Setup requirements and restrictions for fabric-attached MetroCluster configurations with disks

You must follow certain requirements and restrictions when setting up a new fabric-attached MetroCluster configuration.

The setup requirements for a fabric-attached MetroCluster configuration with disks include those for standard and mirrored HA configurations, with the following exceptions:

Note: See the Interoperability Matrix at support.netapp.com/matrix for more information about hardware and firmware requirements for this configuration.

Node requirements

  • The nodes must be one of the following system models configured for mirrored volume use; each node in the pair must be the same model.
    • 31xx systems
    • 32xx systems
    • 62xx systems
    • 6080 systems
    • 6040 systems
    • FAS80xx
  • Each node requires an FC-VI (Fibre Channel-Virtual Interface) adapter; the type and the slot position is dependent on the controller model.

  • The 8-Gbps FC-VI adapter is supported only on the 32xx, 62xx, and FAS80xx systems.
  • Starting with Data ONTAP 8.2.1, 16-Gbps FC-VI adapter is supported for the following systems:
    • 3220
    • 3250
    • 62xx
    • FAS80xx
    Note: For information about supported cards and slot placement, see the Hardware Universe on the NetApp Support Site.
  • If you want to convert a stretch MetroCluster configuration to a fabric-attached MetroCluster configuration, and you have modified the default configuration speed of FC-VI adapters by setting the boot environment variables to True, you must reset it to default configuration speed before the conversion.

Disk and disk shelf requirements

  • The only Fibre Channel disk shelves supported are DS14mk2 or DS14mk4.
  • Starting with Data ONTAP 8.1, fabric-attached MetroCluster configurations also support SAS disk shelves when used with FibreBridge 6500N.
  • Each stack of SAS disk shelves requires two FibreBridges.
  • Your storage system must meet all the compatibility requirements for FibreBridge 6500N in the Interoperability Matrix at support.netapp.com/matrix.
  • DS14mk2 or DS14mk4 disk shelves using SATA drives and AT-FCX storage are not supported.
  • You can connect a maximum of two DS14mk2 or DS14mk4 disk shelves to each loop.
  • A stack of SAS disk shelves can contain shelves of SAS disk drives and shelves of SATA disk drives, but each SAS disk shelf can only contain SAS or SATA disk drives; you cannot have SAS and SATA disk drives in the same disk shelf.

    For more information about the number and the types of disk shelves supported in a stack, see the Interoperability Matrix at support.netapp.com/matrix.

  • Stacks of SAS disk shelves can be added to a fabric-attached MetroCluster configuration that has DS14mk2 or DS14mk4 FC disk shelves.
  • For the number of SAS disk shelves and the types of SAS disk shelves supported in a stack, see the Interoperability Matrix at support.netapp.com/matrix.

Capacity limits

The maximum capacity for a system configured in a fabric-attached MetroCluster configuration is the smallest of the following limits:

  • The maximum storage capacity for the node

    For the maximum storage capacity, see the Hardware Universe on the NetApp Support Site at support.netapp.com.

  • 840 Fibre Channel disks (60 disk shelves)
  • In a MetroCluster configuration (using both FC and SAS disk shelves), the total disk drives count must not exceed storage capacity.

Fibre Channel switch requirements

  • Each site of the MetroCluster configuration requires two switches.
  • Switches must be a supported Brocade or Cisco model supplied by NetApp.

    Customer-supplied switches are not supported.

  • The two switches within the fabric must be the same model and must be licensed for the same number of ports.
  • All four switches for a particular fabric-attached MetroCluster configuration must support the same maximum speed.
  • Switches must be running the correct firmware version.
  • Configurations using SAS storage and FibreBridge 6500N bridges supports Brocade or Cisco switch models supplied by NetApp.

    See the Interoperability Matrix at support.netapp.com/matrix for more information about supported switch models.