Netapp Disk Shelf Cabling Examples

This page is dedicated to a few examples I’ve put together in Visio to highlight the correct SAS and ACP cabling combinations for Netapp disk shelf cabling.

Two types of controllers and two types of disk shelves are used in these examples. They are:

  • Netapp FAS2040
  • Netapp FAS3240
  • Disk Shelf DS4243
  • Disk Shelf DS2246

A few notes before we get started:

  • Netapp FAS2040 use single-path HA
  • SAS Cables can be SAS copper or SAS optical or a mix.  EXCEPT Shelf-to-Shelf connections in a stack must be all SAS copper cables or all SAS optical cables. If the Shelf-to-Shelf cable is SAS copper then the controller to shelf cable must also be SAS copper. If the Shelf-to-Shelf cable is SAS optical then the controller to shelf cable must also be SAS optical.
  • SAS optical cables connected to disk shelves require a disk shelf firmware that supports SAS optical cables
  • The total end-to-end path, from controller to the last shelf, cannot exceed 510 meters.
  • Square Ports are always cabled to circles ports, and circle ports are always cabled to square ports. Never cable square ports to square ports or circle ports to circle ports.
  • The illustrations below show the Green Cable as the SAS cable and the Red Cable as the ACP cable.

Let’s dive into some examples.

FAS2040 – 1 Netapp Disk Shelf

This example shows a Netapp FAS2040 with 2 controllers connected to a single DS4243 or DS2246 Netapp disk shelf.


Netapp Disk Shelf Cabling

FAS2040 – 2 Netapp Disk Shelves

This example follows on from the previous example by adding an additional disk shelf for a total of 2 disk shelves.


Netapp Disk Shelf Cabling

FAS2040 – 3 Netapp Disk Shelves

This example follows on from the previous example by adding another additional disk shelf for a total of 3 disk shelves.


Netapp Disk Shelf Cabling

FAS3240 – 1 Netapp Disk Shelf

This example shows 2 Netapp FAS3240’s connected to a single DS4243 Netapp disk shelf.


Netapp Disk Shelf Cabling

FAS3240 – 2 Netapp Disk Shelves

This example follows on from the previous example by adding an additional disk shelf for a total of 2 disk shelves.


Netapp Disk Shelf Cabling

FAS3240 – 3 Netapp Disk Shelves

This example follows on from the previous example by adding an additional disk shelf for a total of 3 disk shelves.


Netapp Disk Shelf Cabling

FAS3240 – 6 Netapp Disk Shelves in 2 Seperate Stacks

In this example we use 3 Netapp DS4243 disk shelves in Stack 1 and 3 Netapp DS2246 disk shelves in Stack 2. The requirement for this configuration is 4 SAS ports. I have added the 4-Port SAS expansion card Netapp X2065A into each controller.


Netapp Disk Shelf Cabling

Disclaimer:
All the tutorials included on this site are performed in a lab environment to simulate a real world production scenario. As everything is done to provide the most accurate steps to date, we take no responsibility if you implement any of these steps in a production environment.

 

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