Node canisters
Canisters are replaceable hardware units that are subcomponents of enclosures.
A node canister provides host interfaces, management interfaces, and interfaces to the control enclosure. The node canister in the upper enclosure bay is identified as canister 1. The node canister in the lower bay is identified as canister 2. A node canister has cache memory, internal drives to store software and logs, and the processing power to run the system's virtualizing and management software. A node canister also contains batteries that help to protect the system against data loss if a power outage occurs.
The node canisters in an enclosure combine to form a cluster, presenting as a single redundant system with a single point of control for system management and service. System management and error reporting are provided through an Ethernet interface to one of the nodes in the system, which is called the configuration node. The configuration node runs a web server and provides a command-line interface (CLI). The configuration node is a role that any node can take. If the current configuration node fails, a new configuration node is selected from the remaining nodes. Each node also provides a command-line interface and web interface to enable some hardware service actions.
Information about the canister can be found in the management GUI.
Boot drive
Each node canister has an internal boot drive, which holds the system software and associated logs and diagnostics. The boot drive is also used to save the system state and cache data if there is an unexpected power-loss to the system or canister.
Batteries
Each node canister contains a battery, which provides power to the canister if there is an unexpected power loss. This allows the canister to safely save system state and cached data.
Node canister indicators
A node canister has several LED indicators, which convey information about the current state of the node.
Node canister ports
| Port Marking | Logical port name | Connection and Speed | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
 1 |
Ethernet port 1 | RJ45 copper, 10 Gbps |
Primary Management IP Service IP Host I/O (iSCSI) Ethernet Replication (using TCP) |
| 2 |
Ethernet port 2 | RJ45 copper, 10 Gbps |
Secondary Management IP (optional) Host I/O (iSCSI) Ethernet Replication (using TCP) |
| 3 |
Ethernet port 3 | RJ45 copper, 10 Gbps |
Host I/O (iSCSI) |
| 4 |
Ethernet port 4 | RJ45 copper, 10 Gbps |
Host I/O (iSCSI) |
 |
Technician port | RJ45 copper, 1 Gbps | DCHP port direct service management |
 |
USB port 1 | USB type A |
Encryption key storage, Diagnostics collection May be disabled |
|
USB port 2 | USB type A |
Encryption key storage, Diagnostics collection May be disabled |
Technician port
The technician port is a designated 1 Gbps Ethernet port on the back panel of the node canister that is used to initialize a system or configure the node canister. The technician port can also access the management GUI and CLI if the other access methods are not available.
Adapter cards
Each canister contains three slots for network adapter cards. Each card fits into a cage assembly that contains an interposer to allow the card to be connected to the canister main board. In the system software, adapter card slots are numbered from 1 to 3 (left to right for the lower canister).
| Valid cards per slot | Supported protocols/uses |
|---|---|
| Adapter Slot 1 | |
| Empty | - |
| Quad-port 16 Gbps Fibre Channel |
Host I/O that uses FC or FC-NVMe Replication Communication between systems |
| Quad-port 32 Gbps Fibre Channel |
Host I/O that uses FC or FC-NVMe Replication Communication between systems |
| Dual-port 25 Gbps Ethernet (iWARP) |
Host I/O that uses iSCSI Replication Communication between systems |
| Dual-port 25 Gbps Ethernet (RoCE) | Host I/O that uses iSCSI, NVMe/RDMA (RoCEv2), or NVMe/TCP |
| Adapter Slot 2 | |
| Empty | - |
| Quad-port 16 Gbps Fibre Channel |
Host I/O that uses FC or FC-NVMe Replication Communication between systems |
| Quad-port 32 Gbps Fibre Channel |
Host I/O that uses FC or FC-NVMe Replication Communication between systems |
| Dual-port 25 Gbps Ethernet (iWARP) |
Host I/O that uses iSCSI Replication Communication between systems |
| Dual-port 25 Gbps Ethernet (RoCE) | Host I/O that uses iSCSI, NVMe/RDMA (RoCEv2), or NVMe/TCP |
| Adapter Slot 3 | |
| Empty | - |
| Quad-port 16 Gbps Fibre Channel |
Host I/O that uses FC or FC-NVMe Replication Communication between systems |
| Quad-port 32 Gbps Fibre Channel |
Host I/O that uses FC or FC-NVMe Replication Communication between systems |
| Dual-port 25 Gbps Ethernet (iWARP) |
Host I/O that uses iSCSI Replication Communication between systems |
| Dual-port 25 Gbps Ethernet (RoCE) | Host I/O that uses iSCSI, , NVMe/RDMA (RoCEv2), or NVMe/TCP |
| Dual-port 12 Gbps SAS Expansion | Connection to SAS Expansion Enclosures |
- Port Numbering
-
For each adapter card, ports are numbered from left to right, and from adapter 1 to adapter 3. Fibre Channel ports are numbered from 1 as the leftmost port on the first adapter and continue sequentially across any additional adapters. Ethernet port numbering starts with the on-board ports (1 - 4) and then progresses incrementally across any installed adapter cards, starting with the leftmost slot and numbering across each adapter in turn.Note: The upper canister is inserted upside down, however the numbering follows the same pattern as the lower canister.
Memory configurations
| Configuration | Feature code | DIMMs per node | Memory per node | Best practice recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | ACGM | 4 | 128 GB | Base config, ideal for < 12 drives and 1 network adapter with modest IOPS requirements |
| Upgrade 1 | ACGJ | 12 | 384 GB | Recommended for best IOPs/latency and >12 drives with >1 adapter and/or DRP/Deduplication workloads |
| Upgrade 2 | ACGB | 24 | 768 GB | Recommended for cache-heavy I/O Workloads and DRP/Deduplication workloads |
For more details on the adapters, see the following pages: