SAS SANs For Dummies

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SAS SANs
FOR
DUMmIES
LSI EDITION
by Bruce Grieshaber and Larry Jacob LSI, and Greg Schulz StorageIO
LSI, Director, Industry Marketing; President SCSI Trade Association
Foreword by Harry Mason
These materials are the copyright of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and any dissemination, distribution, or unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.
SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. LSI and the LSI & Design logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of LSI Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. LSI Corporation makes no representations, warranties or guarantees regarding the compatibility or performance of specific hardware or software products. The information herein is provided AS IS and without warranty of any kind, express or implied. Without limiting the forgoing, the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are expressly disclaimed. This document is not warranted to be error-free. LSI Corporation has no responsibility to update the information herein and reserves the right to make changes to this document and to any of its products and services at any time without notice. LSI Corporation does not assume any responsibility or liability arising out of any reliance on or use of the information contained herein and if you do so, it is at your sole risk. For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Business Development Department in the U.S. at 317-572-3205. For details on how to create a custom For Dummies book for your business or organization, contact info@dummies.biz. For information about licensing the For Dummies brand for products or services, contact BrandedRights&Licenses@Wiley.com. ISBN: 978-1-118-37730-7 (pbk); 978-1-118-37856-4 (ebk) Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Contents
Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
About This Book......................................................................... 1 How This Book Is Organized..................................................... 1 Icons Used in This Book............................................................. 2 Where to Go from Here.............................................................. 2
Chapter 1: Data Storage Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Storage Growth Demand Drivers.............................................. 3 Recognizing Challenges.............................................................. 4 Solutions and Opportunities..................................................... 4
Chapter 2: Storage Area Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Introducing Storage Area Networks......................................... 5 Moving from Dedicated Internal to Shared Storage............... 6 Memory and storage hierarchy...................................... 7 Storage initiators and targets.......................................... 8 SANs................................................................................... 9
Chapter 3: SAS Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Introducing the Basics of SAS................................................. 11 Providing benefits........................................................... 12 Looking at the SAS basics.............................................. 12 How SAS Functions................................................................... 14 Components of SAS................................................................... 16 SAS adapters................................................................... 17 SAS cabling...................................................................... 18 SAS switches and expanders......................................... 19 SAS Target Devices................................................................... 20 SAS for SANs.............................................................................. 22
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SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition
Chapter 4: SAS Usage Scenarios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Understanding SAS SANs Usage.............................................. 23 Shared SAS SANs Scenarios..................................................... 24 SAS in HPC environments.............................................. 24 Big data and big bandwidth ......................................... 25 Database, e-mail, back-office......................................... 26 NAS and object storage servers.................................... 27 Cloud, web, and high density........................................ 28 Server virtualization....................................................... 29
Chapter 5: Advanced SAS Topics.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

The SAS Physical Layer............................................................ 31 Choosing SAS Cabling............................................................... 32 Passive cables................................................................. 32 Active cables................................................................... 33 Using SAS Switch Zoning.......................................................... 33 SAS HBA Target Mode.............................................................. 35
Chapter 6: Nine Common Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Can You Interconnect Switches?............................................ 37 What Is SAS Cable Distance?................................................... 37 How Many Servers Can Be in a SAS SAN?.............................. 38 How Do You Manage SAS Zones?............................................ 38 How Do You Configure SAS for HA?........................................ 38 How Does SAS Zoning Compare to LUN Mapping and Masking?......................................................... 39 Who Has SAS Solutions?........................................................... 39 How Do SAS SANs Compare? .................................................. 40 Where Can You Learn More?................................................... 40
Chapter 7: Next Steps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

SAS Going Forward................................................................... 41 Next Steps.................................................................................. 42 Great Take Aways..................................................................... 42
Foreword
AS technologies are an extension of the SCSI protocol developed in the early 1980s. Today, this logical protocol operates over numerous physical interfaces: ATAPI, USB, P1394, Fibre Channel, and Ethernet (iSCSI and FCoE), to name a few. The SCSI block storage protocol is synonymous with Enterprise and Data Center storage and is the standard by which data is accessed and stored. Even file-oriented or object-oriented systems fundamentally resolve themselves to block storage at the most primitive level. This is true for storing data to disk drives, tape cartridges, or solid-state devices. This block storage orientation is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future, and logical SCSI is expected to carry most of this data. SAS is the most prevalent implementation of the logical SCSI protocol and is found in most storage and compute servers. Storage suppliers have built a data infrastructure that allows SAS to operate both as a storage device connect (for example, the way you would interface to a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD)), as well as a connectivity standard for how complex storage systems are configured and managed. While both of these topics will be covered, SASs role as a connectivity standard is the primary focus of this book. The properties that have guided SAS development over the past decade have been investment protection, delivering enterprise attributes, and providing a rich platform for storage innovation. SAS protects your IT investments by preserving the 30-plus years of middle-ware based on the logical SCSI protocol. It also provides a forward and backward compatibility path at the physical level, delaying the obsolescence of previous generations of storage. In addition, SAS ensures a future technology roadmap that will extend the SAS storage investments well into the future of our data centers. These capabilities are critical for migrating data, converting and preserving data formats, moving data between storage tiers, and keeping data on the most reliable media available.
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Perhaps the most distinguishing quality between client (desktop) and enterprise computing is the emphasis placed on storage attributes required of large data centers. These include but are not limited to serviceability, scalability, manageability, usability, and reliability. These challenging data environments also operate continuously under a variety of workloads, which requires a much greater emphasis on foolproof software responsible for managing these systemlevel stresses. As system developers have discovered, supporting these capabilities across multiple computing environments is no simple feat, and the enterprise-hardened capabilities of SAS have proven themselves time and again. One of SASs most enduring qualities is the ability to be a viable platform for ongoing storage innovation. Capabilities such as optical connectivity operating in excess of 100m, selfconfiguring expanders, high device-count zoning, clustering, new forms of RAID, advancements in remote copy facilities, and providing data integrity through the applications stack keeps SAS at the forefront of enterprise-class storage. This booklet explores one of these recent innovations, which is the ability to use SAS as a SAN. Fibre Channel and iSCSI are the most common forms of SANs; however, SAS offers some distinct cost and performance advantages in many common SAN environments, and SAS is already being embraced by several leading storage OEMs. Harry Mason LSI, Director, Industry Marketing President SCSI Trade Association
Introduction
erial Attached SCSI (SAS) is a proven technology that is continuously evolving to meet businesses increasing storage needs. SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition, helps you understand SAS storage and how it can benefit your business. This booklet delves into using SAS-enabled storage for shared storage access and for physical, virtual, and cloud servers. SAS delivers flexibility, scalability, and performance. You discover how SAS switches and shared SAS storage are better together. This booklet busts SAS myths and addresses common questions about SAS. It also shows deployment scenarios for shared SAS storage and shows how SAS is a cost-effective and easy-to-use shared storage solution.
About This Book

This booklet is for information technology (IT), original equipment manufacturer (OEM), system integrators (SI), value added resellers (VAR), and channel professionals, as well as industry at large, that need to become aware of the scalability, ease of use, and flexibility of SAS-enabled storage. The tools, techniques, and technologies covered are applicable to environments such as small medium business (SMB), remote office branch office (ROBO), and departmental, along with large cloud, big data, and big bandwidth environments.
How This Book Is Organized

This book is divided into seven chapters. Chapter 1: Data Storage Challenges: Shows you the drivers behind the growth in storage. Chapter 2: Storage Area Networks: Introduces SANs and NAS (Network Attached Storage). Chapter 3: SAS Basics: Explains how SAS components work.
Chapter 4: SAS Usage Scenarios: Shows how SAS is used in the real world. Chapter 5: Advanced SAS Topics: Discusses active cabling, SAS zoning, and High Availability (HA). Chapter 6: Nine Common Questions: Answers to a number of questions you may have about SAS. Chapter 7: Next Steps: Explores where SAS is headed and provides you with a roadmap to the future of SAS.
Icons Used in This Book

