Nexsan Unity 2200 User manual

HYPER-UNIFIED STORAGE
Nexsan Unity
Storage Expansion Reference Guide
Nexsan 900 E. Campbell, CA 95008 | p. 866.263.9726 | www.nexsan.com
Firmware Version: Unity 2.0

Copyright © 2010—2017 Nexsan, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Trademarks
Nexsan® is a trademark or registered trademark of Nexsan, Inc. The Nexsan logo is a registered trademark of Nexsan, Inc.
All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Patents
This product is protected by one or more of the following patents, and other pending patent applications worldwide:
United States patents US8,191,841, US8,120,922;
United Kingdom patents GB2466535B, GB2467622B, GB2467404B, GB2296798B, GB2297636B
About this document
Unauthorized use, duplication, or modification of this document in whole or in part without the written consent of Nexsan Corporation is strictly
prohibited.
Nexsan, Inc. reserves the right to make changes to this manual, as well as the equipment and software described in this manual, at any time
without notice. This manual may contain links to web sites that were current at the time of publication, but have since been moved or become
inactive. It may also contain links to sites owned and operated by third parties. Nexsan is not responsible for the content of any such third-party
site.

Contents
Contents iii
Chapter 1: Overview 11
Storage capacities by Unity Storage System 12
Connection and configuration options 13
Components and features 14
Front and top views 15
Rear views 17
Unity Storage Systems 17
Unity Storage Expansions 20
About the SAS I/O controllers 25
Making SAS connections 25
About the power supply units (PSUs) 25
About the disk drives and drive carriers 26
Disk drive specifications 29
Unity 2200 and Unity 2200 Expansion 29
US 316 Expansion 29
Unity 4400 Storage System, Unity 6900 Storage System, and US 224 Expansion 29
US 424 Expansion 30
US 460 Expansion 30
Cable specifications 30
Chapter 2: Installing Unity Storage Systems 31
Preparing for the installation 32
Package contents 32
Unity 2200 Storage System 32
Unity 4400 Storage System 33
Unity 6900 Storage System 33
Unity 2200 Expansion Storage Expansion 33
US 224 Expansion Storage Expansion 34
US 316 Expansion Storage Expansion 34
US 424 Expansion Storage Expansion 34
US 460 Expansion Storage Expansion 35
Components not included in your package 35
Installing a Unity 2200, US2200X, or US 316 in a rack 36
Installing a Unity 4400, Unity 6900, or US224 in a rack 40
Installing a US 424 in a rack 44
Installing a US 460 in a rack 48
Contents

Install CMA arms onto the rack 51
Installing the disk drives in the Unity 2200, US2200X, and US316 54
Installing the disk drives in the US224, Unity 4400, and Unity 6900 56
Installing the disk drives in the US424 57
Installing the disk drives in the US460 58
Chapter 3: Connecting and powering on 59
Connecting a Unity 2200 Expansion to a Unity 2200 60
Connecting a US 224 to a Unity 4400 or Unity 6900 61
Connecting a US 316 to a Unity 4400 or Unity 6900 62
Connecting a US 424 to a Unity 4400 or Unity 6900 63
Connecting a US 460 to a Unity 4400 or Unity 6900 64
Cascade configurations 66
Unity 4400 66
Unity 6900 66
Cascading the Unity 4400 Storage System 67
Cascading the Unity 6900 Storage System 69
Connecting the power cords 72
Powering on 73
Powering on the US 460 Expansion 73
Powering on all other Unity 2.0 enclosures 73
Chapter 4: Monitoring 75
Monitoring the power supply units 76
Checking enclosure LEDs 78
Control panel LEDs 78
Drive carrier LEDs 79
US 460 rear enclosure LEDs 80
Control panel LEDs 81
Drive carrier LEDs 82
US 460 rear enclosure LEDs 83
Monitoring the controllers 84
Monitoring the disk drives 85
Chapter 5: Solving problems 89
General troubleshooting tips 90
If you need to power down your equipment 90
Powering down 91
Replacing a controller 91
Removing a disk drive 92
Replacing a PSU 93
Removing a Unity Storage Expansion 94
Deleting a storage pool 94
Removing a storage enclosure 96
Appendix A: Technical specifications 97
Unity 2200 Expansion general specifications 98
US 224 Expansion general specifications 99
US 316 Expansion general specifications 100
US 424 Expansion and US 460 Expansion general specifications 101
Contents
Nexsan Unity Storage Expansion Reference Guide Unity iv

