Dell EMC AX4-5 Portable Media Storage User Manual


 
8 Introduction
Cluster Solution
Your cluster implements a minimum of two node to a maximum of either eight
nodes (for Windows Server 2003) or sixteen nodes (for Windows Server 2008)
clustering and provides the following features:
8-Gbps and 4-Gbps Fibre Channel technologies
High availability of resources to network clients
Redundant paths to the shared storage
Failure recovery for applications and services
Flexible maintenance capabilities, allowing you to repair, maintain, or
upgrade a node or storage system without taking the entire cluster offline
Implementing Fibre Channel technology in a cluster provides the following
advantages:
Flexibility
— Fibre Channel allows a distance of up to 10 km between
switches without degrading the signal.
Availability
— Fibre Channel components use redundant connections,
providing multiple data paths and greater availability for clients.
Connectivity
— Fibre Channel allows more device connections than
SCSI. Because Fibre Channel devices are hot-swappable, you can add or
remove devices from the nodes without bringing down the cluster.
Cluster Hardware Requirements
Your cluster requires the following hardware components:
Cluster nodes
Cluster storage