The Tip icon indicates extra-helpful information. Tips can save you time, hassle, and perhaps even money, so pay attention when you see this icon. The information in paragraphs marked by the Remember icon is important enough to commit to memory. The Warning icon calls attention to pitfalls that could result in loss of data, time, or money. These paragraphs will also tell you how to solve, minimize, or avoid the problem.
Where to Go from Here

Dive in anywhere in this booklet. You can read it straight through from front to back, but you dont have to. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Data Storage Challenges

In This Chapter
Understanding the growth in storage demand Recognizing the challenges Finding solutions
ata storage is often taken for granted. Data storage becomes a frustrating nightmare if you cant find the file or document that you need. Even worse is the feeling you have after a disaster when you realize what should have been preserved was not adequately protected. The cost of data storage can also be a concern.
Storage Growth Demand Drivers

Organizations have a need to process, move, and safely store data in a timely, cost-effective manner. Applications driving data growth include financial, medical and health care, life science, energy exploration, digital modeling, simulation, defense, Internet and social networking, media and entertainment, analytics, gaming, and video security, in addition to traditional back-office functions including unstructured big data. Some of the common factors that drive organizations to demand additional storage capabilities include: Reliance on information availability for decision making Ease of creating, processing, and storing new data Applications generating larger amounts of data Data being retained for longer periods of time
Recognizing Challenges
Organizations face many challenges that can drive their need to increase data storage capabilities. These may include: Increased reliance on information services Competitive and other market dynamics Regulatory compliance and other industry mandates Stretched resources such as staffing levels, skill sets, budgets, and facilities The need to reduce costs while increasing availability A shift from cost reduction to efficiency and effectiveness IT departments must also deal with a number of items relating to providing technology services. Common IT issues, challenges, problems, and trends include: More data to process, move, manage, store, and retain Increased reliance and expectation that information services be available 24/7 Limited or constrained resources causing bottlenecks
Solutions and Opportunities

The demands and challenges of providing for ever-increasing needs for data can be met using a number of different solutions. These solutions provide unique opportunities for organizations that realize the potential rewards. Common initiatives associated with addressing the demands and challenges of increased data needs include: Shared storage and SANs with performance Scalable server and storage connectivity Flexible and affordable storage interfaces Interoperability, including backward compatibility
Chapter 2
Storage Area Networks

In This Chapter
Introducing SANs Moving data from internal to shared storage
o be truly effective, storage needs to be able to scale reliably and economically while offering performance, availability, capacity, and connectivity. This chapter shows you how SANs can provide these features to your organization.
Introducing Storage Area Networks

A storage area network (SAN) is a specialized type of network that allows servers to connect to various types of storage devices. The servers then provide users with access to the data contained on the SAN. Common SAN applications and data storage attributes include Performance, Availability, Capacity, and Economics (PACE): Performance includes bandwidth or throughput, response time or latency, and Input/Output (I/O) activity such as I/O operations per second (IOPs), or transactions for reads and writes of varying size. Availability includes reliability, data protection, consistency, and High Availability (HA), as well as business continuance (BC) and disaster recovery (DR).
Capacity includes space available for storing data. Economics includes energy, acquisition, management, maintenance, and related items to deliver service to a given level. Common SAN requirements include: Scalability with stability Ability to maintain control of information assets resources Data security (logical and physical) Performance (throughput, latency, and IOPs) Availability, reliability, and uptime Capacity to support growing data needs Flexibility to adapt to different environments Cost effective and energy efficient (green IT) Easy to acquire, install, and use
Moving from Dedicated Internal to Shared Storage

Organizations may want to move data from dedicated internal storage to shared storage for many reasons. From a simple management standpoint, it makes sense to do so because accessing important data stored on many different devices can be a real nightmare. Figure 2-1 shows various storage configuration and deployment options, including internal dedicated and external shared. Storage devices including solid-state devices (SSD), hard disk drives (HDD), and tape drives can be internal dedicated direct attached storage (DAS), external dedicated DAS, and shared external DAS or SAN attached. In addition, storage can also be accessed via network attached storage (NAS) appliances or storage systems that perform file serving of dedicated DAS or SAN attached storage.
Chapter 2: Storage Area Networks
Dedicated Internal Direct Attached Storage
Dedicated External Direct Attached Storage
Shared External Direct Attached Storage (no switch)
Shared External Networked Storage SAN or NAS
Figure 2-1: Server and storage IO locations and access methods.
Memory and storage hierarchy

Historically, there has been a focus on the cost per gigabyte of storage. Other important factors and considerations include performance, latency, and response time. Availability is also important and related to performance. Cost is important, but focus is shifting from cutting, reducing, or avoidance of costs to making more effective use of available resources. Power, cooling, and other green IT topics are also important. In general, a faster processor or server is more prone to a performance impact when its waiting for slower I/O operations. Fast servers need lower latency and better performance I/O connectivity and networks. Better performing means lower latency, more IOPs, as well as improved bandwidth to meet various application profiles and types of operations. There are many different types of storage for different application requirements and various usage scenarios. Some storage is performance oriented for bandwidth, response time, or the number of IOPs. Storage can be optimized or targeted for online active and primary usage, near line of idle or inactive data, or offline where the focus can be high capacity at a low cost.

Examples include ultra fast SSD, fast 15,000 RPM (15K) HDDs, lower cost with less performance and higher capacity HDDs, and magnetic tape. Examples of online or active applications are those where the data is being read and written such as file systems, home directories, databases, and e-mail. Examples of near line or applications with idle data include reference material or repositories, backups, and archives. Some general categories of storage are
Shared or dedicated, internal or external to a server/ computer Local, remote or cloud, block, file, or object Online active or high-performance primary Inactive or idle, near line, or offline
Storage initiators and targets

A fundamental storage and I/O networking concept is that of the initiator (client or source) and target (server or destination), as shown in Figure 2-2. An initiator and a target are in all types of storage and access mechanisms across physical, virtual, and cloud technologies. The topologies, underlying implementations, and specific functionality vary with vendorspecific products. Servers or other initiators initiate I/O requests (reads, writes, and status inquiries) of targets that respond to the requests. Initiators either are configured for targets or discover them at boot or startup. These targets can be block, file, object, or some other service-based destination that responds to storage I/O requests (for example, IOPs). For example, a server with an initiator identifier or address makes a request to a block storage device using the SCSI command set (such as SAS, iSCSI, Fibre Channel, FCoE, or SRP on InfiniBand), where the target is a SCSI LUN (logical unit number).
Chapter 2: Storage Area Networks

