The MetroCluster configuration requires a variety of hardware components. For convenience and clarity, standard names for components are used throughout these procedures. Also, one site is referred to as Site A and the other site is referred to as Site B. Such terms are relative.
The hardware and software must be supported for the MetroCluster configuration.
Because of the hardware redundancy in the MetroCluster configuration, there are two of each component at each site. The sites are arbitrarily assigned the letters A and B and the individual components the numbers 1 and 2.
The MetroCluster configuration also includes SAS storage shelves that connect to the FC-to-SAS bridges.
| Component | Example names | |
|---|---|---|
| Site A | Site B | |
| Two Data ONTAP clusters, one at each MetroCluster site. Naming must be unique within the MetroCluster configuration. |
cluster_A | cluster_B |
| Four Fibre Channel switches (supported Brocade or Cisco models). The four switches form two switch storage fabrics that provide the ISL between each of the clusters in the MetroClusters. Up to four ISLs per fabric are supported. Naming must be unique within the MetroCluster configuration. |
FC_switch_A_1 | FC_switch_B_1 |
| FC_switch_A_2 | FC_switch_B_2 | |
| Four storage controllers. The two controllers at each site form an HA pair. Each controller has a DR partner at the other site. Naming must be unique within the MetroCluster configuration. |
controller_A_1 | controller_B_1 |
| controller_A_2 | controller_B_2 | |
| Four cluster interconnect switches (if not using two-node switchless clusters). These switches provide cluster communication among the storage controllers in each cluster. The switches are not required if the storage controllers at each site are configured as a two-node switchless cluster. Naming must be unique within the MetroCluster configuration. |
clus_sw_A_1 | clust_sw_B_1 |
| clus_sw_A_2 | clust_sw_B_2 | |
| Two FC-to-SAS bridges (ATTO 6500N FibreBridges) per storage stack. These connect the SAS disk shelves to the FC switch fabric. Naming must be unique within the MetroCluster configuration. The suggested names used as examples in this guide identify the controller that the bridge connects to and the port. |
bridge_A_1_port-number | bridge_B_1_port-number |
| bridge_A_2_port-number | bridge_B_2_port-number | |
| At least eight SAS disk shelves (recommended). Four shelves are recommended at each site to allow disk ownership on a per-shelf basis. A minimum of two shelves at each site is supported. Note: FlexArray systems support array LUNs and have different storage requirements.
Requirements for a MetroCluster configuration with array LUNs |
shelf_A_1_1 | shelf_B_1_1 |
| shelf_A_2_1 | shelf_B_2_1 | |
| shelf_B_1_2 | shelf_A_1_2 | |
| shelf_B_2_2 | shelf_A_2_2 | |
