Nexsan E Series User manual

This Quick Start Guide is intended to help you quickly get your Nexsan Storage System unpacked,
mounted, and connected. For detailed instructions, see the relevant Installation Guide and the Nexsan
High-Density Storage User Guide, available at https://helper.nexsansupport.com/esr_downloads.html
E18/E18X Quick Start Guide
1
NEXSAN E-Series™
NOTE: If you are installing a storage expansion as part of a Unity Storage System, refer to the Unity
System Quick Start Guide for information about installation order, cabling, and connectivity.
Required tools and equipment
To perform the installation, you will need the following tools and equipment:
enough CAT5 or CAT6 Ethernet cable to connect the system to the local area network (LAN)
enough CAT6 Ethernet cable, fiber-optic cable, twisted-pair copper cable, or SAS cable to connect the
system to the storage area network (SAN)
Before you begin
Unpacking the system
1Remove the outer packaging sleeve.
2Remove the accessory box and disk box.
3Open the accessory box and make sure that all expected contents are present:
Rack mounting hardware package:
Aten (10) bolts for securing the rails to the rack
Btwo (2) large bolts for securing the enclosure to the mounting spacers
Cten (10) rail nuts
Dtwo (2) mounting spacers
Etwo (2) rail assemblies, one left and one right
Two (2) power cables
One (1) disposable ESD strap
(Nexsan E18XV storage expansion only) Four (4) SAS cables for attaching the storage expansion to
the main storage system
Any additional items that may have been ordered, such as Fibre Channel cables
4Open the disk box and make sure that the proper number of disk drives is included.
5Remove the foam lid covering the system.
CAUTION:
Ensure that the ambient temperature at the installation is between 10°C (41°F) and 35°C (86°F).
If the temperature at the site is not actively regulated, ensure that daily and seasonal
temperature changes will not result in the ambient temperature going outside these limits.
Always fully stabilize racks with wall anchors or stabilizing legs, or both, before mounting the
Nexsan storage system or any other components on the rack.
Place the rack to allow full air flow at both the front and rear of the Nexsan storage system.
Ensure that the floor beneath the mounting rack has enough load-bearing capacity to support
the rack and all mounted components.
Ensure that the power drawn by the Nexsan storage system does not overload the available
electrical supply.
AC
BD
E
!asuitable equipment rack (1,000mm deep recommended)with sufficientloadcapacityto holdthesystem
!asize P1 Phillips-headscrewdriver
For aNexsan E-18V/E-18P/E-18F (main storage system), you willalso need:
Before installing the Nexsan storage system,prepare the installationsite and rack.The NexsanE18
storage system requires 2U of rack space and is designedto runfrom a100–240V power supply.

2 — Nexsan E-Series E18/E18X Quick Start Guide
6With the help of a second person, carefully lift the system out of the box.
NOTE: The packaging that the system ships in is reusable and should be retained for future re-shipment.
Preparing the system
Remove the PSUs from the enclosure.
Removing the power supply units (PSUs)
1Press the spring lock tab down.
2Carefully remove the PSU from the unit. Support the weight of
the PSU with your free hand while removing it.
NOTE: Due to the close fit, a firm, steady pressure is required
to remove the PSU.
Attaching chassis rack-mount ears
Attach the rack-mount ears (G) to the front of the enclosure with the
supplied bolts (A).
Attaching the rails to the rack
NOTE: The rails are labeled “L” (left) and “R” (right) on the outside surfaces. When installing them into the
rack, be sure to place them on the correct sides and with the tapered end of the rail facing forward.
1Attach the rack bolts (B), rack nuts (D), and mounting
spacers (F) to the front of the rack on both sides. The
rack nuts (D) should be mounted on the inside of the
rack.
NOTE: The mounting spacers are optional. For details
on how to install the rails without the mounting
spacers, see the Nexsan E-18V/E18P or Nexsan
E32XV/E18X/E18XV Installation Guide.
2Attach the rack bolts (B) and rack nuts (D) to the rear of
the rack on both sides. The rack nuts (D) should be mounted on the inside of
the rack.
3Extend the rail slides (E) to fit your rack. The rails can be adjusted to
between 26" (66cm) and 36" (91.4cm).
CAUTION:
Nexsan storage systems are heavy and require two people to lift and slide onto the mounting
rails. Do NOT attempt to mount the system enclosure onto the rails without assistance.
When removing the system enclosure from the packaging, DO NOT lift the enclosure by any
plastic parts or module handles on the chassis. Lift the enclosure ONLY by the bottom edges of
the chassis.
CAUTION:
Handle the PSUs and RAID Controllers/Expansion Controllers ONLY by the handles
and outer coverings. DO NOT touch any internal components or connectors. Doing so may harm
the electronics inside.