Basic Initiator NAS or Virtualization Initiator
Block File or Object C:
Cloud or Virtualization
Virtualization or Cloud Appliance Gateway
Initiator
G:
Target
C: E:
I/O Interface Connectivity (USB, SAS, SATA, iSCSI, FC, FCoE, Ethernet, IBA, NAS)
Target Initiator
F:
Target
Target
C: E: F:
Target
Figure 2-2: Storage initiator and target examples.
While initiators are typically servers, they can also be storage systems, appliances, and gateways that function as both a target and an initiator. A common example of a storage system acting as both a target and initiator is with local or remote replication. In this scenario, a server sends data to the target device, which in turn initiates a write to another target storage system for data protection.
SANs
There are many different types of I/O and networking protocols, interfaces, and transport mediums. While networks and storage I/O interfaces support different aspects of computing, they both support moving information between computing and storage systems. Over time, storage I/O interfaces have become specialized so that they support the needs of moving data between servers and storage, as well as between storage devices. A SAN can provide high-speed backup of NAS filers using Fibre Channel or SAS to access shared tape devices. With a SAN, unless concurrent access software, file system, or some other clustered shared access tool is used, a single operating system or virtual machine guest owns the LUN, device, or volume at a time.
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Some storage networking benefits include:
Physically removing storage from being dedicated or isolated inside servers Improved server resiliency and clustering for scaling Sharing and consolidation to increase resource utilization Improved backup and recovery capabilities Improved connectivity and configuration flexibility Simplified management of shared resources for faster resource provisioning Enhanced performance and availability Lower total cost of ownership (TCO) A storage network can be as simple as a point-to-point connection between one or more servers attached to and sharing one or more storage devices. A storage network can also be as complex as multiple sub-nets (segments or regions) spanning local, metropolitan, and global sites and using multiple topologies and technologies. Open systems-based computers, networking, and storage devices have standardized on the SCSI command set for block-based I/O. Traditional parallel SCSI cabling has given way to serial-based connectivity for block storage access.
Chapter 3
SAS Basics
In This Chapter
Introducing SAS Understanding how SAS works Getting to know SAS components Seeing SAS in action
ot to be confused with statistical analysis software (the other SAS), Serial Attached SCSI is an interface for attaching storage to servers.
Introducing the Basics of SAS

SAS is an extremely versatile technology that can be found in many different locations, including inside servers (SAS SSD and HDDs), PCIe SAS RAID cards and host bus adapters (HBAs), SAS expanders and switches, storage enclosures, and in storage systems. The SAS storage interface provides a good balance of flexibility, connectivity, commonality of components, cost, performance, and scalability. SAS is a common interface found on servers, storage devices such as SSD, HDD, and tape drives, in addition to on-storage systems and appliances. In addition to native SAS storage devices, Serial ATA (SATA) devices can also attach to SAS adapters and SAS-based storage systems for interoperability, backward compatibility, and investment protection.
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With a performance of 6Gb/s, SAS can support a mix of ultrafast SSD and fast HDD, while also supporting high-capacity SATA devices. In addition to being used by most IT vendors providing data storage solutions as a means for attaching devices to their products (back end), SAS is also popular with server vendors for attaching storage systems to their solutions (front end). SAS implements the SCSI command set protocol over a serial interface, providing scalable performance and data integrity in flexible, cost-effective configurations.
Providing benefits
SAS provides a number of important benefits compared to other, competing technologies. SAS storage and SANs benefits include: Proven SCSI block protocol command set Performance, availability, capacity, and ease of use Economics of scale by removing complexity and cost Investment protection with existing SATA devices Broad industry adoption across servers and storage Enables scalability and density with less complexity Ease of use leveraging known components Flexible topology and configuration options
Looking at the SAS basics

SAS is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard managed by the International Committee on Information Technology Standards (INCITS) T10 committee in conjunction with industry trade group SCSI Trade Association (STA). SAS leverages 25 plus years of SCSI command set interoperability and ease of use, while also being architected for the future. As a server to storage interface, SAS has low overhead, high performance, wide ports, and density provides thousands of connections in a SAS domain while being cost effective. Devices can be individual SSD, HDD, or LUNs on storage systems in the same or a different cabinet. Multiple SAS domains can be created for larger environments to meet specific scaling and flexibility configuration needs.
Chapter 3: SAS Basics
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SAS domains and addressing

Each SAS port has a unique SCSI identifier within the domain that is assigned by the manufacture similar to that of an Ethernet MAC address. In addition to a unique identifier, SAS devices also have a SCSI device name that is combined with the port identifier to form a 64-bit SAS address. A SAS domain is similar to a SCSI domain that contains a set of SAS devices. The SAS devices communicate with each other across the domain. For example, servers use HBAs as initiator to send and receive information from a target storage device. The target storage device could be an individual drive (SSD, HDD, or tape), a group of devices in an enclosure (JBOD), or one or more LUNs presented via a RAID controller. SAS operates in a pointto-point mode between initiator and target with a dedicated link unless an expander or switch is used.
For interoperability, SAS has been architected for backward compatibility with previous versions. For example, 6Gb/s SAS supports 3Gb/s speeds while also supporting attachment of SATA SSD, HDD, and tape devices operating at different speeds. SAS also supports dual-port devices for redundancy and HA along with flexible topologies to meet different configuration requirements. SAS configuration options include point to point (from a server directly to a storage system or device), via a switch, with fan-in (many servers accessing a storage device), or fan-out (a few servers accessing many storage devices). Figure 3-1 shows a host server initiator that is attached to a SAS expander in a switch that in turn has several devices attached. Figure 3-1 also shows a storage enclosure with a SAS expander and various SSD or HDD drives attached each with their own SAS address. The RAID storage system has two SAS ports, each with a unique address. Internal to the SAS RAID system, there can also be expanders for attaching to back-end SAS and SCSI SSD and HDDs. By leveraging the proven SCSI command set protocol, addressing of devices or targets, including LUNs, to provide familiarity to users. In short, if youre familiar with DAS storage, iSCSI, or Fibre Channel, you will be comfortable with SAS. LUN or volume mapping and masking, along with server side management tools, are also familiar.
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SAS Wide Links SAS Port(s) Initiator PCIe SAS HBA Single SAS Device Target Expander Expander SAS RAID Storage System (Dual Port Target) SAS Address and SCSI ID
SAS & SATA Drives (Targets) JBOD Storage Enclosure
Figure 3-1: SAS hirearchy including initiator, expanders, and targets.
How SAS Functions

SAS is similar to other data storage interfaces where there is a host or server initiator and a target. SAS HBAs usually function as initiators making requests to storage systems or appliances that are the target. Some HBAs, such as those from LSI, can be configured as a source initiator or as a target mode when installed in storage servers, appliances, or systems. This means that a common adapter card can be used for different functions. SAS systems use cabling between the initiator and the target for connectivity. SAS uses the concept of a port that supports a link pair with a receive (Rx) and transmit (Tx) path, as shown in Figure 3-2. When used in full-duplex mode where a source initiator and target can send and receive concurrently, more data moves in a given amount of time. Full-duplex mode essentially means that the initiator and target can walk and chew gum at the same time.

SAS Links (Lanes) PHY SAS Port(s) Wide Port (4x) Tx Rx Enclosure Narrow Port (1x) SAS and SATA JBOD SAS Switch SAS RAID Storage System
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PCIe SAS HBA
Figure 3-2: SAS ports, PHYs, links, and lanes.
The SAS architecture consists of a lower physical layer, including electrical cabling and connectors. Above the physical layer is the PHY layer, which implements 8b/10b data encoding, similar to that found on high-performance, lowlatency networks (such as Fibre Channel), along with link management. Above the PHY layer is the link layer, which handles management of SAS protocol or command primitives, including buildup and teardown of native and tunneled connections between initiators and targets. The Port layer combines multiple PHYs with the same address into wide ports. A port with one (1x) PHY (transmit and receive) is narrow, while 4x PHY are wide ports. Above the ports are the transport layer protocols. Transport protocols that are supported by SAS include Serial SCSI Protocol (SSP) for SAS SSD, HDD, and tape drives, along with storage systems or appliances.
SAS 1x 4x lanes, links, and Ports

