
2012
Updates:
New section numbering
Updated Preparing for Firmware Upgrade and Controller
Failover
Added note box to reflect 10Gb support only on PS4110 and
PS6110 ports
Updated for PS-M4110XS and PS65x0 Hybrid Arrays
Added note box to reflect no support for Direct Attach
Storage (DAS)
New Sections:
Appendix D: Upgrade Paths for EqualLogic PS Series Arrays
13.3 September
2012
Updates:
Updated for PS-M4110 Array.
Updated Blade Integration section to include Dell Force10
MXL.
Updated for FS7600/FS7610 and Fluid FS 2.0.
Updated Controller Firmware Upgrade Path to Firmware 6.x.
Updated Section 2.4 RAID Policies
Corrected table 25 in Section 4.7.1.
New sections:
Section 4 Capacity Planning.
Section 6.2 Synchronous Replicaton (SyncRep).
Section 6.3 Internet Protocol Security (IPsec).
13.2 June 2012 Added PS Series Firmware Compatibility with EqualLogic
Tools in Table 7.
13.1 March 2012 Updated for PS6110/4110. Updated Blade Integration in
section 4.7. Updated the capacity tables from raw storage
sizes to usable storage sizes. Added replication partner
compatibility information.
12.4 November
2011
New sections and other changes throughout the document
to include coverage of FS Series NAS Appliance (FS7500)
12.3 October 2011 Updates for PS4100/PS6100 family arrays: controller details;
vertical port failover; SAN configuration guidelines; RAID level
capacity tables

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 iii
12.2.1 July 2011 Corrected Spanning Tree portfast guidance in Appendix D.
12.2
May 2011
Updated figures and content additions to Replication section
12.1 March 2011 Section 3.3.7: Replication
Section 4.6: Integrating 1GbE and 10GbE SANs
Section 2.1: Supported Configuration Limits (maintaining
consistency with current firmware release notes)
Appendix B and Appendix C: Content removed and now
published as a separate Validated Components List
document
All significant changes included in the most recent version of this document are
highlighted using blue text.

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 iv
Table of contents
Abstract .........................................................................................................................................................................i
Revision history...........................................................................................................................................................ii
1PS Series storage arrays ................................................................................................................................1-2
1.1 Array models ...........................................................................................................................................1-2
1.2 PS Series supported configuration limits ...........................................................................................1-3
1.3 Array models prior to PS4100/PS6100...............................................................................................1-5
1.3.1 Controller types in all models prior to PS4100/PS6100......................................................... 1-6
1.3.2 Controller redundancy in all models prior to PS4100/PS6100..............................................1-7
1.3.3 Controller failover behavior in all models prior to PS4100/PS6100 .....................................1-7
1.4 Array models PS4100/PS6100 .......................................................................................................... 1-10
1.4.1 Controller types in PS4100/PS6100 models .......................................................................... 1-10
1.4.2 Controller redundancy in PS4100/PS6100 controllers ......................................................... 1-11
1.4.3 Controller failover behavior: PS41x0/PS61x0 ......................................................................... 1-11
1.4.4 Vertical port failover behavior in PS4100/PS6100 controllers.............................................1-12
1.4.5 Vertical port failover behavior in PS4110/PS6110 controllers ..............................................1-15
1.5 Array model PS-M4110........................................................................................................................1-17
1.5.1 Controller type in PS-M4110 model .........................................................................................1-17
1.5.2 Configuration options .................................................................................................................1-18
1.5.3 Failure behavior in the PS-M4110..............................................................................................1-18
1.5.4 Networking considerations and guidelines .............................................................................1-18
2Controller firmware ....................................................................................................................................2-20
2.1 About member firmware....................................................................................................................2-20
2.2 Firmware upgrade considerations....................................................................................................2-20
2.2.1 PS Series Firmware Compatibility with EqualLogic Tools.................................................... 2-22
2.3 Optimizing for High Availability and preparing for Array Firmware updates ............................2-23
2.3.1 Verify hosts are designed for high availability ........................................................................2-23
2.3.2 Microsoft Windows Servers ....................................................................................................... 2-23
2.3.3 VMWare ESX Servers ...................................................................................................................2-23
2.3.4 Storage Heartbeat on vSphere 5.0, 4.1, and 4.0 ....................................................................2-24
2.3.5 Linux servers.................................................................................................................................2-24
2.3.6 Network topology health check...............................................................................................2-24
2.3.7 Environmental health..................................................................................................................2-24
3RAID policies ................................................................................................................................................ 3-25

