Dell PowerVault MD3000 Brochure

Also see for PowerVault MD3000: Support Matrix Information update Configuration Hardware owner's manual Information update

The Dell PowerVault MD3000 storage array is designedto provide flexible, high-performance, highly scal-able RAID storage without compromising data integ-rity. Its integration of two high-performance RAID controllers,Dell Modular Disk Storage Manager software, and automaticevent monitoring helps reduce total cost of ownership andmaximize data protection.The PowerVault MD3000 external RAID array can sup-port up to forty-five 3.0 Gbps Serial Attached SCSI (SAS)disks and includes redundant power supplies and fans.Connectivity between host servers and the storage is pro-vided by two Dell SAS 5/E host bus adapters (HBAs).The PowerVault MD3000 is designed primarily for high-performance two-node clusters; however, its dual-portRAID controllers can also provide shared nonredundantstorage for up to four servers. Other key features includethe following:• Mirrored data cache of up to 512 MB on each RAIDcontroller• In-band and out-of-band management using Dell ModularDisk Storage Manager• Redundant, hot-swappable components and virtual diskfailover• Transparent failover for clustered operating systems tohelp maximize data protection• Virtual disk snapshot and virtual disk copy creation• RAID level migration, capacity expansion, consistencychecks, and Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and ReportingTechnology (SMART)Figure 1 compares PowerVault MD3000 features withthose of the PowerVault MD1000.Configuration options for the Dell PowerVault MD3000Administrators can configure the PowerVault MD3000 aspart of a nonredundant configuration or a redundant clus-ter configuration. Nonredundant configurations are recom-mended only for noncritical data storage; this type ofconfiguration provides only a single data path, meaning afailed or removed cable, HBA, or RAID controller couldcause the storage path to fail.Redundant cluster configurations, in contrast, provide highavailability for critical data and depend primarily on physicalconnectivity and the host multipath software. If a componentfails or an error occurs on the data path to the primary RAIDcontroller, the multipath driver—Microsoft ® Multipath I/O(MPIO) on Microsoft Windows ® operating systems andMultipath Proxy (MPP) on Linux® operating systems—fails overvirtual disk ownership to the secondary RAID controller for I/Oprocessing, helping ensure host data access.The PowerVault MD3000 supports two redundant clusterconfigurations:• Single port: Administrators can use this mode with asingle storage path and single-port RAID controllers (seeRelated Categories:Backup, recovery, andarchiving (BURA)Dell PowerVault storageDirect attach storage (DAS)Serial Attached SCSI (SAS)StorageVisit www.dell.com/powersolutionsfor the complete category index.Exploring the DellPowerVault MD3000Storage SystemThe Dell™ PowerVault™ MD3000 external RAID enclosure allowsmultiple servers to access a shared pool of expandable storage,helping enterprises avoid the costs and complexities of internalstorage. This article outlines the hardware, configuration, andmanagement features of this storage system.By Manjusha GopakuMarVishal kadaMpaul Winstonreprinted from Dell Power Solutions, May 2007. Copyright © 2007 dell inc. all rights reserved. rev. 2.StorageDELL POWER SOLUTIONS | May 20071

/ 4

Related manuals for Dell PowerVault MD3000