SAS nomenclature uses an x to indicate the number of links or lanes. For example, 1x is a single (narrow) link pair (Tx and Rx), and 4x is four (wide) link pairs. From a speed or performance standpoint, 1x at 6Gb/s yields up to 6Gb/s in each direction (Tx and Rx), or a total aggregate of 12Gb/s in full-duplex mode. 4x supports up to 48Gb/s in full-duplex mode. In addition to seeing SAS links specified as 1x or 4x, you may also see x1 or x4, which is the same as 1x and 4x, respectively. A SAS port is able to access various devices directly or via an expander or switch. Looking downstream from a server, an HBA can have one or more ports, and each port can have multiple lanes able to span or fan out and communicate with devices in the SAS domain.
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Another common protocol is Serial ATA Tunneling Protocol (STP) for supporting SATA SSD, HDD, and tape devices, along with Serial Management Protocol (SMP) for managing SAS expanders. Serial SCSI Protocol (SSP) is used for sending and receiving SCSI commands, along with moving data between initiators and target devices. STP provides compatibility between SAS-based systems (servers or storage systems) and SATA devices for moving data along with command processing. SMP is used for in-band discovery and management of SAS expanders within a storage system or server cabinet. Using serial communications, fewer physical wires are needed compared to using parallel communications where a wire is needed for each of the various data bits and command signals. With serial communications, a transmit wire and a receive wire or signal supports both data and commands flowing in a common direction. Data can be sent over one path (transmit or Tx) while other data or commands are being received concurrently on the receive (Rx) path. The result is a higher aggregate or effective bandwidth, along with lower latency (response or wait time). Serial communications is also used in other Local Area Networks (LANs) and SANs, including Ethernet (iSCSI), Fibre Channel, and FCoE. With SAS, the physical PHY port has a transmit path and a receive path that use differential signaling.
Components of SAS
SAS components used in a typical system include: Adapters (HBAs and mezzanine cards) Cabling, expanders, switches, and diagnostic tools Targets (storage systems, SSD, HDD, and tape drives) Software and management tools A SAS infrastructure includes a combination of hardware devices, cabling, software, and management tools arranged in a domain, as shown in Figure 3-3.

Server Applications Operating System Path Managers Device Drivers Initiator SAS Switch PCIe SAS HBA or SAS RAID Card SAS Enclosure Targets SAS & SATA SSD, HDDs SAS Expanders
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SAS Ports
Initiator
SAS & SATA SSD, HDDs
RAID Storage Targets
SATA Tape Target
Figure 3-3: Examples of various SAS components.
The SAS domain includes host server initiators, switches, and expanders, along with target storage devices including individual drives, enclosures, and RAID storage systems.
SAS adapters
SAS adapters, also known as HBAs, install into PCIe I/O expansion slots of servers or into mezzanine card slots on blade systems. HBAs have ports for connecting servers to SAS switches or directly to SAS storage devices, including RAID systems with SSD, HDD, or tape drives. Adapter cards have physical ports that can support both SAS and SATA devices at various speeds. In addition to PCIe SAS HBAs and mezzanine cards, you can also find RAID adapter cards that attach to SAS and SATA JBOD storage enclosures. HBAs support narrow and wide ports that have serial transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) paths that operate at 6Gb/s (along with 3Gb/s for backward compatibility). For interoperability, SAS adapters also support SATA devices, such as SSD, HDD, and tape drives, as targets at both 3Gb/s and 6Gb/s. Normally, SAS adapters operate as initiators to access targets, but some can also be enabled for use as targets in storage systems or appliances. In addition to adapters, storage systems controllers also support back-end initiators using SAS ports for accessing enclosures with SAS and SATA SSDs and HDDs.
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SAS cabling
6Gb/s SAS external connectivity is typically provided by SFF8088 Mini-SAS cabling and connectors. This also provides backward compatibility with older or slower versions for investment protection. In addition to 6Gb/s passive (nonpowered) cables up to 10 meters, active (powered) cables support distances up to 20 meters using the Mini-SAS 4x link connectors with wide ports on HBAs and target devices. For distances beyond 20 meters, SAS switches can be used in different topologies, such as a cascade or a daisy-chain configuration, which also has the benefit of increasing connectivity between servers and storage.
LSI SAS6160 switch

An example of a SAS switch is the LSI SAS6160 that provides 16 nonblocking 4x wide ports. Of the 16 ports with SFF8088 connectors, two ports are active, enabling longer distances and daisy-chain or cascade network topologies for enhanced connectivity. Ports are SFF8088 Mini-SAS with the two 4x wide active ports providing a similar networking connectivity function as in Inter-Switch Links (ISL), trunks, and uplinks found on other types of networking switches. Implementing the SAS-2.1 standard, the LSI SAS6160 switch can be used for attaching multiple servers to JBOD storage enclosure shelves, along with RAID storage systems or other SAS and SATA devices with wide ports. In addition to being used for attaching storage to servers, the SAS switch can also be used for attaching storage systems to appliances, such as NAS or data-protection systems, to increase intra-cabinet (inside cabinet) and inter-cabinet (between cabinet) connectivity. 192 SAS zone groups and 16 ANSI T10 zones are supported in a SAS domain that can have up to 1,000 devices (SSD, HDD, and tape, storage systems, or LUNs). Various HBAs and target devices, including enclosure shelves, RAID systems, and other solutions are supported. For High Availability (HA), the LSI SAS switch can be configured using different topologies, providing redundant data paths between initiators and target devices. Out-of-band management is provided via industrystandard 10/100 Ethernet connectivity. Requiring only half the width of an industry standard 1U height rack shelf, two SAS switches can be placed side by side for dense environments and HA or connectivity scaling requirements. Additional switches can be located in the same or different cabinets and racks. Find out more at www.lsi.com/ sasswitch.
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SAS switches and expanders

SAS expanders are chips that provide connectivity expansion, enabling a port to access many more targets or devices than would normally be possible. To increase connectivity, SAS expanders facilitate the connection of multiple targets, such as in a storage drive enclosure or in a switch. When an expander is used on an HBA, it can view, address, and access all the devices in the SAS topology domain. As an example, a storage enclosure with a SAS host port and 16 drive slots would have an internal or integrated expander, allowing access to each disk drive target. For example, in a storage enclosure, a SAS expander enables one or more ports that attach to an initiator to access multiple individual devices. The initiator could be a server HBA or a port on a storage system controller accessing back-end SAS and SATA devices. Think of a SAS expander as providing a fanout from a port to multiple device functionality. A SAS switch builds on the capabilities of an expander; however, instead of being embedded in a 2.5" or 3.5" disk drive enclosure, it is standalone. A SAS switch builds on the capabilities of an expander or expanders. For example, a SAS switch can be used to increase the number of servers that can access storage systems native ports, such as in a cascade topology, as shown in Figure 3-4.
Servers SAS Switches (cascade or daisy chain)
Storage Systems Figure 3-4: SAS cascade (non-loop) switch topolgy.
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Another example is for scaling of capacity, connectivity, performance, and distance while implementing SAS T10-based zoning for security and device isolation. The internal routing table capacity for the SAS domain ultimately limits the size of a topology that contains the switch. In designing a switch topology, all SAS domain rules must also be followed; the key one is that there is a unique path to each address in strict tree architecture (no loops).
SAS Target Devices

As a storage interface designed for the future, SAS also keeps the past and current modes of operation in mind by being able to support SATA devices. Backward compatibility and commonality is preserved so that when a device is attached to an adapter or controller, SAS automatically detects if its a compliant SAS or SATA product. Although SATA devices can attach to a SAS adapter or controller, the opposite is not true. A SAS device cannot attach to a SATA adapter or storage system. The advantage of SAS and SATA coexistence is to reduce the number of components that are designed into a system, along with subsequent manufacturing and service costs. Put another way, using common components reduces the downstream impact, such as the number and types of spares needed, thus reducing costs. SAS and SATA target devices respond to initiators such as a server or other storage systems adapters or controllers. These can be individual SSD, HDD, or tape drives, along with storage systems and enclosures. The target can be an individual drive, a group of drives in an enclosure JBOD, a LUN on a storage system, or an appliance. Initiators access targets via their address over a SAS link that can be on a wide or narrow port. Target devices have narrow or wide ports. SAS-based storage systems in the market support various numbers of ports for attaching to servers directly or via a SAS switch. To increase the number of servers that can attach to a shared SAS storage system, SAS switches can be used in various topologies.
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Enterprise SAS and SATA