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 v
3.1 Setting the RAID Policy for a member............................................................................................. 3-25
3.2 Guidelines for choosing a RAID policy............................................................................................ 3-25
3.2.1 RAID level......................................................................................................................................3-26
3.2.2 Drive configuration .....................................................................................................................3-26
3.2.3 Spare drive policy ........................................................................................................................3-26
3.3 RAID level characteristics...................................................................................................................3-26
3.3.1 Performance and availability characteristics of the supported RAID levels...................... 3-27
3.4 Supported RAID policy conversions ................................................................................................3-28
4Capacity planning........................................................................................................................................4-30
4.1 RAID 6 drive layouts and total reported usable storage...............................................................4-30
4.2 RAID 10 drive layouts and total reported usable storage.............................................................4-32
4.3 RAID 50 drive layouts and total reported usable storage ............................................................4-33
4.4 RAID 5 drive layouts and total reported usable storage...............................................................4-34
4.5 Array RAID configurations and associated RAID sets ...................................................................4-35
5PS Series array concepts............................................................................................................................5-36
5.1 Groups and pools................................................................................................................................5-36
5.1.1 Pools ..............................................................................................................................................5-36
5.2 Volumes ................................................................................................................................................5-38
5.2.1 Volume attributes ........................................................................................................................5-38
5.2.2 Volume features ..........................................................................................................................5-39
5.3 Snapshots and clones.........................................................................................................................5-39
5.3.1 Clones ...........................................................................................................................................5-40
5.4 Thin provisioning .................................................................................................................................5-40
5.4.1 Template volumes and thin clones.......................................................................................... 5-41
6Array firmware features..............................................................................................................................6-42
6.1 Replication............................................................................................................................................6-42
6.1.1 Replication limits .........................................................................................................................6-42
6.1.2 Replication paths .........................................................................................................................6-43
6.1.3 Replication process.....................................................................................................................6-44
6.1.4 Fast failback ..................................................................................................................................6-46
6.1.5 Sizing Replica Reserve and Delegated Space.........................................................................6-46
6.1.6 Effect of TCP Window Size on Latency across WAN links...................................................6-48
6.1.7 Replication partner compatibility .............................................................................................6-48
6.1.8 Clustering......................................................................................................................................6-49

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 vi
6.2 Synchronous replication ....................................................................................................................6-49
6.2.1 About Synchronous replication ................................................................................................6-49
6.2.2 How Synchronous replication works.......................................................................................6-49
6.2.3 Synchronous states.....................................................................................................................6-50
6.2.4 Caveats:.........................................................................................................................................6-50
6.2.5 Requirements for using SyncRep .............................................................................................6-50
6.2.6 How SyncRep protects volume availability............................................................................. 6-51
6.2.7 SyncAlternate volume unavailable ........................................................................................... 6-51
6.2.8 Tracked changes written to the SyncAlternate volume .......................................................6-52
6.2.9 SyncActive volume unavailable.................................................................................................6-53
6.3 Protecting your EqualLogic group with Internet Protocol Security...........................................6-56
6.3.1 Types of protected traffic ..........................................................................................................6-56
6.3.2 Protected Intra-Group Traffic................................................................................................... 6-57
6.3.3 IPsec and Replication ................................................................................................................. 6-57
6.3.4 About IPsec Security Parameters.............................................................................................. 6-57
6.3.5 About IPsec Certificates ............................................................................................................. 6-57
6.3.6 About IPsec Pre-Shared Keys....................................................................................................6-58
6.3.7 About IPsec policies....................................................................................................................6-58
6.3.8 IPsec considerations and limitations .......................................................................................6-58
6.3.9 Performance considerations .....................................................................................................6-59
6.3.10 Host Connectivity Considerations ...........................................................................................6-59
7EqualLogic SAN design...............................................................................................................................7-60
7.1 General requirements.........................................................................................................................7-60
7.1.1 Implementation of standards ....................................................................................................7-60
7.1.2 General requirements and recommendations....................................................................... 7-61
7.1.3 Quality of service (qos)............................................................................................................... 7-62
7.2 Ethernet switches and infrastructure............................................................................................... 7-62
7.2.1 Connecting SAN switches in a Layer 2 network....................................................................7-64
7.2.2 Sizing inter-switch connections ............................................................................................... 7-67
7.2.3 Comparing inter-switch connection types ............................................................................ 7-67
7.3 Building a high-availability SAN ........................................................................................................7-68
7.3.1 Design guidelines for host connectivity in a redundant SAN ..............................................7-69
7.3.2 Multi-path I/O .............................................................................................................................. 7-70
7.3.3 Equallogic iSCI SAN Design ........................................................................................................7-71

