12.6. StorageWorks MSA1000

The MSA1000, shown in Figure 12-4, is a 4U, 2Gb Fibre Channel storage system for the entry-level to midrange SAN. Designed to reduce the complexity, expense, and risk of SAN deployments, it provides the customer with a low-cost, scalable, high-performance storage system with investment protection.

Figure 12-4. StorageWorks MSA1000 enclosure.

The MSA1000 ships standard with a single high-performance controller. Options include a second controller; with the addition of two more drive enclosures, it controls up to 42 Ultra2, Ultra3, or Ultra320 SCSI drives, for 6TB capacity.

You can install an optional eight-port SAN switch in the MSA1000, which is a cost-effective and space-saving method of attaching this entry-level storage unit to a large SAN environment. This switch offers low-price-per-port connectivity and full interoperability with most external SAN switches from HP. An optional embedded three-port hub easily facilitates a basic two-node SAN at the lowest possible cost.

Key features and benefits of the MSA1000 include the following:

• Versatility Supports Windows 2003 (32- and 64-bit), Windows 2000 and NT, NetWare, Linux (32- and 64-bit), and Tru64 UNIX or OpenVMS operating systems

• Performance Provides transmission rate of up to 30K I/O per second (cache), throughput of up to 200MB

• Compatibility Supports 14 1-inch drives and 1 or 2Gb Fabric Switches or hubs in a 4U rack space

• Scalability Is easily expanded to 6TB using forty-two 146 GB hard drives in 10U of rack space

• Integration Allows installation of an optional internal eight-port switch or three-port hub

• Serviceability Supports hot-plug drives, controllers, fans, power supplies, switches, and hubs

• Reliability Supports RAID ADG