Hi, I am Nancy Berliner from HPE Technical Marketing Engineering.
Unique among Tier-Zero storage arrays, HPE Primera has been designed to be simple
for customers to install themselves. For systems that are racked and cabled on-site,
the HPE Primera Cabling Tool helps make this process foolproof,
as you will see in this demo.
The Cabling Tool identifies the optimal back-end cabling for your configuration
and provides easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions. The tool is now web-based,
so it works on any device, including phones and tablets.
Once it's cached in your browser, the tool can work online or offline, or
for ultra-secure sites where no devices are allowed, you can print out
the instructions. You can get to the tool directly at hpe.com/storage/PCT.
But I am going to start from HPE InfoSight, where the Primera Welcome
Center has lots of information for customers doing their own
system installations.
Factory-integrated systems arrive fully racked and cabled, so I need to choose
"Field integrated" from the drop-down and proceed to the cabling section,
where there is a link to the tool.
Chrome browsers are integrated with the feature called "Progressive Web Apps"
that allows you to place an icon on your desktop, either by clicking the plus sign
to the right of the address bar or by selecting "Add To Home Screen"
on your mobile device. This also permits you to take your device offline.
I will put my PC into airplane mode just to demonstrate that.
For the first example, I'll select a two-node C630. Most 630s would
be ordered with the standard 2U base enclosure. However, you could opt
for a 4U base enclosure, if you had future plans to do a data-in-place upgrade
and convert your 630 to a four-node system. I will now add three
external drive enclosures and complete the configuration. Before you start
connecting the cables, you might want to look at the inventory list and
compare it against what you have on hand. If everything matches, you can go back
to the instructions to view the schematic and click through the steps.
The first cable to be run is a one-meter cable from Node 0, Port 1,
to Enclosure 1, Port 1. Next is a cable between the second port on Node 0
and Enclosure 3. And to complete the loop, a shorter cable between
Enclosures 1 and 2. And now the same between Node 1 and the back-end.
The red and green colors help you differentiate between the two
controller nodes, and a shadow view of the cables that have already been run
helps to prevent mistakes.
I can use the controls to go back a step, restart the walkthrough to check
my work, or click "All Steps" to view the end result.
And here is the printed version of the guide, which includes
the six cabling steps,
the cable list,
and a picture of the finished product.
We also provide the option to see what the system would look like
in a dedicated HPE rack. This system will fit in a single rack, but a larger
four-node system might require additional racks.
And, as the instructions on the screen point out, the power and rack type options
also affect the racking. For example, this configuration has 20 total
2U enclosures, which could physically fit in a standard 42U rack.
But there is not enough power for all those enclosures in one rack
with single-phase power. If I switch to three-phase power, however, the diagram
in the background transitions to a single rack.
There are also variations in the racking with the NEMA electrical
standard, which is used in North America versus the IEC standard,
which is used more globally.
The rack depth can also make a difference. Primera PDUs are mounted
horizontally in the 1075mm racks, while the deeper racks allow them
to be mounted vertically, freeing up rack space for drive closures.
Lastly, adding the optional back-end SAS adapter may change the racking
for certain configurations, but the adapter will not change the maximum number
of external drive enclosures supported. That's the case whether it's
an all-flash array as you see here, or a hybrid C model array, which can scale
all the way up to 40 total enclosures. For a multiple rack system, the diagram
shows the cables that are run within racks and between racks. In the cable list,
you can see the longer active optical cables that are required
to be used between the racks.
For help with any Primera topic, including cabling, you can visit
the HPE Community Forum to view videos or ask a question.
And of course, you always have the option of contacting HPE Support and
we've provided an easy link to open a case right here in the tool.
I hope you enjoyed this video. For more information, visit hpe.com/storage.