3 — Nexsan E-Series E18/E18X Quick Start Guide
4Attach the front of the left rail to the rack nuts by sliding the large part of the mounting hole over the rack
nut and then pressing outward to seat the nut in the small part of the mounting hole.
5Repeat Step 4 for the rear of the left rail.
6Repeat Step 4 and Step 5 for the right rail.
NOTE: The rails may seem loose before the system is mounted on them. This is normal. Once the
system is on the rails, the rails are stabilized by the enclosure.
Mounting the enclosure on a rack
1With the help of another person, carefully lift the system
enclosure and slide it onto the mounting rails so that the
mounting ears sit against the spacers (if installed) or the rack
face.
2Using the supplied bolts (see “C” in step 1), tightly bolt the front of the enclosure to the mounting spacers
(if installed) or the rack.
Replacing the PSUs
Replace the two Power Supply Units (PSUs), sliding them into the PSU slots until the top tab clicks.
NOTE: Make sure that the PSU is right side up. The spring lock tab should be at the top.
NOTE: DO NOT connect the power cords to the PSUs at this time.
CAUTION:
Nexsan storage systems are heavy and require two people to lift and slide onto the mounting
rails. Do NOT attempt to mount the system onto the rails by yourself.
When removing the system from the packaging, DO NOT lift the enclosure by any plastic parts
or module handles on the chassis. Lift the enclosure ONLY by the bottom edges of the chassis.

CAUTION: Always fully secure all rack-mounting hardware when installing the Nexsan storage
system in a rack. Insufficient rack-mount support may allow the system to fall onto other rack-
mounted hardware or onto the floor, potentially damaging equipment or causing injury to nearby
personnel.
CAUTION: Handle the PSUs and RAID Controllers/Expansion Controllers ONLY by the handles
and outer coverings. DO NOT touch any internal components or connectors. Doing so may harm
the electronics inside.

4 — Nexsan E-Series E18/E18X Quick Start Guide
Loading disk drives
1Ground any electrostatic charge from your person by touching a
metal part of the rack or any properly grounded conductive object
(such as the ground point at an anti-static workstation).
2Attach the clip end of the anti-static wrist strap to the rack’s ESD
grounding pin or to any bare metal part of the rack. Secure the
loop end around your wrist.
3Turn the lock clockwise to unlock the drawer.
4Carefully slide the drawer all the way out until the side rail locking tab clicks into place.
5Starting at the front of the drawer, and using the drive
mounting guide printed on the top of the drawer to help you
orient the disks, carefully load each disk drive into a drive
slot. Make sure that each disk is fully seated.
NOTE: You can mix 15Krpm, 10Krpm, and 7.2Krpm drives in the same drive drawer, but it is
recommended that the fastest drives are loaded first, followed by the slower drives.
6Press the latch on the outside rail of the drive drawer to disengage it, then carefully
slide the drawer back into the enclosure, making sure that it is flush with the rest of the
front panel.
7Turn the lock counter-clockwise to lock the drawer.
8Repeat Step 3 through Step 7 for the right drive drawer.
Attaching cables
Nexsan E18V
CAUTION:
Only open ONE drawer at a time. Close and lock each drawer before opening another one.
Failure to do so may overbalance the rack, causing equipment damage or injury to personnel.
Do not lean on or place any heavy object on an open drive drawer. Doing so may damage the
drawer slide mechanism or overbalance the rack.
Before opening any drive drawers on the Nexsan storage system, be sure that the internal
temperature is 10°C (50°F) or above. If the system has been shipped or stored in low
temperatures, allow the system to come to room temperature. Failure to do so may result in
internal cable damage.
Computer components and disk drives are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). Be sure to
ground any electrostatic charge from your person before touching components with your
hands or with any tools. While installing the system, use the included anti-static wrist-strap.
CAUTION:
ALWAYS load disk drives in stacks of three. Leaving large gaps between disk drives
decreases cooling efficiency and may result in some disk drives overheating.