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 vii
7.3.4 Redundant SAN configuration .................................................................................................. 7-72
7.3.5 Partially redundant SAN configurations .................................................................................. 7-74
7.3.6 Minimum cabling scenarios: PS4100 and PS6100 ................................................................ 7-75
8Mixed speed environments - Integrating 1GbE and 10GbE SANs ......................................................8-78
8.1 Design considerations ........................................................................................................................8-78
8.1.1 Optimizing Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol behavior ............................................................8-79
8.2 Mixed speed SAN best practices...................................................................................................... 8-80
9Blade server chassis integration ...............................................................................................................9-82
9.1 Designing a SAN using blade chassis I/O modules with arrays directly attached ...................9-84
9.1.1 SAN design for multiple M1000e enclosure.......................................................................... 9-90
9.2 Designing a SAN using blade Pass-through module ....................................................................9-94
9.3 Designing a SAN using blade chassis I/O modules as host access to external switches for array
connection .......................................................................................................................................................9-96
10 Fluid File system...................................................................................................................................10-103
10.1 FS Series architecture .....................................................................................................................10-104
10.1.1 FS Series solution for file only storage.................................................................................10-104
10.2 Dell FluidFS ...................................................................................................................................10-105
11 FS Series NAS Appliances....................................................................................................................11-107
11.1 Equallogic NAS appliance supported configuration limits........................................................11-107
11.2 Initial NAS cluster valid configurations ........................................................................................ 11-109
11.3 FS7500 system components..........................................................................................................11-110
11.4 FS7500 file system operation on controller failover.................................................................. 11-111
11.5 FS7600 components ....................................................................................................................... 11-111
11.6 FS7610 components ........................................................................................................................ 11-112
12 FS Series file level operations .............................................................................................................12-113
12.1 NAS cluster ........................................................................................................................................12-113
12.2 NAS reserve .......................................................................................................................................12-113
12.2.1 Relationship between PS Series groups, pools and NAS reserve.....................................12-113
12.3 NAS Container ..................................................................................................................................12-114
12.3.1 NAS Container security styles ................................................................................................12-115
12.4 NAS Container snapshots ...............................................................................................................12-116
12.5 NAS Snapshots and Replication.....................................................................................................12-117
12.5.1 Snapshots...................................................................................................................................12-117
12.5.2 Replication .................................................................................................................................12-117
13 FS Series NAS Configuration ............................................................................................................. 13-120

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 viii
13.1 FS7500 connection paths .............................................................................................................. 13-120
13.2 FS7600/7610 connection paths ................................................................................................... 13-122
14 Data Center Bridging (DCB) .............................................................................................................. 14-126
14.1 DCB Overview.................................................................................................................................. 14-126
14.2 DCB requirements for EqualLogic ............................................................................................... 14-129
14.3 Methods for configuring DCB.......................................................................................................14-130
14.4 Basic Deployment Topology Example .....................................................................................14-131
14.5 Tested SAN designs..........................................................................................................................14-131
14.5.1 Blade IOM switch only............................................................................................................ 14-132
14.5.2 ToR switch only ....................................................................................................................... 14-132
14.5.3 Blade IOM switch with ToR switch ...................................................................................... 14-133
14.6 Data Center In A Chassis DCB design ..................................................................................... 14-134
14.7 VLANs for iSCSI................................................................................................................................ 14-135
Appendix A Network ports and protocols............................................................................................ 14-137
A.1 Required ports and protocols ....................................................................................................... 14-137
A.2 Optional ports and protocols........................................................................................................ 14-137
Appendix B Recommended switches ................................................................................................... 14-139
Appendix C Supported iSCSI initiators...................................................................................................14-140
Appendix D Upgrade paths for EqualLogic PS SeriesArrays .............................................................. 14-141
Related publications ....................................................................................................................................... 14-142

