HP StorageWorks 4000 Understanding Compaq StorageWorks RAID Array 4000 and Inf - Page 13

Understanding Compaq StorageWorks RAID Array 4000 and Infrastructure Cabling 13 Compaq StorageWorks RAID Array 4000 Using Infrastructure Cabling Consider the scenario in which the server is located several floors away from its storage: A server is located in the telecommunications closet on the nth floor of a building and will connect to a hub and storage arrays located in the basement. Connecting the server to the hub requires infrastructure cabling. What type of infrastructure cabling will work? To select an appropriate fiber type, measure the length of the backbone cable and determine the data transmission rate. Remember, data transmission rates and attenuation limit distance capability. Table 5. Appropriate fibre channel cable type at 100 MB/s Distance between components ≥0 m and ≤ 300 m ≥200 m and ≤ 500 m ≥500 m and ≤ 10 km Use á 62.5, 50, or 9 micron fiber á 50 or 9 micron fiber á 9 micron fiber Using Existing Cabling or Installing New Cabling If you determine that 62.5 micron fiber will support your configuration and you have 62.5 micron installed in the building, you can use the existing fiber. Note: Compaq does not require that the bandwidth of all cables be measured. Measurement of existing fiber only needs to be done if the bandwidth value is unknown. The manufacturer measures the bandwidth of new fiber. Therefore, a bandwidth measurement is not necessary for new fiber for which the bandwidth is already known. Be sure to consider any plans for expanding the system and using increased data transmission rates. To support expansion and increased data transmission rates, 50 micron fiber or 9 micron fiber may be required. If you have no fiber cable installed in the building, Compaq recommends that you use 50 micron fiber. The primary standard for fibre channel connections is 50 micron fiber which allows flexibility for system expansion and supports faster data transmission rates across greater distances. If you have no fiber installed, or if 62.5 micron does not satisfy distance requirements, the choice between 50 micron and 9 micron fiber depends on current and future configuration requirements and the use of faster data transmission rates. ECG02030699A