5 — Nexsan E-Series E18/E18X Quick Start Guide
2Insert the other ends of the SAS cables into the EXP IN 0 and 1expansion ports on the top Expansion
Controller in the Nexsan E18X.
3Repeat Step 1 and Step 2 for the bottom RAID Controller and Expansion Controller.
Connect all necessary communication cables (Fibre Channel/10Gb iSCSI/SAS, Ethernet, serial) to the
appropriate connectors on each RAID Controller.
1Connect the storage system to your local area network (LAN) by attaching CAT 5 or CAT 6 Ethernet cable
to the Management (MGMT) port. This enables you to access the system’s graphical user interface
(GUI).
2Connect the storage system to your storage area network (SAN) by one of the following methods:
For 1Gb iSCSI, attach CAT6 Ethernet cables to the iSCSI ports (Net 0 and 1, or Net 0 through 3if no
other host port option is installed).
For Fibre Channel, attach either fiber-optic or twisted-pair copper cables to the Fibre Channel ports.
For 10GbE iSCSI, attach either fiber-optic or twisted-pair copper cables to the 10Gb Ethernet iSCSI
ports.
For SAS-to-Host, attach SAS cables to the SAS ports.
CAUTION: If you are installing two storage expansions onto a single main storage system, or if you
need to “hot-add” the storage expansion to a running main storage system, you MUST follow the
instructions under “ Attach Expansion Unit to Main Storage Units” in the Nexsan E18X Installation
Guide
, available at https://helper.nexsansupport.com/esr_downloads.html .
Nexsan E18P/E18F
1Insert oneSAS cableinto each SAS port (EXP 0and EXP1)on thetopRAIDController of theNexsan
E-18V/E-18P/E-18F.
Nexsan E-18V/E-18P/E-18F
E18P/E18F

Copyright © 2010-2018 Nexsan Nexsan Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nexsan®, E-Centre™, Unity™, E18™, E48™, E60™, FASTier™, and the
Nexsan logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nexsan. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.
Nexsan 325 E. Hillcrest Drive, Suite 150, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360 USA | Printed | www.nexsan.com
Technical Support
By Email: [e-mail]
By Web: http://helper.nexsansupport.com
E18V
Powering on
1Using the two supplied power cords, connect each PSU on the Nexsan E18 to main
power, making sure to fold down the power cord retaining clip over each one.
NOTE: You may need to use the SW0 switch to initiate the power up sequence.
Press and hold the SW0 switch until you hear the systems cooling fans start up
and then release. Do not hold the SW0 switch in for longer than that as that may
cause the product's controllers to start in Emergency Mode.
NOTE: If the audible alarm sounds when the system is first powered on, this may
be because the controller batteries are discharged. Press either SW0 switch on
the rear of the enclosure to silence the alarm.
3When the main storage system is fully powered up (this can take up to 5 minutes), check the EXP IN L0
and L1 LEDs next to the expansion ports on the Expansion Modules. Both LEDs should be green.
If either of the EXP IN LEDs are flashing amber:
Power down both the main storage system and the storage expansion, correct the cabling (see Attaching
cables), and then repeat Step 1 through Step 3.
Using the two supplied power cords, connect each PSU to main power, making sure to fold down the power
cord retaining clip over each one.
NOTE: You may need to use the SW0 switch to initiate the power up sequence. Press and hold the SW0
switch until you hear the systems cooling fans start up and then release. Do not hold the SW0 switch in for
longer than that as that may cause the product's controllers to start in Emergency Mode.
NOTE: If the audible alarm sounds when the storage system is first powered on, this may be because the
controller batteries are discharged. Press either SW0 switch on the rear of the enclosure to silence the
alarm.
CAUTION:
EXP 0 EXP 1
STATMGMT SERIAL
SW0
NETWORK PORTS
HOST
L1L0
Fibre Channel, 10 GbE, orSASports (see below)
Expansion Ports Management PortSerial PortiSCSI Ports
Fibre Channel 10gb Ethernet, Optical 10gb Ethernet, CopperSAS-to-Host
PSU
FAN
L0
L0
!
NOT attach the power cords until the enclosure is fully installed, with all disk drives in place.
!When applying power to the system, use ONLY the IEC originally supplied power cords. Do NOT
use other power cords, even if they appear identical to the supplied cords.
The Nexsan E-18V/E-18P/E-18F and Nexsan E18X do nothave powerswitches. Do
2 Wait approximately 10 seconds, then power up Nexsan E-18V/E-18P/E-18F to which the
Nexsan E18X is attached.
Nexsan E-18V/E-18P/E-18F with no storage expansion
Part number: P0450054 Rev: ORelease Date: January 2020
Related Documentation: Nexsan E18 and E18X Installation and FRU
Removal and Replacement Guides, Nexsan High Density Storage User
Manual
Nexsan E-18V/E-18P/E-18F with Nexsan E18storage expansion attached