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 1-1
Introduction
With the Dell™ EqualLogic™ PS Series of storage arrays Dell provides a storage solution that delivers
the benefits of consolidated networked storage in a self-managing, iSCSI storage area network (SAN)
that is affordable and easy to use, regardless of scale. By eliminating complex tasks and enabling fast
and flexible storage provisioning, these solutions dramatically reduce the costs of storage acquisition
and ongoing operations.
To be able to leverage the advanced features provided by an EqualLogic array, a robust, standards-
compliant iSCSI storage area network (SAN) infrastructure must be created. While almost any industry
standard, enterprise class Ethernet switch can be used to connect hosts to the EqualLogic-based
virtual storage volumes, some switches, network interface controllers(NICs), iSCSI Host Bus Adapters
(HBAs), and iSCSI initiators can directly impact the overall performance of the SAN storage solution.
The
Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide is provided as an aid to help storage administrators
determine how best to build an iSCSI infrastructure for use within an EqualLogic SAN solution. This
document focuses on network configuration, host integration, and other topics that help to ensure a
smooth deployment with optimum PS Series SAN and FS Series NAS appliance performance.
Note: This version of the EqualLogic Configuration Guide (v13.3, September 2012)
introduces coverage of the EqualLogic PS-M4110 Blade Array. Unless otherwise stated,
the recommendations involving specific 10GbE solutions apply to the first generation
PS6010, the second generation PS4110, PS-M4110, and the PS6110.
Unless otherwise stated, recommendations in this document are applicable to both file and block
environments.
This document should be used strictly as a guide in planning an EqualLogic storage solution. It should
not be considered a statement of support for any specific configuration. Actual viability of any
configuration will depend on the capabilities of the individual components (switches, network
interface controllers, initiators, etc.) that make up the SAN infrastructure.
Audience
This configuration guide is intended for storage administrators, SAN/NAS system designers, storage
consultants, or anyone who is considering purchasing or has purchased EqualLogic PS Series storage
or FS Series Array appliances for use in a production storage area network. It is assumed that all
readers have experience in designing and/or administering a shared storage solution. Also, there are
some assumptions made in terms of familiarity with all current and possibly future Ethernet standards
as defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) as well as all TCP/IP and iSCSI
standards as defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 1-2
1PS Series storage arrays
PS Series Storage SANs provide a peer storage architecture comprised of one or more independent
arrays. Each array contains its own controllers, cache, storage, and interface ports. Grouped together
they can create one or more single instance storage pools that are based on the IETF iSCSI standard.
The capabilities of the PS Series solution are provided through a unique set of software and hardware
capabilities that, when used cooperatively, can provide a full featured SAN solution. The following
sections provide additional insight into specifications and functions of PS Series arrays.
1.1 Array models
The array models available prior to introduction of the PS4100/PS6100 family are shown in Table 1
below.
Table 1 Array Models prior to PS4100/PS6100
Array Model
Drive Type
Number of Drives
PS50E – PS2400E
SATA
14, 16(a)
PS3000X, PS3x00XV
SAS
16
PS4000E
SATA
16
PS4000X, PS4000XV
SAS
16
PS5000E
SATA
16
PS5000X, PS5000XV
SAS
16
PS5500E
SATA
48
PS6000E SATA 16
PS6000X, PS6000XV SAS 16
PS6000S, PS6010S
SSD
16
PS6010E
SATA
16
PS6010X, PS6010XV
SAS
16
PS6000XVS, PS6010XVS
SAS / SSD
8 / 8
PS6500E
SATA
48
PS6510E
SATA
48
PS6510X
SAS
48
PS6500ES
SAS / SSD
41 SAS + 7 SSD
PS6510ES
SAS / SSD
41 SAS + 7 SSD
(a) PS2400E comprised of four drive enclosures with 14 drives each
Starting with the introduction of the PS4100 and PS6100 family of arrays, configurations using 2.5” and
3.5” disks are available.

