Connecting Smart Disk Enclosures to 4 U Controller Enclosures
Knowing cable connection modes and principles helps you draw correct connection topologies of disk enclosures.
Connection Mode
The forward connection mode is used for cascading disk enclosures.
The forward connection is defined as follows:
Assume that a controller enclosure connects to two disk enclosures sequentially numbered 0 and 1. An expansion port on controller A connects to the P0 expansion port on expansion module A of disk enclosure 0. The P1 expansion port on expansion module A of disk enclosure 0 connects to the P0 expansion port on expansion module A of disk enclosure 1. The forward connection indicates that the expansion ports on controller A sequentially connect to those on each disk enclosure's expansion module A, as shown in the orange cables in Figure A-4. Similarly, expansion ports on controller B sequentially connect to those on each disk enclosure's expansion module B, as shown in the blue cables in Figure A-4.
Connection Rules
Follow these rules when connecting disk enclosures:
- All expansion ports on controller enclosures can only connect to the expansion ports P0 on disk enclosures.
- If you want to connect two disk enclosures, create multiple loops according to the number of expansion ports on the controller enclosure and allocate disk enclosures evenly to the loops.
- The number of disk enclosures connected to the expansion ports on the controller enclosure and the number of disk enclosures connected to the back-end ports cannot exceed the upper limit.
- Connect the expansion module of controller A to expansion module A of a disk enclosure, and that of controller B to expansion module B of the disk enclosure.