Appendix B: Regulatory compliance 103
Regulatory compliance statements 104
Regulatory agency compliance 104
Contents
Nexsan www.nexsan.com v

This Unity Storage Expansion Reference Guide provides information and steps for installing and connecting
the following version 2.0 Nexsan Unity Storage Systems:
Nexsan Unity 2200 Storage System™
Nexsan Unity 4400 Storage System™
Nexsan Unity 6900 Storage System™
Nexsan Unity Storage 2200 Expansion™
Nexsan Unity Storage 224 Expansion™
Nexsan Unity Storage 316 Expansion™
Nexsan Unity Storage 424 Expansion™
Nexsan Unity Storage 460 Expansion™
This Reference Guide assumes that you are familiar with Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) technology, computer
hardware, data storage and network administration terminology and tasks.
Because this Reference Guide provides information that can be used to manage one or more Nexsan Unity
Storage Expansions, the generic term “storage space” is used to refer to the controller, disk drives and
expansions being used together for data storage.
Many of the terms and concepts referred to in this Reference Guide are known to computer users by multiple
names. This terminology is used:
I/O Controller (also known as an I/O module, controller or controller node)
Disk drive (also known as hard disk drive (HDD) or hard disk, and solid state disk drive (SDD)
HBA (also known as Host Bus Adapter or SAS Adapter)
Audience
This guide has been prepared for the following audience:
IT system administrators
Engineers
Technicians
Conventions
Here is a list of text conventions used in this document:
About this manual

Convention Description
underlined
blue
Cross-references (both internal and to the titles of other documents), hyperlinks, URLs,
and email addresses.
boldface Text that refers to labels on the physical unit or interactive items in the graphical user
interface (GUI).
monospace Text that is displayed in the command-line interface (CLI) or text that refers to file or
directory names.
monospace
bold
Text strings that must be entered by the user in the command-line interface or in text fields
in the graphical user interface (GUI).
italics System messages and non-interactive items in the graphical user interface (GUI)
References to Software User Guides
Notes, Tips, Cautions, and Warnings
Note Notes contain important information, present alternative procedures, or call attention to certain items.
Tip Tips contain handy information for end-users, such as other ways to perform an action.
CAUTION: In hardware manuals, cautions alert the user to items or situations which may cause
damage to the unit or result in mild injury to the user, or both. In software manuals, cautions alert the
user to situations which may cause data corruption or data loss.
WARNING: Warnings alert the user to items or situations which may result in severe injury
or death to the user.
Contacting Nexsan
Nexsan Headquarters
900 EHamilton Ave, Suite 230
Campbell, CA 95008 USA
Support (US): [phone]
Support (Worldwide): [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Nexsan Canada
1405 Trans Canada Highway, Suite 300
Dorval, QC H9P2V9 Canada
Support (Canada): [phone]
Nexsan Shipping
302 Enterprise Street , Suite A
Escondido, CA 92029 USA
Nexsan UK
Units 33–35, Parker Centre, Mansfield Road
Derby, DE21 4SZ United Kingdom
Support (Europe): [phone]
Nexsan Unity Storage Expansion Reference Guide Unity viii

Related documentation
The following Nexsan product manuals contain related information:
Nexsan Unity Hardware Reference Guide
Nexsan Unity Hardware Maintenance Guide
Nexsan Unity Software User Guide
Nexsan Unity nxadmin Command-line Interface Reference Guide
Nexsan Unity nxcmd Command-line Interface Reference Guide
Nexsan Unity Snapshots and Replication Guide
Nexsan Unity Storage Expansion Reference Guide
Nexsan Unity VMware Best Practices Guide
Nexsan Unity NFS Interoperability
Nexsan Unity Networking Best Practices Guide
Nexsan Unity Performance Best Practices Guide
Nexsan Unity Microsoft Best Practices Guide
Safety notices
Always observe the following precautions to reduce the risk of injury and equipment damage:
Computer components and disk drives are sensitive to static discharge. Take precautions to discharge
any electrostatic charge from your person before and while handling components with your hands or any
tools. Use an anti-static wrist-strap.
The system only be installed in a clean, dry environment. The operating temperature is 10º to 35º C (50º to
95º F), with operating relative humidity at 20 to 95%, non-condensing.
Do not install hardware in an enclosed cabinet or other small area without ventilation.
Ensure correct lifting methods are used when handling hardware. Special care should be taken when
removing hardware from its packaging and positioning it into its required location. When lifting hardware,
two people at either end should lift slowly with their feet spread out to distribute the weight. Always keep
your back straight and lift with your legs.
When installing the system as a rack-mounted component, ensure that all Nexsan-supplied mounting
fixtures are secure. All bolts and screws should be fully tightened. Failure to comply with this may result in
the unit not being fully supported in the rack and could lead to the product falling from the rack causing
personal injury or falling onto other rack components.
Ensure that the rack is sufficiently stable by having wall anchors and/or stabilizing legs, and that the floor
supporting the rack has sufficient strength for the overall weight loading.
Only a fully-trained Service Engineer is authorized to disassemble any other part of the hardware, and then
only when the hardware is powered off.
The system has multiple power connections; as a result, you must remove all power leads to completely
isolate the power and always use the IEC power cords which are supplied with the system.
Nexsan, Inc.
www.nexsan.com
ix