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 1-3
Table 2 PS4100/PS6100 array models
Array model
Drive type
Number of drives
PS4100E
3.5” SAS 7.2K RPM
12
PS4100X 2.5” SAS 10K RPM 24
PS4100XV
2.5” SAS 15K RPM
24
PS4100XV
3.5” SAS 15K RPM
12
PS6100E
3.5” SAS 7.2K RPM
24
PS6100X
2.5” SAS 10K RPM
24
PS6100XV
2.5” SAS 15K RPM
24
PS6100XV
3.5” SAS 15K RPM
24
PS6100S
SSD
12 or 24
PS6100XS
SSD + SAS 10K RPM
7 SSD + 17 SAS
PS4110E
3.5” SAS 7.2K RPM
12
PS4110X 2.5” SAS 10K RPM 24
PS4110XV
2.5” SAS 15K RPM
24
PS4110XV
3.5” SAS 15K RPM
12
PS6110E
3.5” SAS 7.2K RPM
24
PS6110X
2.5” SAS 10K RPM
24
PS6110XV
2.5” SAS 15K RPM
24
PS6110XV
3.5” SAS 15K RPM
24
PS6110S
SSD
12 or 24
PS6110XS
SSD + SAS 10K RPM
7 SSD + 17 SAS
PS-M4110E
7.2K RPM NL-SAS 2.5”
14
PS-M4110X 10K RPM SAS 2.5” 14
PS-M4110XV
15K RPM SAS 2.5”
14
PS-M4110XS
SSD + 10K RPM 2.5” SAS
5 SSD + 9 SAS
1.2 PS Series supported configuration limits
The Dell EqualLogic PS6xxx Series provides the full range of features and capabilities available with the
EqualLogic PS Series storage products. The Dell EqualLogic PS4xxx Series provides a subset of features
and capabilities, targeted at remote office and small to medium business storage deployments. The
supported configuration limits for a PS Series group provided in Table 3.

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 1-4
Table 3 Supported configuration limits
Configuration PS4000/PS4100 and
PS-M4110 groups only
a
All other groupsb
Volumes and replica sets per group
512h
1024
Volume sizec
15 TB
15 TB
Volumes enabled for replication (outbound)d
32
256
Snapshots and replicas per group
2048
10,000
Snapshots per volume 128 512
Replicas per volume
128
512
Volumes that have Synchronous Replication
Enabled 4 32
Schedules (snapshot or replication) per volume
or volume collection 16 16
Persistent Reservation registrants per volume
96
96
Replication partners per group
16
16
Replication partners per volume
1
1
Members per group
2
16a
Members per pool
2
8
Pools per group 2 4
Volumes per collection 8 8
Collections per group (snapshot and replication)
100
100
Volume connections (each time an iSCSI
initiator connects to a volume counts as a
connection)e,f
512 per poolg
1024 per group with
2 pools
1024 per poolh
4096 per group with
4 pools
Access control records per volume and its
snapshots
16 16
Simultaneous management sessions (any
combination of GUI, telnet, or scripting sessions)
7 7
Thin provisioning
i
limits
(minimum allocation)
10% of volume size 10% of volume size
Administrator accounts per group
100
100
(a)
A group can contain a maximum of two PS4000, PS4100, and/or PS-M4110 arrays.
(b) Includes groups of mixed array types and all other group types except groups containing only PS40x0, PS41x0, and
PS-M4110 arrays. When a group contains a mix of PS40x0, PS41x0, and PS-M4110 arrays and other array models,
the higher limits prevail.
(c) Practical maximum volume size is operating system-specific. A PS Series group can create and present volumes up
to 15 TB.
(d) Up to 16 simultaneous replication operations can take place.
(e) To avoid service outages or possible loss of connectivity during failovers, Dell recommends increasing initiator
timeouts for groups with more than 512 connections. See the iSCSI Initiator and Operating Systems Considerations
document for more information.
(f) Inbound replication connections count towards the total number of connections.
(g) With firmware version 5.1, maximum number of volumes per group and maximum number of connections per pool
increased from 256 to 512
(h) Up to 1024 connections per pool are supported for all groups except groups containing only PS40x0, PS41x0, and
PS-M4110 arrays. This provides increased scalability in virtualized environments. These connections may be
distributed across a maximum of 512 volumes.
(i) Volumes automatically created and managed by the NAS Service inside the NAS Reserve pool used by an FS Series
appliance are fully allocated at creation and cannot be thin provisioned. Once those volumes are created (when
the NAS Reserve is created they cannot be shrunk.