Choose enterprise SAS and SATA based interfaces and devices when possible to simplify ongoing configuration management and remove interoperability challenges. While consumer SAS and SATA devices are supported on paper, in practice, their implementations can result in interoperability challenges. The differences can be a result of how a vendor interprets and implements standards. Part of being an enterpriseclass solution is the rigorous testing and interoperability verification that occurs to identify issues and challenges in the lab, instead of in a customers environment.
SAS is a good fit for attaching both legacy and currentgeneration storage systems and devices, including legacy or lower-cost, high-capacity SATA storage devices and systems, including HDDs and tape drives. SAS is also a good fit for supporting low-latency and high-bandwidth storage devices and systems, including SSD and fast disk drive devices. SAS back ends with switches in a storage system or appliance enable larger scaling of devices to support NAS, object, database, data protection, big data, cloud, and other applications. Software and management tools include operating system device-specific drivers for adapters, failover, and load balancing path managers, configuration, and diagnostics utilities. In addition to operating systemspecific tools, other tools exist for configuring and monitoring SAS switches. Examples of failover and load-balancing software include Microsoft MPIO and EMC PowerPath, among others. Another example of a SAS management tool is the SAS Domain Manager (SDM) for the LSI SAS6160 switch. SDM displays all the available information for each SAS address in the topology. SDM also shows their relationship to one another and their zone affiliations.
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SAS for SANs

Take a look at SAS in action, as illustrated in Figure 3-5. A shared storage system or appliance that supports SAS is shown. The number of shared SAS ports and servers attached without a switch is dependent on a specific storage systems vendors implementations. In addition to a NAS appliance, other storage systems or data application servers that could be deployed include big-data analytics platforms, backup/restore, and BC and DR systems, along with database systems. The SAS JBOD or RAID storage systems or appliance can also have target-mode HBAs for flexibility to utilize common components. For high-performance applications, the shared SAS storage systems can include SSD, fast HDD, and high-capacity HDDs to meet different requirements, and vary by different vendors implementations.
Virtual Servers
WebApp Linux VM Pre/Post Processing Email Windows VM File Linux VM Apps UNIX VM
Virtual Servers PMs

WebApp Linux VM Pre/Post Processing Email Windows VM File Linux VM Apps UNIX VM
Blade Server
Virtual Infrastructure
NAS 6Gb/s SAS Shared SAS Modular Storage System or Appliance
SAS Switch 16 Wide Ports (16 x 4 x 6Gb/s)
Figure 3-5: How shared and switched SAS is being used today.
Chapter 4
SAS Usage Scenarios

In This Chapter
Understanding where and how to use SAS SANs Looking at usage scenarios for shared SAS SANs
n this chapter, we bring together the different pieces that show how and where SAS is being used.
Understanding SAS SANs Usage

The flexibility and scalability of shared SAS as an interface for attaching storage to servers and blade systems supports many different configuration and usage scenarios. SAS usage and deployment examples include: High performance compute (HPC) NAS, object, and unstructured big data Data protection, backup/restore, archive, BC, and DR Server, desktop virtualization, and consolidation Cloud, scale out, hosting, and high-density environments SMB, ROBO, and workgroup shared, tiered storage Video, audio, security surveillance big bandwidth Database, SharePoint, e-mail, and back office
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Shared SAS SANs Scenarios

SAS SANs are used for increased sharing of storage resources than would otherwise be possible. For example, if a SAS storage system has four or eight native ports, without a switch, only four or eight servers (dependent on HA configuration) would be able to use the storage system. With a 16-port switch, assuming four ports attach to a storage system, 12 servers could attach via the remaining ports. In an HA configuration, if a storage system has eight total ports (four per controller if redundant), then 12 HA servers could be attached if using a pair of separate switches (not interconnected). That is, 12 server and four storage ports per each switch. If the applications do not need the full performance of a storage system, then you can simply map more ports to the servers versus the storage systems, or vice versa. To increase the connectivity or number of ports for attaching servers and storage, you simply connect additional SAS switches together in a cascade or other topology. Yet another example of using SAS switches for flexibility is a scenario where a few servers need to access a large amount of storage performance and capacity. In this scenario, a few SASenabled servers attach to a SAS switch, which in turn uses more ports for attaching to multiple storage systems. In addition to being used for attaching application servers to storage, scalable and switched SAS can also be used in storage systems and data applicationfocused appliances as back-end connectivity. For example, a NAS, database, backup target, big data analytics platform, or other appliance can increase back-end storage performance and capacity using SAS expanders and switches attached to JBOD or RAID storage.
SAS in HPC environments

The role of SAS in an HPC environment is that of coexistence and complementing other technologies, including IP-based Ethernet and InfiniBand. InfiniBand and Ethernet are commonly used for supporting local (intra) and wide-area (inter) server to server, cluster, and grid connectivity, along with access to shared networked storage via NFS or NAS.
Chapter 4: SAS Usage Scenarios
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A good HPC scenario uses InfiniBand or Ethernet for server to server or inter/intra processor node communications, along with general compute node to data server, storage, and object servers, with SAS enabling the back-end scaling. SAS provides HPC environments with a scalable, high performance, reliable and cost-effective approach for attaching shared back-end storage to HPC file, data, and storage servers. (See Figure 4-1.)
Compute Cluster Ethernet & InfiniBand Data Serving Software Grid
Non-HA Configured SAS Switches
SAS HBAs Shared Storage SAS and SATA SSD and HDDs
Figure 4-1: SAS complementing InfiniBand and Ethernet in HPC .
In Figure 4-1, SAS-attached storage is accessed from various data servers and storage appliances that need shared connectivity. SAS complements HPC clustered, grid, and scale-out file system software such as GPFS, Lustre, Red Hat, and ZFS.
Big data and big bandwidth

Big data includes Hadoop and Map Reduce, business and statistical analysis software tools, event and activity correlation, along with other tools that leverage unstructured data. Unstructured data includes large-scale file or object sharing, data warehouses, videos, audio, and images. Big bandwidth includes applications that need to process large amounts of data with a focus on throughput or bandwidth.
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In Figure 4-2, storage is shown moving from internal, dedicated SATA or SAS DAS to external shared and scalable storage, including SSD. The benefit that SAS-attached shared storage brings to big data and analytics platforms, including data warehouses, is cost-effective scalability. Scalability includes increasing the amount of storage capacity, along with performance and availability, by bringing shared storage closer to the applications without having to be dedicated inside to a particular server.
Big Data Software
Non-HA Configured SAS Switches
SAS HBAs Shared Storage SAS and SATA SSD and HDDs
Figure 4-2: Shared and switched SAS for big data and big bandwidth.
Database, e-mail, back-office

