For more information, see theSANtricity Power Guide for Advanced Users for your operatingsystem.Related informationSANtricity 11.30 Installing and Configuring for Linux Power Guide for Advanced UsersSANtricity 11.30 Installing and Configuring for VMware Power Guide for Advanced UsersSANtricity 11.30 Installing and Configuring for Windows Power Guide for Advanced UsersRedundant and non-redundant componentsIn storage area network technology, redundancy means that essential services are implemented usingduplicated components in such a way that if one component fails, an alternative component continuesto provide the service. This redundancy ensures the availability of data in case a component fails.In most RAID systems, most of the components are redundant, but the system might not be fullyredundant. In other words, there might be one or two components whose individual failures wouldcause loss of access to data. Therefore, afully redundant system duplicates all components and isconfigured to make sure that the duplicate components can be accessed in case of a failure. Themanner in which the system is cabled is an essential component of creating a successfully configuredredundant system.Single point of failureAny component or path that is not duplicated (redundant) or whose failure can cause loss of dataaccess is called a potentialsingle point of failure. The cabling scenarios in this document note thecomponents that present a potential single point of failure. Choose a cabling topology that does notcreate a single point of failure.SFP transceivers, fiber-optic cables, and copper cablesFibre Channel host connections use fiber-optic cables while InfiniBand host connections use eitherfiber-optic or copper cables. If your system will be connected with Fibre Channel or InfiniBand fiber-optic cables, you must install an active SFP transceiver (for Fibre Channel) or QSFP transceivers (forInfiniBand) into each port in which a fiber-optic cable will be connected before you plug in the fiber-optic cable. Connections for 10-Gb/s iSCSI use copper or optical cables with SFP transceivers.Connections for 1-Gb/s iSCSI use copper cables with RJ-45 connectors and do not require SFPtransceivers. Connections for SAS use copper or optical cables with SFF 8088 or SFF 8644connectors and do not require SFP transceivers.The following figures show the two types of cables that use SFP transceivers. Note that your SFPtransceivers and cables might look slightly different from the ones shown. The differences do notaffect the performance of the SFP transceivers.Warning: Risk of exposure to laser radiation – Do not disassemble or remove any part of aSmall Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) transceiver because you might be exposed to laser radiation.1. Active SFP transceiver2. Fiber-optic cable10 | Hardware Cabling Guide