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 1-5
1.3 Array models prior to PS4100/PS6100
Since the EqualLogic PS Series was introduced, there have been several different array models
released with new features, better performance and greater storage capacity. The storage array
controllers were also improved to take advantage of advances in the underlying networking and
storage technologies.

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 1-6
1.3.1 Controller types in all models prior to PS4100/PS6100
Array controllers can be identified and differentiated by the controller "type" designation. Each
controller type will have a different colored label to help quickly identify the controller type. Table 4
lists each Dell EqualLogic controller along with some characteristics about each.
Table 4 Array controller types – All models prior to PS4100/PS6100
Controller
type
Faceplate Network
interfaces
Storage
type
Notes
Type 1 3 x 1GbaseT
3 x 1Gb SFP
(combo)
SATA Original Controller
Design
PS50 – PS2400
1GB Cache
Type 2
3 x 1GbaseT
3 x 1Gb SFP
(combo)
SATA
PS50 – PS2400
1GB Cache
Type 3 SAS
Type 3
SATA
3 x 1GbaseT
SAS
SATA
PS3000 – PS5000
1GB Cache
Cannot mix Type 3
SAS with Type 3 SATA
Type 4 3 x 1GbaseT SAS PS3000 – PS5000
1GB Cache
Cannot mix Type 3
SAS with Type 4
controller
Type 5 3 x 1GbaseT SATA PS3000 – PS5000
1GB Cache
Cannot mix Type 3
SAS with Type 5
controller
Type 6 3 x 1GbaseT SATA PS5500 only
2GB Cache
Type 7 4 x 1GbaseT SAS
SATA
SSD
PS6000 – PS6500
2GB Cache
Cannot mix SAS and
SATA drives in one
array
Type 8
2 x1GbaseT
1 x 10/100Mb
mgt
SAS
SATA
PS4000 only
2GB Cache
Cannot mix SAS and
SATA drives in same
array

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 1-7
Controller
type
Faceplate Network
interfaces
Storage
type
Notes
Type 9 2 x 1GbaseT
1 x 10/100Mb
mgt
SAS
SATA
2
nd
generation
PS4000
2GB Cache
Cannot mix SAS and
SATA drives in same
array
Type 10 2 x 10GB
SFP+
1 x 10/100Mb
mgt
SAS
SATA
SSD
10Gb Ethernet
PS6010 – PS6510
2GB Cache
1.3.2 Controller redundancy in all models prior to PS4100/PS6100
Each array can be configured with either a single controller, or dual redundant controllers. The single
controller configuration will provide the same level of I/O performance as a dual controller
configuration. The dual controller configuration provides for redundancy. Redundant controllers will
prevent volume connections between hosts and SAN from being dropped in the event of an active
controller failure.
The
Active Controller is the controller which is processing all disk and network I/O operations for the
array. A second controller in dual controller configurations will always be in a “passive” operating
mode. In this mode, the secondary controller will exhibit the following characteristics:
•Each of its Ethernet ports are electrically inactive (active lights are off)
•The passive controller cache mirrors the cache of the active controller.
1.3.3 Controller failover behavior in all models prior to
PS4100/PS6100
To support redundant controller fail over, each Ethernet port on the active controller that is connected
to the SAN must have its corresponding port on the passive controller also connected to the same
SAN network. In the event of a controller failure, the passive controller will immediately activate and
continue to process all data requests to the array. The following changes occur during fail over:
•The backup controller automatically enables each of the corresponding Ethernet ports that
were enabled on the failed primary controller
•The IP addresses that were assigned to each of the failed controller Ethernet ports are
reassigned to the corresponding ports on the second controller.
A link failure on one or more of the Ethernet ports on the active controller does not constitute a
controller failure. For this reason, it is important to ensure that ports from each controller are
connected to at least two different switches. This will prevent a switch failure from also disabling all
paths between a host and its connected volumes.
It is also critical that port connections for both controllers are configured so that the corresponding
ports on each controller are connected to the SAN. If port 0 on the active controller is the only port