SAS SANs provide a scalable and cost-effective, highperformance option for supporting database, e-mail such as Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, general file serving, and other back-office and business applications, including SAP and Oracle. Examples of databases include those from Oracle including MySQL, IBM DB2/UDB, and Microsoft SQLserver. For larger environments, switched SAS enables cost-effective, high-performance, scalable, and easy-to-use SANs. SMB, workgroup, and other environments benefit from SAS-based SANs affordability, leveraging common components, and the ability to grow with your environment. Shared SAS SANs can be configured for HA, supporting clustered and non-clustered application servers.
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To reduce latency and improve response time for database, e-mail, and other performance-intensive applications, shared SAS and SATA SSDs are accessed as part of a tiered storage strategy. Lower-cost and higher-capacity HDDs complement the SSDs for data-intensive applications, along with data protection, including backup/restore, BC, and DR purposes. By leveraging SAS switches, scaling and connectivity for SAS SANs is extended from intercabinet to intracabinet distances. For SMB, workgroup, and departmental environments, shared SAS enables a cost-effective SAN solution that scales performance as your organization grows. Investment protection of existing SAS and SATA devices (including SSD, HDD, and tape drives) helps to stretch available budgets further. SAS switches provide extended connectivity and scaling capabilities. Management tools (including path-management software for load balancing, availability, and other enhanced functionality) complement the SAS hardware.
NAS and object storage servers

The role for shared SAS SANs with NFS, object, and other storage server appliances is as a scalable back-end. This role is similar to the role that SAS has with Ethernet and InfiniBand for HPC environments. The growing popularity of NAS file servers supporting standard protocols (including NFS and Windows CIFS, along with object access) is driving the need for more scalable solutions. Another growing trend uses standard Intel or AMD processor-based servers as a platform for deploying NAS, object, and other data-storage appliances. By using a scalable, high-performance, low-latency backend shared SAS, storage-server appliances can increase the amount of back-end shared SAS, SATA SSD, and HDD devices compared to dedicated internal capacity. Most storage systems and appliances have already taken the first step to a shared SAS back-end by supporting SAS and SATA enclosures with expanders. The next step to a scalable, shared backend for NAS, object, and other storage servers is leveraging switches to further increase capacity of shared devices across multiple storage processor nodes or NAS heads.
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NAS and object-based storage servers can be created using industry-standard servers configured with SAS adapters or SAS RAID cards attached to shared enclosures. Software on the servers can include a vendors proprietary software, along with solutions from Dell, Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS), IBM, Microsoft (Windows Storage Server), NetApp StorageGrid, Oracle ZFS, Quantum StorNext, Red Hat, Symantec SFS, and VMware VSA, among others. Another variation of a storage server is a data-protection server for disk-to-disk (D2D) backups and archiving. Using a similar architecture to a NAS or other storage server based on a standard server, SAS enables scaling with resiliency and performance. For a front-end interface, target-mode HBAs can be configured for block-based access from backup or other servers, in addition to Ethernet ports for IP (iSCSI and NFS) access. The same type of HBAs can then be used as an initiator on the back end, reducing parts complexity and costs for system integrators.
Cloud, web, and high density

Cloud, web hosting, managed services, and blade systems share a common theme of high density to support demand. SAS SANs complement these types of environments, including for shared, cost-effective scalable storage, and as part of a cloud-services platform. Public and private cloud-services solutions can be built on standard, high-density rack or blade systems, leveraging various propriety or open-source software. Cloud or web software such as OpenStack is installed on industry-standard servers and combined with other applications. In addition to cloud and web hosting, high-density servers also apply to commercial business, analytics, big data, big bandwidth, and other industry-specific applications, including energy exploration, simulation, EMR and medical PACs, and entertainment. Cloud and web servicesbased platforms are accessed via their front end using different protocols, including applicationprogramming interface (API); objects such as SOAP, REST, or Torrent, along with HTTP and NAS (NFS, CIFS, HDFS), among others. For these systems, instead of using dedicated, internal
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storage, a SAS SAN enables flexibility and scalability with simplicity, including tiered, high-performance SAS and SATA SSD and high-capacity HDD devices.
Server virtualization
Server and virtual desktop infrastructures (VDI) are a popular means of consolidating applications, systems, and physical resources to reduce costs and improve agility. Popular server and VDI platforms (also known as hypervisors), along with their associated management tools, include Citrix Xen and desktop, Microsoft Hyper-V, Oracle VM and VMware ESX, and vSphere. Aggregating different systems that were underutilizing physical server, I/O, and storage resources can cause aggravation. The aggravation comes in the form of resource bottlenecks, contention, and lack of scaling. Server and desktop or VDI environments need shared storage such as a SAS SAN, as shown in Figure 4-3. A shared SAS SAN enables virtualized environments to dynamically share resources, simplify management, and gain the agility provided by liberating applications from physical machines.
VDI HA
File Linux VM Pre/Post Processing VM VM VM
WebApp Linux VM Pre/Post Processing
Email Windows VM
File Linux VM
Apps UNIX VM
HA Configured SAS Switches
SAS HBAs
Shared Storage SAS and SATA SSD and HDDs Figure 4-3: Enabling flexible, scalable SAS-based server virtualization.
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Implementing the SCSI protocol and command set makes SAS a known familiar entity for server virtualization platforms and their guest operating systems (VMs). Server virtualization hypervisors and their VMs (such as VMware) have built-in support for SCSI virtual adapters, along with hardware compatibility lists including SAS adapters and switches. For optional scaling, SAS switches can be configured in HA and non-HA topologies. Refer to virtualization software vendors guides for additional details.
Chapter 5
Advanced SAS Topics

In This Chapter
Understanding the SAS physical layer Looking at active and passive cabling Examining SAS switch zoning for scaling and security Using HBA target mode
his chapter introduces you to some advanced SAS topics, including the SAS physical layer, cabling, switch zoning, and the HBA target mode.
The SAS Physical Layer

Chapter 3 introduces SAS basics, including initiators, targets, ports, adapters, addressing, switches, links, and lanes. In this section, you take a deeper look at the physical SAS layer. SAS, like all serial digital interfaces, is predicated on being able to distinguish between two distinct states (on or off, one or zero). The SAS standard defines a physical set of parameters to ensure that SAS devices can reliably separate the ones from the zeroes at the required data rate. Limits of the physical connection between devices contribute to the erosion of the ability to determine the current signal state accurately at that rate or speed. Terms used in association with this diminished ability to separate ones from zeroes include high-frequency loss, db loss, noise, crosstalk, reflections, and intersymbol interference. The result of not being
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able to determine in a timely manner due to signal noise or deterioration can be device timeouts, devices not seen, data integrity problems, or other intermittent errors. The SAS physical interface standard requires a balanced signal between two physical ports to ensure performance and data integrity over distances and multiple devices. The SAS standard defines a physical set of parameters to ensure signal quality. The parameters are a minimum amplitude and time that each cable must present data signals to a device. If you look at a test or diagnostic tool connected to a SAS interface, you see an eye diagram, where an open eye represents a reliable signal. When the eye closes, determining whether a 1 or a 0 was sent is more difficult, but when the eye-diagram is open, this becomes more reliable. Increasing data rates reduces the time a device has to determine the line state (signal on or off). This time reduction results in closing the eye. The reality of high-frequency signals is that the losses and distortions accumulate to reduce the amplitude (signal quality). In other words, as the speed or frequency of an interface is increased, unless the signal quality is improved using amplification, the eye diagram closes. To restore the reliability and open the eye, the allowed transmission distances must decrease.
Choosing SAS Cabling

