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This Ready Stack uses the Unity x50F All Flash storage platform with vSphere integration that is connected to a 16 Gb FC storage network. The Unity x50F platform is a flexible storage product that is specifically designed for all-flash needs. Unity all-flash systems deliver consistent performance with low response times and are an excellent fit for mixed virtual workload requirements. Two Connectrix DS6505B or 6510B series switches make up the FC fabrics.
The following table shows a comparison of the Unity x50F All Flash storage arrays that are supported for the Ready Stack. The Disk Processor Enclosure (DPE) contains up to 25 SSD drives and includes two storage processors. Additional drive enclosures can be used to expand overall storage capacity.
For more information, see the Dell EMC Unity Hybrid Storage Specification Sheet.
Figure 9. Unity All Flash systems comparison
Components |
Unity 350F |
Unity 450F |
Unity 550F |
Unity 650F |
|
Minimum/maximum drives |
6/150 |
6/250 |
6/500 |
6/1000 |
|
Array enclosure |
A 2U DPE with 25 2.5” drives |
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Drive enclosure |
All models support 2U 25-drive and 3U 80-drive trays for 2.5” drives |
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RAID options |
1/0, 5, 6 |
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SAS I/O ports per array |
4 embedded |
4 embedded 4-lane 12 Gb/s SAS |
4 embedded 4-lane 12 Gb/s SAS |
4 embedded 4-lane 12Gb/s SAS |
|
6 x 4-lane, or 2 x 4- lane with I/O module |
6 x 4-lane, or 2 x 4- lane with I/O module |
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Host connectivity |
4 embedded ports: 8/16 Gb FC, 10 Gb IP/iSCSI, or 1Gb RJ45 |
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CNA ports per array |
4 additional ports per I/O module |
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Maximum raw capacity (drive type dependent) |
2.4 PBs |
4.0 PBs |
8.0 PBs |
16.0 PBs |
|
IOPS (100 percent reads, 8K blocks) |
Up to 130K |
Up to 305K |
Up to 395K |
Up to 440K |
|
I/O modules per array |
Up to 4 |
Up to 4 |
Up to 4 |
Up to 4 |
|
*PCIe lane. For more information, see Dell EMC Unity Hybrid Storage.
This solution is configured with two FC fabrics for high availability. For the Unity x50F arrays, FC port 0 from each controller connects to the FC fabric switch A, while port 1 connects to FC fabric switch B. Unity x50F arrays have expansion slots that can provide additional front-end (FC) or back-end (mini-SAS HD) ports. However, the connectivity that is shown in the following figure does not address the usage of such expansion modules. For more information, see the Dell EMC Unity Family Hardware Information Guide.
Figure 10. Dell EMC Unity x50F storage fabric configuration
Each management and rack compute server is configured with a QLogic 2692 dual-port FC adapter for connecting to the storage fabrics, with each port connecting to the Connectrix switch, as shown in the following figure.
Figure 11. PowerEdge rack server SAN connectivity
Unity x50F series storage arrays are equipped with two back-end buses that utilize mini-SAS HD connectivity. Connect any additional enclosures so that the load is balanced equally between the available buses. Unity x50F arrays have expansion slots that can provide additional front-end or back-end (mini-SAS HD) ports. The connectivity shown in the following figure does not address the usage of such expansion modules. The Disk Processor Enclosure is on Bus 0. Therefore, the first expansion enclosure must be on Bus 1 while the second expansion enclosure must be on Bus 0, and so on.
Figure 12. Dell EMC Unity x50F storage array back-end connectivity
For both rack server platforms, each server’s HBA port 1 connects to Brocade switch 1, while HBA port 2 connects to Brocade switch 2. These ports are then zoned with the Unity array target ports to enable storage access for the hypervisor hosts.
Unity All Flash technology supports thin provisioning with Hyper-V.