March 2013 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v14.1 1-8
connected to the SAN, then you must use port 0 on the passive controller for the other connection to
the SAN. This is illustrated in the partially connected scenario shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Partially connected controller failover
Note how IP addresses are reassigned to the ports during the failover processes shown in Figure 1 and
Figure 2.

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Figure 2 Fully connected controller failover

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1.4 Array models PS4100/PS6100
1.4.1 Controller types in PS4100/PS6100 models
The new controller types available in the PS4100 and PS6100 model arrays became available starting
in August 2011. Table 5 lists each Dell EqualLogic controller along with some characteristics.
Table 5 PS4100/PS6100 controller types
Controller
Type Faceplate
Network
Interfaces
Storage
Type Notes
Type 11
4 x 1GbaseT
1 x
10/100Mb
mgt
SAS
NL-SAS
SSD
PS6100 Only
4GB Cache
Supports vertical
port failover
Cache to Flash
memory
destaging
Type 12 2 x 1GbaseT
1 x
10/100Mb
mgt
SAS
NL-SAS
PS4100 Only
4GB Cache
Supports vertical
port failover
Cache to Flash
memory
destaging
Type 14 1 x 10GbE
SFP+
1 x
10GbaseT
10/100Mb
mgt
SAS
NL-SAS
SSD
PS6110 Only
4GB Cache
Support for
vertical port
failover
Cache to Flash
memory
destaging
SFP+ OR
10GBaseT used
at any given time
Type 17 1 x 10GbE
SFP+
1 x
10GbaseT 1
x 10/100Mb
mgt
SAS
NL-SAS
PS4110 Only
4GB Cache
Supports vertical
port failover
Cache to Flash
memory
destaging
SFP+ OR
10GBaseT used
at any given time

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1.4.2 Controller redundancy in PS4100/PS6100 controllers
Each array can be configured with either a single controller, or dual redundant controllers. The single
controller configuration will provide the same level of I/O performance as a dual controller
configuration. The dual controller configuration provides for redundancy. Redundant controllers will
prevent volume connections between hosts and SAN from being dropped in the event of an active
controller failure.
The
Active Controller is the controller which is processing all disk and network I/O operations for the
array. A second controller in dual controller configurations will always be in a “passive” operating
mode. In this mode, the secondary controller will exhibit the following characteristics:
•Each of its Ethernet ports are electrically inactive (active lights are off), unless a vertical port
failover has occurred.
•The passive controller cache mirrors the cache of the active controller.
1.4.3 Controller failover behavior: PS41x0/PS61x0
In the event of a controller failure the following changes occur:
•The passive controller immediately activates and continues to process all data requests to the
array.
•Vertical port pairing insures that IP addresses assigned to each of the failed controller Ethernet
ports apply to the corresponding ports on the second controller.
As stated in Section 1.3.3 above, controller models prior to the PS4100/PS6100 required having cabled
connections present on corresponding controller ports for controller failover to work correctly. The
vertical port failover feature in PS41x0/PS61x0 controllers eliminates this requirement, enabling
partially cabled configurations to support controller failover too. See Section 7.3.6,
Minimum cabling
scenarios: PS4100 and PS6100
, for details.
It is important to ensure that ports from each controller are connected to at least two different
switches. This will prevent a switch failure from also disabling all paths between a host and its
connected volumes. We illustrate controller failover behavior for the PS4100 family controller in Figure
3. Controller failover behavior for the PS6100 (4 port) controller family is identical.
IMPORTANT: To prevent a switch failure from also disabling all paths between a host and
its connected volumes, you should make sure that ports from each controller are
connected to at least two different switches. You should also split vertical port pair
connections between two switches to ensure 100% bandwidth capability is maintained
in the event of a vertical port failover event. Both of these guidelines are illustrated in
Figure 3.