SAS supports both passive and active cables for servers and appliances to storage devices. Passive cables require no external power while providing basic connectivity and performance over shorter distances. Active cables, on the other hand, draw a small amount of power from the adapter or port in order to drive SAS signals farther while maintaining performance and data integrity.
Passive cables
Passive cables are by far the most common physical interconnection for digital interfaces and are made up of conductors and connectors. At high data rates, the physical geometries, dimensions, and properties become important. This is similar to the etched traces seen on passive backplanes of various
Chapter 5: Advanced SAS Topics

electronics and forms the basis for the maximum lengths of traces and cables called out in the SAS standard.
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Active cables
For a given speed or frequency, not much can be done to give more time to a serial interface for decision making, but something can be done about amplitudes. Active cables provide greater distance by employing signal amplification to minimize signal loss over longer distances. With an amplifier integrated into the cable on both ends, SAS 2.1 supports longer distances at peak speeds with data integrity. A small amount of power (less than a watt) is obtained from the port. By using amplification (boosting the signal), the cable can actively maintain or enhance the signal compared to a passive cable. The industry is moving toward supporting active SAS cabling. LSI cooperated with SCSI Trade Association members in an effort that resulted in SAS 2.1 standard extension that defined active cables. As an example result, LSI sells SAS 2.1compatible 6Gb/s, active cables in 10- and 20-meter lengths and supports them with its 16-port SAS6160 switch and its 9201-16e HBA offerings. SAS continues to evolve as an interface, and part of that evolution is to go faster, farther, and with more flexibility while maintaining data integrity and interoperability. Following 6Gb/s will be 12Gb/s SAS, along with continued distance increases with active cabling enhancements, including optical along with existing copper cables. Learn more at www.lsi.com/ sasswitch to view the current state of the technology, along with announcements for new and enhancements to existing solutions.
Using SAS Switch Zoning

SAS switches provide flexibility for scaling connectivity by supporting more servers or storage, along with expanding distance. When combined with zoning, SAS SANs using SAS switches provide a layer of isolation or security between different servers or storage.
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SAS addressing requires that SAS devices conform to certain rules in creating SAS domains. In the domain, every SAS port has a unique path to other devices. A SAS port on an adapter can see many different targets or destination storage devices over its physical connection. In the case of individual devices within a JBOD storage enclosure, each of those devices would be seen by a port having access to them with a unique SAS address through a path that also include the SAS address of the JBOD SAS port. With a RAID controller or storage appliance that aggregates individual SAS or SATA devices and presents LUNs, only the LUNs are seen by the server. Only the SAS address of the RAID controller is seen by the host port. With applications on physical, virtual machine, or cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), or Software as a Service (SaaS)based environments, storage is made accessible to certain servers via zoning. Access or visibility to specific LUNs is restricted via mapping and masking. Though you pronounce them the same way (like the word sass), cloud SaaS is different from Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) however, many SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS environments leverage underlying SAS-based infrastructures. To enable a device to exist in only part of a SAS domain, the SAS standard provides for subdividing the domain into a number of zones. You need a management tool to create, delete, and otherwise manage zones. An example of a management tool is SAS Domain Manager (SDM) for implementing switched-based zoning on LSI SAS switches. Zoning management tools such as SDM are implemented in the switch to keep track of zones, ports, and addresses. Tools such as SDM enable LAN network access for administration of common management tasks (adding and removing zones and ports). SAS zoning is a standard (ANSI T10) and part of the 6Gb/s SAS 2.0 implementation, enabling zoning to the end device (initiator or target port). For older, pre-SAS 2.0 devices, the best practice is to reserve SAS zoning for domains with only 6Gb/s SAS initiators, expanders, and switches. Note that 3Gb/s SAS end devices are supported in SAS zones, but only ANSI T10 compliant expanders can provide zoning to them. (The T10 standard was not widely implemented in 3Gb/s expanders.)
Chapter 5: Advanced SAS Topics
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SAS zones are powerful storage system additions, especially when supported with a flexible management tool such as SDM. A SAS domain configured with several zones can be saved in structures such as Zone Sets and Zone Groups for effectively managing accessibility between devices in the SAS domain for different functions. SAS zoning has been compared to the Fibre Channel (FC) operation of volume (also called LUN) mapping and masking. Although analogous, it is important to distinguish them on a couple of levels: LUN mapping and masking refers to LUNs, which are a storage logical unit-addressing construct, as opposed to a physical address processed by zoning mechanism including SAS. LUN mapping/masking identifies which logical SCSI targets or storage allocation units are seen or hidden by a given servers operating or file system. LUN mapping/masking can apply to any interface implementing the SCSI command and LUN target protocol, such as iSCSI, SAS, FC, and FCoE. SAS zoning is implemented from the point in the domain where the management tool resides (typically centrally in a SAS switch). LUN operations usually reside in the initiator (LUN mapping) or in the target external storage, such as a RAID controller or storage appliance management software (LUN masking).
SAS HBA Target Mode

A SAS domain does not care about the direction of data transfers because each path is bidirectional. Similarly, the SAS switch, as a central element of the domain, does not care about the data direction. The system using the SAS domain, however, will be involved in the direction of data transfers, particularly at the endpoints of the domain. Another flexibility of SAS is that HBAs (such as those from LSI) can be used either as an initiator in a server or as a target, such as in a data protection or data server appliance. The traditional SCSI system distinction is between initiators and targets. This distinction is typically made at the software
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driver level for HBAs. SAS HBAs can enable flexibility by enabling an adapter to be used in a traditional initiator mode in a server, as well as a target in a storage appliance. Examples of where an HBA is used in target mode are NAS appliances, object-based and database server appliances, data analytics for big data, as well as data protection such as virtual tape libraries (VTLs), dedupe appliances, and other disk-based backup and archive appliances. Another example of a use for target mode adapters is for cloud gateways and cloud-enabled storage systems and data servers. Often target mode applications require unique integration into their hardware environments. Visit www.lsi.com/sasswitch to find out more about active and passive cabling, adapters and switches, zoning, and management tools, along with configuration and applica tion use cases.
SAS HBAs as initiator or target

SAS HBAs, such as those from LSI, can be either an initiator or a target to increase flexibility for customers and system integrators. This flexibility means that a common component or card provides a uniform physical and protocol transport layer that can be used to reduce inventory, and spares, and simplify parts management and system architecture. Having a common adapter card that can be used as a target device in storage appliances, NAS, or other systems (as well as being a back-end initiator) reduces costs and complexity. This capability aligns with industry trends of using standard servers for deploying storage systems and appliances, along with applicationspecific storage such as database, big data, virtualization, cloud, and data protection, among others.
Chapter 6
Nine Common Questions

In This Chapter
Debunking common SAS myths Answering questions about SAS
number of common questions, myths, and realities pertaining to SAS are covered in this chapter.
Can You Interconnect Switches?

SAS switches (such as those from LSI) can be connected together to create a wide variety of possible topologies, including multiple switches daisy-chained for additional connectivity. Other SAS topology options include star and fan-in of many servers to a shared storage, or fan-out of many storages systems to a few servers. You can find specific examples in the LSI SAS Switch User Guide; download it at www.lsi. com/channel/products/switch/sas6160/index.html.
What Is SAS Cable Distance?

Recently, the SCSI Trade Association (STA) proposed an extension to the 6Gb/s SAS standard that would increase the allowable operation of SAS 2.0 compliant products from 10 meters to in excess of 20 meters. The primary mechanism for this change is in the adoption of active cabling. To support active cables, the connected devices must be able to supply a small amount of power to application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) in the cable itself that ensure the signal transmission over the greater distances. A keying scheme also prevents active cables from being plugged into devices that cant
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supply power. The LSI SAS6160 switch supports active cables on two of its 16 ports. LSI supports active cables, for example, on its 9200 and 9201-16e 6Gb/s SAS HBA, available from LSIauthorized distributors.
How Many Servers Can Be in a SAS SAN?

Up to 1,000 connections or devices can be attached in a SAS domain, including multiple server initiators, targets, and switches, each with its own address. The number of servers that can attach to a SAS SAN is limited by the connectivity topology deployed using switches, HA considerations, and available LUNs or targets.
How Do You Manage SAS Zones?