CAUTION: All Nexsan Unity Storage Systems and Nexsan Unity Storage Expansions are hot-
pluggable. However, the system that you are adding must be powered on AFTER you connect it to
the existing system.
Nexsan Unity Storage Expansion Reference Guide Unity x

Chapter 1
Chapter 1:Overview
This document describes and explains how to install and monitor the Nexsan Unity Storage Systems:
Nexsan Unity 2200 Storage System™
Nexsan Unity 2200 Expansion™
Nexsan Unity 4400 Storage System™
Nexsan Unity 6900 Storage System™
Nexsan Unity Storage 224 Expansion™
Nexsan Unity Storage 316 Expansion™
Nexsan Unity Storage 424 Expansion™
Nexsan Unity Storage 460 Expansion™
This section includes these topics:
Storage capacities by Unity Storage System 12
Connection and configuration options 13
Components and features 14

Storage capacities by Unity Storage System
Here is a brief listing of maximum storage capacities by Unity Storage System.
Unity
Storage
System
System capacity
Description
Maximum storage
capacity with
SDDs
Maximum storage
capacity with
HDDs
Unity2200 243 TB 280 TB Entry-level system
The Unity 2200 storage system can be used
standalone as well.
Unity4400 737 TB 1.7 PB Mid-level system
Daisy chain support: One storage system with
up to three storage expansions.
Unity6900 1.6 PB 4.6 PB High-end system
Cascade and daisy chain support: One storage
system with up to eight storage expansions.
Storage capacities by Unity Storage System
Nexsan Unity Storage Expansion Reference Guide Unity 12
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Connection and configuration options
This table lists the Unity Storage Systems and their supported Unity Storage Expansions.
Nexsan Unity Storage
Systems
Unity 2200
Expansion
US 224
Expansion
US 316
Expansion
US 424
Expansion
US 460
Expansion
Unity 2200 1, plus the
front bay
Unity 4400 Upto3 of any
combined
Storage
Expansions,
plus the front
bay
Upto3 of any
combined
Storage
Expansions,
plus the front
bay
Upto3 of
any
combined
Storage
Expansions,
plus the
front bay
Upto3 of
any
combined
Storage
Expansions,
plus the
front bay
Unity 6900 Upto 8 of any
combined
Storage
Expansions,
plus the front
bay
Upto 8 of any
combined
Storage
Expansions,
plus the front
bay
Upto 8 of
any
combined
Storage
Expansions,
plus the
front bay
Upto 8 of
any
combined
Storage
Expansions,
plus the
front bay
►What's next
Basic configurations on page1
Cascade configurations on page66
Chapter 1: Overview
Nexsan www.nexsan.com 13
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Components and features
This section shows the main components and capacities available in version 2.0 Unity Storage Systems.
This section includes these topics:
Components and features
Nexsan Unity Storage Expansion Reference Guide Unity 14
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Front and top views
This section shows the Unity Storage Expansion front and top views (US 460 Expansion), with front bezels
removed.
Figure 1-1: Unity 2200 and Unity 2200 Expansion
Figure 1-2: Unity 4400, Unity 6900, and US 224 Expansion
Figure 1-3: US 316 Expansion
Chapter 1: Overview
Nexsan www.nexsan.com 15
1