In a large system topology with hundreds of units, there are likely to be several areas of centralized control. A logical choice for the control of zoning is in a switch. In some cases, this logical choice may actually be the justification for the switch in the topology, even if control could be obtained via a different hardware connection. Using the LSI SAS switch as an example, zone creation and management is part of the SAS Domain Manager embedded utility. A powerful feature of the switch is the ability to define up to ten zone groups. Each zone group can be totally independent. This independence allows the entire topology to be quickly changed for recurrent tasks, for upgrades, and for disaster recovery. Further discussion of zone groups and management of zones is in the LSI SAS Switch User Guide; you can download the user guide at www.lsi.com/ channel/products/switch/sas6160/index.html
How Do You Configure SAS for HA?

SAS can easily support HA topologies. The key is careful selection of the system components and interconnection. Devices with dual external connectivity ports dont necessarily have
Chapter 6: Nine Common Questions
39
dual independent internal paths. For example, dual-port HBAs are common HA elements, but they often have just one ASIC or processor and one PCIe host connection. Similarly, for a SAS switch, many paths may actually be combined at the switch and represent a single point of failure. The solution to this single point of failure is to use two switches and ensure system redundancy by replicating the cabling to the switches. Dont attempt to cross-connect switches in a configuration that results in a loop. Cross-connecting switches may cause loops, which will lead to illegal SAS domains and addressing errors. When you use two switches, its best to consider the switch and its power supply as a single entity. A failure in either the switch or its power supply will interrupt one path, but that is exactly the scenario the HA topology is designed to deal with. Choose the equipment carefully to minimize the occurrence of the interruptions and design the topology to compensate for when those interruptions do occur.
How Does SAS Zoning Compare to LUN Mapping and Masking?

Zoning and LUN mapping/masking are analogous methods, but they are not identical. The principal difference is that zoning is accomplished at a device address level, and LUN mapping is accomplished at a protocol level. In that sense, zoning may be more appropriate for security purposes, while LUN mapping and masking are more appropriate to application-level optimizations. Both methods can typically be accomplished remotely. LUN mapping and masking are also typically controlled by targets (that is, external RAID subsystems acting as end points in the SAS domain), while SAS zoning is better accomplished from the center of the domain.
Who Has SAS Solutions?

As a technology, SAS components, products, and solutions are available or used by the whos who of the IT server and data storage industry. Find out more at the SCSI Trade Association (STA) website http://scsita.org and www.lsi.com/ sasswitch. Server vendors support SAS-attached storage,
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including SAS and SATA target devices. In addition to physical machine (PM) server vendors, virtual machine (VM) or hypervisor vendors such as Citrix (Xen), Microsoft (Hyper-V), Oracle (Open VM), and VMware (ESX/vSphere) also support shared and switched SAS. Refer to specific vendors hardware compatibility lists (HCL) for configuration information.
How Do SAS SANs Compare?

In Figure 6-1, you can see 6Gb/s SAS with its relative cost, performance, distance, scalability, and ease of use compared to other SAN technologies.
8Gb/s FC (8GFC) Yes Yes Higher Very good 10GbE iSCSI and FCoE Yes Yes Higher Very good
Attribute Point to point Switched Cost Performance Distance
1GbE iSCSI Yes Yes Low Good
6Gb/s SAS Yes Yes Low Very good
Data center and 20+ meters Data center or Data center or wide area active cabling campus campus Cost, simplicity, distance Performance 10s to 100s Cost, performance simplicity Distance 10s to 100s Performance, scalability, distance Cost, complexity 100 to 1,000s Performance, scalability, distance Cost, FCoE emerging 100 to 1,000s
Strength
Limitation Servers
Figure 6-1: SAS as a shared storage and SAN interconnect.
Where Can You Learn More?

You can find more information about SAS and shared storage, including switched SAS and SANs, answers to additional questions, and product material at www.lsi.com/sasswitch.
Chapter 7
Next Steps
In This Chapter
Foreseeing SAS future and trends Taking the next steps and finding out where to learn more Taking away nuggets of SAS knowledge
his chapter gives you a brief look at where SAS is going.
SAS Going Forward

The SCSI Trade Association (STA) at www.scsita.org comprises industry vendors (including LSI) that are shaping the future of SAS. Going forward, you will see greater use of optical connections, providing a higher reliability and greater distances between server and storage elements. Switch advancements will allow greater numbers of drives to be attached into SAS storage fabrics (SANs), for large data centers and big data environments. New logical SCSI commands will be required to support these advanced SAS implementations. While it will take some time to emerge, work on moving SAS performance to 24Gb/s has begun.
Next Steps
As you implement SAS in your organization, here are action items to consider: Leverage shared external storage for your servers. Utilize SAS as a scalable server to storage interface.
42
Enable tiered storage such as SSD with shared SAS. Go farther, faster with flexibility using SAS switches. Contact your local LSI-authorized distributor or LSI directly at 1-800-633-4545 (North America) or at 00-8005745-6442 (internationally) and via www.lsi.com/ channel/ContactUs/. Read more at www.lsi.com/sasswitch. LSI offers a complete portfolio of 6Gb/s SAS and SATA storage networking solutions, such as RAID controllers, host bus adapters (HBAs), SAS switches, advanced software options, and application-acceleration products using SSD technology.
Great Take Aways

Finally, some things you should take away: Fast servers need fast storage and networks. A SAS infrastructure, including a SAS switch, provides for scaling of resources while optimizing technology choices into the future. SAS has the historical root (SCSI) and is as viable a transport protocol for SANs. SAS represents an optimal combination of performance, ease of use, and scalability for SAN applications. A SAS switch brings the benefits of SANs to SMBs. SAS switches can be configured to support scaling for dense computing, including cloud and consolidation. High Availability (HA) can be scaled economically with independent SAS switches. SAS zoning provides security for isolation of servers and storage.

SAS SANs For Dummies

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SAS SANs For Dummies

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Foreword by Harry Mason

Project Editor: Jean Nelson

Chapter 1: Data Storage Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chapter 2: Storage Area Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 3: SAS Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition

Chapter 4: SAS Usage Scenarios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Chapter 5: Advanced SAS Topics.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Chapter 6: Nine Common Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Chapter 7: Next Steps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition

About This Book

How This Book Is Organized

SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Data Storage Challenges

Storage Growth Demand Drivers

SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition

Solutions and Opportunities

Storage Area Networks

Introducing Storage Area Networks

SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition

Moving from Dedicated Internal to Shared Storage

Chapter 2: Storage Area Networks

Dedicated Internal Direct Attached Storage

Dedicated External Direct Attached Storage

Shared External Direct Attached Storage (no switch)

Shared External Networked Storage SAN or NAS

Figure 2-1: Server and storage IO locations and access methods.

Memory and storage hierarchy

SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition

Storage initiators and targets

Chapter 2: Storage Area Networks

Figure 2-2: Storage initiator and target examples.

SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition

Introducing the Basics of SAS

SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition

Looking at the SAS basics

Chapter 3: SAS Basics

SAS domains and addressing

SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition

SAS & SATA Drives (Targets) JBOD Storage Enclosure

Figure 3-1: SAS hirearchy including initiator, expanders, and targets.

How SAS Functions

Chapter 3: SAS Basics

PCIe SAS HBA

Figure 3-2: SAS ports, PHYs, links, and lanes.

SAS 1x 4x lanes, links, and Ports

SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition

Chapter 3: SAS Basics

SAS & SATA SSD, HDDs

RAID Storage Targets

SATA Tape Target

Figure 3-3: Examples of various SAS components.

SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition

LSI SAS6160 switch

Chapter 3: SAS Basics

SAS switches and expanders

Storage Systems Figure 3-4: SAS cascade (non-loop) switch topolgy.

SAS SANs For Dummies, LSI Edition