Figure 1-4: US 424 Expansion
Figure 1-5: US 460 Expansion top view
Components and features
Nexsan Unity Storage Expansion Reference Guide Unity 16
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Rear views
This section shows the Unity version 2.0 rear views.
Unity Storage Systems
This section illustrates the rear views of version 2.0 Unity Storage Systems.
Figure 1-6: Unity 2200
Item Name Description
1 Power supply unit 1200W Redundant Power Supplies with PMBus
2 Fan assembly 4x 80mm and 4x 40mm PWM cooling fans
Redundant cooling
3 On-board 10GigE LAN ports (2 per node) Right port: Primary data network interface (nx0 -
optional)
Left port: Management Interface (nx99) and IPMI
interface
4 KVM connections USB, VGA and Serial connections for remote console
access to the Unity 2200
5 Storage connectivity Dual-port SAS PCIe to HD Mini-SAS HBA
6 Optional connectivity (up to two): Dual-port
8Gb Fibre Channel to Express HBA
You can use these slots for additional network cards,
which can be any of these supported NICs:
10GbE dual-port HBA with RJ-45 interfaces
10GbE dual-port HBA with SFP+ optical
interfaces
8Gb FC dual-port HBA
16Gb FC dual-port HBA
1GbE quad-port HBA with RJ-45 interfaces
1GbE dual-port HBA with RJ-45 interfaces
Chapter 1: Overview
Nexsan www.nexsan.com 17
1

Figure 1-7: Unity 4400
Item Name Description
1 Power supply unit 1200W Redundant Power Supplies with PMBus
2 Fan assembly 4x 80mm and 4x 40mm PWM cooling fans
Redundant cooling
3 On-board 10GigE LAN ports (2 per node) Right port: Primary data network interface (nx0 -
optional)
Left port: Management Interface (nx99) and IPMI
interface
4 KVM connections USB, VGA and Serial connections for remote console
access to the Unity 2200
5 Storage connectivity Dual-port SAS PCIe to HD Mini-SAS HBA
6 Optional connectivity (up to two): Dual-port
8Gb Fibre Channel to Express HBA
You can use these slots for additional network cards,
which can be any of these supported NICs:
10GbE dual-port HBA with RJ-45 interfaces
10GbE dual-port HBA with SFP+ optical
interfaces
8Gb FC dual-port HBA
16Gb FC dual-port HBA
1GbE quad-port HBA with RJ-45 interfaces
1GbE dual-port HBA with RJ-45 interfaces
Components and features
Nexsan Unity Storage Expansion Reference Guide Unity 18
1

Figure 1-8: Unity 6900
Item Name Description
1 Power supply unit 1200W Redundant Power Supplies with PMBus
2 Fan assembly 4x 80mm and 4x 40mm PWM cooling fans
Redundant cooling
3 On-board 10GigE LAN ports (2 per node) Right port: Primary data network interface (nx0 -
optional)
Left port: Management Interface (nx99) and IPMI
interface
4 KVM connections USB, VGA and Serial connections for remote console
access to the Unity 2200
5 Storage connectivity Quad-port SAS PCIe to HD Mini-SAS HBA
6 Optional connectivity (up to two): Dual-port
8Gb Fibre Channel to Express HBA
You can use these slots for additional network cards,
which can be any of these supported NICs:
10GbE dual-port HBA with RJ-45 interfaces
10GbE dual-port HBA with SFP+ optical
interfaces
8GbE FC dual-port HBA
16GbE FC dual-port HBA
1GbE quad-port HBA with RJ-45 interfaces
1GbE dual-port HBA with RJ-45 interfaces
Chapter 1: Overview
Nexsan www.nexsan.com 19
1

Unity Storage Expansions
This section illustrates the rear views of version 2.0 Unity Storage Expansions.
Figure 1-9: Unity 2200 Expansion
Item Name Description
1 LAN Port Not used
2 Storage unit status LED Green: Initialization successful
Red: Initialization failure
3 Unit ID status LED On/Off
4 BMC Reset button Resets the base management controller
5 SAS IN ports Serial Attached SCSI IN ports from the head unit
6 SAS OUT ports SAS OUT ports to another storage unit
7 SAS link status LEDs (2
IN, 2 OUT)
Green: All four physical layers (PHY) of each port connected with
consistent link speed (12 G or 6G)
Red: Single PHY degraded link speed or disconnected
Components and features
Nexsan Unity Storage Expansion Reference Guide Unity 20
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